Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-11-25
RELEASED AT LAST.
The Grew OF the American Ship
Competitor
Given I'm Custody of Gen. Lee-They ArS
Permitted to Go Free ON Condition that
They Return to Cuba NO MOre-The
Capture and History of the Case.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.-The state de-
partpent was informed on Monday
that the Competitor prisoners had
been turned over to Gen. Lee.
Secrecy regarding the release was
aintained, at the request of
the Spanish authorities. in order
to avoid hostile demonstrations in Ha-
vana- 1t was feared that if the am
nesty became known before the men
were sent out of the country the ultra
Spanish element in Havana might re-
sent it.
It is not doubted here that the pris-
oners are liberated on some such con-
ditions as were imposed in the case of
former prisoners, that is, that they
will not return to Cuba
After their bitter experience in the
Cuban iails. it is not believed here that
the men will be disposed to violate any
understanding of this kind to which
they may be party. 1t is singular that
the men should have been four days in
the custody of Consul General Lee
without the fact having become
generally known, and it is supposed that
secrecy was observed in order to insure
departure from Havana without ex-
citing trouble from the extreme con-
sentative Spanish faction. There were
four prisoners, namely: Alfredo La
horde, the cap tain of the Competitor.
a native of New Orleans; William Gill
dea, the mate, a naturalized citizen
Ona Melton, who claims Kansas as his
native state, and who went on the
Competitor in this capacity of a news
-nnrroonnn1nnf aFla
nett, of British birth, but who claimed
the protection of the United States
government by virtue of his sailing on
an American vessel
The conditions under which the Com
petitor was captured April 81, 1896, off
the Cuban coast, while engaged in
landing stores for the insurgents have
been often described. The defense of
the men was that they were forced into
the expedition against their will by the
insurgent party on board the vessel.
They were tried by a naval court-mar-
tial, before which they could make only
| poor showing, principally because OF
their ignorance of the Spanish lam
! guage, in which the proceedings were
conducted, SO that their conviction and
| the imposition of the death sentence
was not a matter OF surprise. At that
! point, howe yer, the case assumed dip
| lomatic Importance. Our government,
/ through it's consul general at Havana,
/ then Ramon o. Williams, and also
/ through Minister Taylor at Madrid,
| interposed an energetic protest against
| the execution of the sentence, claim
ing that the men were improperly
tried without the guarantees held out
in the famous Cushing protocol. This
protest caused the removal of the case
to the higher judicial authorities at
Madrid, by whom a new trial was or
dered. The Spanish government, how
ever, did not, and has not yet conceded
that the Cushing protocol applied to
such cases. To admit that would, in
the opinion of the Spanish authorities,
greatly stimulate the fitting out OF
fiIibusterlng parties in the United
| States.
The trial had been ordered by the
Madrid supreme court on the ground
of irregularities in the original trial,
not because of any concession of the
soundness of the objections interposed
by the United States officers. 1t was
to have begun last Monday and it is
thought would result in the imposition
of the death sentence again. Thi:
| would have provoked an explosion il
this country according to the anticipa
tons of the department officials, tina
| would have been hardly less violent
than the feeling caused by the famous
Virginius episode; so it is to them &
matter of satisfaction that the Spanish
queen has cut the diplomatic tangle by
the pardon of the men before the sec
ond trial.
Senior Dupuy de LONE, the Spanisf
minister had a long conference will
| Assistant Secretary Day yesterday
morning and it is believed that thu
Spanish government is voluntarily
! about to remove another trou blesomt
factor from the field of negotiations il
revoking the decree prohibiting the ex
portation of tobacco from Havana
This prohibition has worked hardship
en- large American cigar making
interests, and up to this time al
efforts of the state department tt
secure any amelioration of the harsl
conditions of the decree have been un
availing. The reason set up by Gen
WeyIer for the order was the necessit,
of keeping in Havana the supply o
tobacco necessary to run the domestic
cigar factories and thus, by giving EN-
| ployment to workmen, keep them from
drifting away into the insurgent ranks
was a matter of common report
.. however, that another potent reason
was desire TO cripple the Cuban ciga
makers in the United States from
whom the insurgents drew funds.
1t now seems probable that the de
cree soon will be vacated. Report
that come to Washington are to the eff
feet that the new crop of tobacco tina
will be ripe in February next is of ex
cellent quality and amounts to four
fifths of an average crop. Buyers TO
foreign consumers are already in thu