New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-03
EVER RESTLESS CUBA.
THE UNITED STATES ALWAYS EN-
TANGLED IN THE ISLANDS
DIFFICULTIES.

DIFFICULTIES.
As1BrsrERrNa EXPEDITIONS OF THE PAST AND
pRpsExr-BoIp pAsHEs TO AID THE sTRuo-
CHINO c,,sANs-rArEs OF WILD sue
CESS AND wRETcHED FAILURE.
American Presidents and Secretaries OF state
haye probably worried more over CUBA tnan over
.nv other one thing that has ever come up TO COM
49,. IN. foreign relations of the United States
In.urrections hlbustering expeditions ana angry
nrotests from Spain have followed one announcer !"
ouick succession. The anxious hours tnat '"e p'e
emit Administration has spent are oy no .e""'
unprecedented. Several times the United e.a'es
has been on the brink Of war with Spain. ana tne
low-lying island fertile. productive ana oe""''"'
"a II is has ever been cause OF Anxiety
Tn the early DAYS Of the century the particular
nightmare that kept President Monroe ana JONI,
Quincy Adams. after him. awake was the rear '"".
Great Britain would pounce down upon the rear
~ the Antilles and seize her within her ush'en'ns
rrasp Later Presidents were worried over '"0
hurn,rr question of the annexation OF CUBA otneIs
vera sorely tempted to hold out helping mana u
the insurgent bands that every few years. ior sew
enty.fve years back have sprung up anu '''"'
Cuba topsy-turvy. And 1t was only Urine over
score of wears ago that the Virginius anar arouSe
the whole American people and kept rres'ue".
Grant and Secretary Fish distracted TOT WEEKS a.
+. time In fact II seems II President buehahan
vo. MT far out of the way when. In lSS, ne re-
marked: .'Our relations with Spain, wh'ch oush'
10 be of the most friendly character. must away
he placed in Jeopardy while the existing coioh.a'
government of the island (Cuba) remains !" IL.
nreacnt condition" The present condition 'ha'
A. Buchanan referred to has continued without
chanve-except perhaps, for the worse-to the pres
ent day. Add to this the fact that op"'" 'ae
always harassed United States commerce VIII
unusual and discriminating duties at CUBAN por''
and has annoyed American shipping IN ese,y vo"
csiyable way: add TO this the fact that hnous'e'
to- .~,.d,,,ons without end have stolen away from
American ports thereby putting the irasciole
snanish Government into frenzy OF wrath ana IL
.. rot 10 he wondered at that the United states
Presidents have had billy and thorny pain 10
climb, with plenty Of sharp rocks unoer ioo''
Meantime Cuba has been grinding out the traseo!
40 her existence sometimes in slow misery; at
others with swift and rushing agonies. 1t has mace
little difference who was In power at Maoriu DC "
the Napoleons the Bourbons or some new ana RS
ing dynasty In every instance the hxed pohcy mas
been to make a cow of Cuba" as some one nas
put IT, land to keep her MIXED dry all the ume
ALMOST CONSTANT REVOLUTIONS
In President Jefferson's time Spain. in despair
ing mood, offered TO transfer CUBA 10 inc oni'eu
States on the easiest possible terms. IT was lort-
innate that the Administration did not TAKE ao-
vantage OF the offer. for at that time Cuoa was
sIave-hoIding and slave-trafickng island. and Its
addition TO the Union would have added Immensely
70 the mower of the slave-holdng States Inc pur-
chase OF Cuba would have retarded. ana possibly
have naralyzed for half century. the anti-savery
movement Since that time the Cuban popuauoh'
bound down by the Tightening CORDS OF spanish III
difference and misrule. has again ana again risen
10 throw off the bonds. Almost every part OF inc
island has seen sanguinary conflicts, oiacKeheo
forests and burning plantations The SOUNDS oi
th. conflict and the smoke OF the burning cane
Ne,ds have always been quickly waited over 10 the
coasts of the United States, only day san away
The tales OF the enacted on the island nave
been maSnifed hundred-fold and have all oeeh
.v,ft,v carried to the sympathizlng ears OF many
Americans The consequences have been new
table Not rising had taken place In Cuba that
has not had the sympathy OF some daring spirits In
the American Union. Not once has the cry OF
"Cuba IIbre' been raised without an answering
echo from the many Cubans and friends OF Cupa
awaiting mpatiently in the American seapors 'ne'r
chance IN send succor to their friends across the
narrow sea. v -.
Tho annals Of Cuban Instructions are 1uii OF
deeds Of daring performed upon the high seas IN
the effort to land arms and ammunition upon inc
island Many Of these expeditions have oeen sue.
cessfuI while many have been captured: some
have been sunk and have cost many lives
The Spanish Government has almost constantly
kept spies in this country. and the NUMBER OF e~'
peditions that have been nipped In the bud can
hardly be estimated.
THE VIRG1NIUS EXECU1lONc
OF all the flibustering expeditions that have
stolen away from American shores the most no
torious is that of the steamer Nirginius. the re-
vremhrance of which even now causes shuddel
IN many Americans The story OF the Virginius Il
known to every one. The little steamer had al
ready gained a reputation In the Ten Years wal
nv Slipping In and out OF the Cuban land-locket
hart,ors with amazing success. time and agar
carving arms and renforcements to the patrio
army At last on October 81. 1873. the Virginiu
was captured with all on board by the spanish
gunboat Tornado. She had 1I0 passengers ant
crew. including several Americans and Englishmen
The Virginius, with all on board. was taken by tn
Tornado TO Santiago on the southeastern coast o
Cuba. With hardly pretence at trial, the Spanis
commander had fifty-three Of his prisoners sho
down in cold blood Says recent writer:
Among the passengers were ber1abe Sarona
alias Bembetta; Pedro Cespedes. Jesur uel Sfl an
General Ryan. The tribunal at Santiago de Cub
before which the prisoners were taken condemne
these four to death. Although instructions wer
ssas from the the Home before
penalties on the passengers or men OF the Virginiu
the Ssaer TSs four We're shot at the pae
made famous by previous executions and In tn
% x to the spot with
Ryan shSysG ms sssa SwsTd be
The two others quite broke down before they wei
and fs dsd Without to shs
Bembetta and Ryan were killed at the first di
s4cSsd AGAINST he ow
Fifteen feet above them the red tile roof projecte
At their feet there was ditch 10 catch raindrop
Thev were made to knee facing the wall. TT
wall above them pitted deep with the bulle
that new over their heads AS they feli Into Il
military wagons crunched and slipped on the bodie
spikes through the city. and the mutilsted bodi
were dumped into a pit Of quicklime. and the emil
sffair was soon forgotten by Its perpetrators.
On November the Captain Of the Virginius al
. thirty-sIx OF the crew were put TO death In Il
same faahion and the next day twelve more
the Cuban volunteers on the vessel were she
Tranchi Alfaro who was among the letter numDe
offered the Spanish authorities 100000 II thu
would spare his life Captain Frey and thirty, I,
7fh and taken to the prison. to remain there un
their execution which was ORDERED TOT mat aite
noon CAPTAIN Frey, noble looking old man. full
nov.. .arier than the rest of the crew. when