The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-30


on April p on an alleged flibusterina ex-
pedition 10 Cuba, was before United
states Commissioner Otto this morning
and was placed under SO u0l bond for his
appearance on Friday, when he viii be
given preliminary hearing. The cause
or the delay was the failure Of the gov
ernment 70 produce the witnesses against
the defendant The witnesses are in Phil
adeipnla, but have been teiegraphed 10
come here at once. The charge against
Capt. Reilly is based upon an affidavit Of
Abram B. Myers, who swears that on
April =, 1886 IN this city. county and
STATE, capt Edward G. Reilly and John
ID. Hart, and Emilio Nunez, did begin and
set on foot, and did provide and prepare
the means for military expedition 70
De carried on against the territory and
dominion i Of a foreign prince and people
ana state with whom the United States
Is at peace, viz, the king and government
OF spain, and the people of the Spanish
government. The case was transferred
TO- 70 this cry Tor hearing by order Of the
United States court for the eastern dis
tIlct or Pennsylvania, at the request of
the defendant, who secured a writ of ha-
peas corpus after having his bond fixed
~ commissioner Craig In Philadelphia.
Among the interested spectators present
this morning was Spanish Consul Soils of
Iampa, and Vice Consul Mariatigui Of
TINS city The case is deemed Of SO much
Importance by the Spanish government
that Consul Soils is here in person to
watch its progress.
Key West, Fla. June 29.-The steamers
Three Friends and City of Richmond
We're seized by the customs authorities
this morning. The case will be heard
Wednesday. The steamers are charged
! with engaging in filibustering expeditions
in violation of the treaty between the TTni-
ted states and Spain. The Three Friends
and City Of Richmond We're brought into
ms port last Friday by prize crews from
cutter NNtnn1n "a
the steamers north of this city The Citv
or Richmond had 500 cases Of arms and
ammunition on board and also nearly one
nundred Cu6ans- 1t is said the arms and
men were 70 be transferred to the Three
! Friends and that the latter would take
them to Cuba.
Havana, June 29.-ConsuI General Lee
was interviewed to-day in regard to the
statement alleged to have been made
| by Collector Ryan on his return to the
united states from his recent trip to
Havana. Gen. Lee said: 'sMr. RYAN had
! no authority to speak for me on Cuban
matters l did not talk to him conf
| dentialy or otherwise on public ques-
| tions, and never gave him my views on
| the situation in the island. Whatever he
| has said or written is his own opinion
not mine.'
New York, June 29.-The trial of John
d. Hart Emilio Nunez. Capt John ID.
O'Brien and Mate Edward Murphy accus-
ed Of aiding a military expedition to Cuba
| on the steamship Bermuda, came up in
| the United States circuit court this morn
| ing. District Mcfarland and his two as
slstants represented the prosecution, and
N4S lN14MSei 10 = Huoens represented EnIiio
Nunez J. Langdon Ward, the lawyer for
| Messrs. Hart, o. Brien and Murphy. is sick
| and postponement was asked for TIL
October, but this was denied by Judge
| Brown.
J. F. Lewis and w. w. Kerr of Pbi1a-
delphia were, after consultation among
| consul, introduced to the court as the
lawyers who would professionally con-
| three clentst
! Before the jury was sworn each MEM
| Der was interrogated by the district at
torney as TO whether he had any sym>
| patny with the Cubans, and whether. If
he had, it would interfere with his rem
| dering verdict in accordance with the
evidence. One prospective juror said His
| sympathies for Cuba We're so strong that
| II would be difficult for him to render an
impartial verdict, and he was excused
! FINALLY the jury was completed twenty
| one talesmen having declared Cuban svH
| pathes, three no sympathy on either side
and one against Cuba. When the Jury
| had been empannelled at 2:30 O'Clock a
recess was taken for a half hour. After
the recess, Attorney McFarlane began his
opening address to the jury He road
section 5,2S6 of the Revised Statutes mn.
on which the indictment against the ac-
cused Is based, by which any ac-
ton of the country which
provides or prepares the means for
a military expedition against a friendIv
power is declared guilty of a high misde-
meanor. Then he outlined the eyidence
ne proposed to produce. On March Is
last, he said, Capt. John O'Brien nro.
cured papers a the custom house to clear
the Bermuda for Vera Cruz, Mexico. win
cargo or arms and ammunition, declar-
ing the vessel was to carry no passen-
gers. Then he said the Bermuda had
subsequently taken on eighty men off
Ocean City, n. j. Additional arms and
ammunition had also been shipped off
the Island Of Chicopee, between Capes
Henlopen and st. Charles which had
been left on the island by the steamship
Laurada, in which Hart and Nunez had
made the trip to the island from Pbila-
deiphia. Hart had returned to Philadel-
phia, but Nunez, O'Brien and Murphy
had proceeded on the Bermuda to Cuba.
where, on March "A, the men, arms ana
ammunition had been landed in the mid
die OF the night, with every precaution
10 avoid observation. Nunez during the
trip and during the unloading gave the
orders and was In charge.
David G. Hawthorne, deputy collector
OF the port OF New York, testified to the
procuring of the Bemnuda's clearance
papers by Capt. O'Brien and to the con-
tents of the ships manifest describing
the cargo Of arms and ammunition, etc
AAODNil - OAipltI ION, J0ElllSn consul at
| Philadelphia. testified that the Bermuda
was under British register during the first
four months of this year Certain letters
had been received, purporting to come
from John d. Hart, were marked for
Identification.
John NJ. Vandever, Philadelphia Gus.
ton house broker was called to testify
to J. D. Hart's signature on various pa
pers, but could only answer on general
belief he had never seen him sign
! The papers were introduced TO show thai
Hart was managing owner of the Rer-
muda, and after a sharp cross exanina-
tion of the witness they were submitted
in evidence.
James A. Smith, at first the second
steward and subsequently chief steward
during the Cuban voyages, testif1ed to
having seen Hart. O'Brien, and Murphy
on board the vessel. They and others
after the vessel sailed were taken into
the cabin and treated as passengers. He
described the voyage after the Bermuda
sailed from New York, her stoppage on
the Jersey coast and off Dala-
ware breakwater, where eight
surf boats We're taken on board. Of
the Jersey coast eighty-one men We're
taken aboard from the Atlantic Citv
Among them were Cen Garcia. More
| cd qf.