Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-18
OFF FOR THE WARS
Big Force Sails from the Texas
Coast for Cuba.
LIKELY T0GIvE wEYLER TROUBLE

For They Arc All Southwestern Amer
Jeans, Armed to the Teeth, and Take .
Lot Of War Munitions Along-Bloody
Batchery and Other Deviltry Done by
the Spaniards Men Slaughtered and
Women sawed" for Their Captors.
Dallas. Tex, Feb. 1s.-The News to-
day prints the following story. which its
reporters cannot verify, except to strike
disconnected fragments here and there:
One Of the largest Cuban expeditions
that has sailed from the gulf coast
squared away last night for the Queen
way between Corpus Christi and CAL
weston. The expedition consisted Of 300
thoroughly armed frontiersmen, mostly
from Colorado, but many Of them from
north and west Texas and New Mexico.
The Colorado and New Mexican con-
tingents are part of Colonel Roberts or
ganization that he has been getting to-
gether in the southwest during the last
few days. The men forming the expe-
dition have been sent to south Texas
points in squads of from five to twenty,
Houston and Galveston without sus-
picion as to their identity being aroused.
They have been sent out from Dallas
and Fort Worth and few from Green
| vile and Texarkana by Cuban sympa-
| thizers.
Has Been Accommodating Munitions.
The vessel on which they sailed last
night is owned by wealthy private par
l fiaS nnn-rsoJ6onfS of low Poy
several days last week near the port of
| Brazos de Santiago, at a point north OF
the bar. from which it quietly slipped
out last Friday night, reaching Pass
Caballo on Sunday. During the last
thirty days arms and ammunition have
been shipped as hollowwarc, white lead
hospital supplies and musical instru-
ments In all 10000 rounds Of mixed
ammunition for rifles shotguns and re-
volvers, which had been quietly gath
cred in north Texas points, the bulk OF
it at Dallas. and some at Fort Worth
and some from the biggest arms COM
panies in st. Louis, have been shipped
| from those cities under the direction OF
Cuban sympathizers and forwarded in
such packages as not to arouse suspic-
ion as to the character of their con-
tents.
Two Hundred of a Crew.
| The expedition hopes to join Colonel
Roberts command Of Americans in
Cubba or General Garcia's. The point
| where it will land has been selected in
advance, but is only known to the Off.
GERS of the ship and the promoters of the
expedition. The crew consists of 20t
thoroughly experienced sailors, at the
head of whom is Captain Miller, who
has spent a great deal Of time within
the last two or three weeks in Calves
ton, Dallas and Houston. One Of thu
crew is Bob Allan, the assistant gunner
who helped Mike Walsh work tn,
Hotchkiss gun in the sea fight last De
cember on the south coast of Cuba whel
the Three Friends failed to land its ex
pedition and had to put back. Anothe
Of Captain Miller's daring men is Ton
Mcdonald. member Of the crew of tn
Three Friends.
Under Bond to Uncle Sam.
All of these men are under bond 70
the alleged piracy case growing out o
naval engagement. They have beel
in Texas for over two weeks assisting II
getting up the expedition which ha
been set on foot about thirty days ag
by Cuban sympathizers in Dallas.