The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-27

night we were compelled to sleep with
cloth over our faces to keep the dirt from
| falling in our eyes. Scores of huge rats
| invaded the dungeon.
| "Hare we were told that we were to be
! kent ard here 1t was the intention Of Gen.
| weyler that we should be kept unta we
| were taken out to be shot.
ssBut a dispute arose be- ween the mill
| tary authorities and the naval authorities,
or rather between Gen. Weyler and Ac-
miral Navarro, Gen., Weyier intended TO
have US tried by a military court mar
tial, but Admiral Navarro insisted that
We should be tried by a naval court mar
| tial. and Weyler was compelled to turn
US over again TO the naval authorities. on
~ reserving TO himself the right of ap-
proving or rejecting our sentences
1--WE were then taken to thearsenal prison
and kept incommunicado for six days. On
May S, 1896, and against the protest OF
the L. s. consul, Ramon o. Williams, We
were tried by summary naval courtmar-
tai on charges of piracy and rebeilion.
anu sentenced 20 death.
"Todero Maza turned states evidence
and tried to save his own life by lying
away the lives OF the other Competitor
prisoners. The story of this drumhead
court martial is well known. Gen. Weyler
Immediately signed the death warrant or
derng that we should be shot May TO- al
o'clock in the morning.
TO BE SHOT IN THE MORNING.
"Hasty preparations were made, squad
of 20 soldiers were selected TO shoot US, the
chapel, where we were to be guarded end
receive the spiritual ninistrat.ons of the
priests the night before our execution, was
hastily made ready. the floor was mopped
aud five beds were put in.
.'It was the intention OF Gen. Weyler to
have US shot before the U. 8. government
could interfere. But Ramon o. Williams
and Joseph A. Springer, American consul
and vice consul respectively, kept the
wires hot.
williams notified weyler that IL the
Competitor prisoners were shot 1t would
be equivalent to a declaration of var with
the Urited States. Gen. Wsyler threatened
to resign If we were not shot, but as re-
suit of the representations Of the U. S.
government the Spanish government order
ed that the case should be taken to the su-
preme court at Madrid.
we were then taken to the fortress Ca
bara, where we were kept In close con-
finement in its gloomy caiabooses for Is
months. The supreme court decided that
the treaties between the United States
and Spain, and remanded the case to be
retired in Cuba
at would be tedious to follow all the
irt,icac.es and windings of the case. 1t
will be sufficient to state that it finally was
reduced to a mere matter of politics. Spain
wished to retry US in violation OF the ex-
isting treaties, resentence US and then par
don US; and in that matter force the Unit
precedent for future disputes, and to ac-
knowledge the Spanish Interpretation of
the treaties. This the United States gov
ernment refused to do. and Spain was COM
PEELED to lberate us Internationally.
"On November 10 we were notified that
the Spanish government had pardoned US.
bot as our death sentence had been set
aside by the supreme court and we had
not been retired or resentenced, we were
somewhat at loss to know for what
offense we had pardoned.
Late in the evening of November IS all
of the Competitor prisoners, excepting Dr.
Eedia and Teororo Maza, were set at lib
e-ty. We were met outside the fortress
by L. S. Consul Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and
the British consul general. Mr.. Golan,
who kindly saw us aboard the Ward line
steamer Saratoga, the Spanish authorities
having prohibited US from entering Ha-
vana."
One hundred doses one dollar Is pc
culiar to and proves the economy uc
lJoo1,s