The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-04-03
The Bermuda In Court Charged With Taking
Up Arms Against Foreign Power.
TESTIMONY OF WITNESSES IN THE CASE
Would he Glad to Take Part tn q
Military Expedition Which Would
Aid the Cuban Insurgents Who
arc.FiShting Against the Tyranteal
Laws OF orSpain, Said am Attorney.

New Ork, April 2.-SonOrtly ,alter ~
o'clock this morning the case of the
Government against Bernardo j. Bueno,
Captain Sam Hughes, John ID. Hart,
Captain Lawrence BrabaZon and Benja-
min Gerrera, charged with having vio-
lated the neutrality laws by aiding and
abetting an alleged Cuban filibustering
expedition on the steamship Bermuda,
was opened in the Criminal Branch of
the United States Circuit Courl before
Judge Brown.
On the part of the prosecution, the
jury was told that the only question TO
be decided al the trial was whether or
not the defendants had set on foot or
aided the alleged flibustering expedition.
NO matter what sympathy might be felt
Dor the struggling Cubans, that should
bear no part nor have any weight in the
consideration of the charges against
the accused.
IF we were not citizens of the United
States said the Assistant District At
torney. some. If not all. of us might he
glad to take part III n military expedition
which would aid the Cuban insurgents
who are to-day fighting against the ty-
rannlcal laws Of Spain. but the Revised
statutes forbid gu" doing so, and make
our aiding on abettinG such an expodi-
tlon hiSh miSdemeanor. That Is what
the accused are charged with. taking up
arms asains; foreign powcr-the king
uon OF Spain-with which the United
The Bermuda expedition tho nrosacr-
tor asserted, was but continuation of
the 9ll-fated steamship Hawkins expe-
a.'ton and the same persons at the head
OF Wa m We're General Garcia, had been
Interested :n both. John d. Hart had
purchased tine Bermuda and the checks
with which the purchase had been raTJ
We're signed by Benjamin Guerra. of the
Cuban Junta
10 this statement William NJ. lvans. of
oouhSei Tor fhe defense, objected
1 wish to distinctly state" he said
mat we do not acknowledg ge the en-
istence of Cuban jutn 1t EXISTS only
IN the imagination OF the District Al
torney's Office"
Ana in the newspapers" was the
reply. and then the Assistant District
ATTORNEY went on TO tell OF the various
Parts played by the defendants in the
preparation for the alleged expedition
Augustus Outterbrdge, the first Wit.
ness. SAID that the Bermuda had been
transferred from the Quebec Steamship
company through him 10 Thomas
thompson. The checks In payment for
.ie bermuda We're given to witness BY
Mr. Walsh, of the firm OF Bennett
Walsh & Co. The first payment was
$4,000 and second check for over 500. 600
was also given the witness
William $. Walsh. a steamship agent
ana snip broker. next called, testified
that he had conducted the negotiations
Tor the purchase of the Bermuda, from
,he Quebec Company with Mr. Outer
bridge. Witness said he had purchased
the steamship at the instance of John
u Hart He had paid 5000 for the
vessel. Hart had telephoned from Phil
adelphia that he wanted to buy a ship.
suitable for fruit boat. Witness had
received the first check for $4,000 from
benjamin Gerrsira, by whom il was s1gn
cd. llO met Ge-rEir0 "a b.
place of NJ. Barranco & Co., tobacco
merchants.
The prosecutor asked the witness to
tell about coPn conversation that
had taken place in his office between
1iart and q man named Smith This
was objected to and q squabble between
the lawyers ensued. The Judge allowed
the question. but there was a laugh at
the prosecutors expense when the wit
ness said:
II can't tell you what the conversa-
ton was. because did not oyerhear IT -
Then the prosecutor turned the wit
ness over to Lawyer Horatio s Rubens
OF the defense; for cross-examination
witness said he had on several occa
sions chartered and negotiated the sole
or vessels for John d. Hart, when Brit
ish vessels are purchased by an Ameri-
can. witness stated, 1t Is customary 10
put her papers in the name of a. Brit ,sh
subject.
After recess George T.. Murray. the
Fire Department Inspector of Combus-
tibles. testified to the explosive char
acter of the cargo OF the lighter ]. S
Stranahan, which, 1T is claimed. was
one of the vessels employed in loading
the Bermuda
Counsel for the defense objected to
this testimony. but the Court overruled
1T. Then proclamation of peace be-
tween the United States and Spain made
by the President of the United States
was offered in evidence and despite OBJ
lection by the defense, Judge Brown
allowed 1T to be read.
The report of Edward a.. Mahnken an
inspector OF customs, who examined tho
cargo OF the Stlanahan, was offered in
evidence. lie denied that the Govern
ment officials had had any right to eth
er seize or detain the cargo of the
stranahan and said that the Attorney
General had rebuked the District At
torney for having caused the detention
by restoring the cargo to it's owners.
Felix FuenteS. Il Spaniard, testified
that he had seen a man whom he be-
lieyed to be General Callxto Garcia at
the headquarters Of the Cuban junta.
The witness told how he had offered
his services to General Garcia. to 40 to
Cuba and the Generals declination of