The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-23
CREW OF THE COMPETITOR.
THE MEN RELEASED FROM PRISON
REACH NEW YORK.

GeneraIS OF be1nS IN constant COh1-
munication With the Insurgents
and Entering Into an Agreement
That Their Commands Should
Neither Attack Nor Be Attacked.
New York, Nov. 22.-The steamer Sarato-
ga from Havana, having on board the re-
leased members of the Competitor filibus-
tering expedition, has arrived
The men are: Capt. Alfredo Laborde,
William Gildea Ona Melton, VIM. Leavitt
and Charles Barnett. an Englishman. All
five men were in fairly good health and
fairly good spirits on reaching quarantine.
Capt. Laborde suffers somewhat from pa
ralysis, which he contracted during his
long confinement in the Cabanas fortress.
Joseph Springer, the United States vice
consul at Havana, was also passenger on
the Saratoga. He declined to talk for pub
lication.
The released men wore the clothes in
which they were clad at the time of their
capture on April 25. 1896, at Barrancos,
San Cayentino. Cuba.
Another happy prisoner on the Saratoga
was Julio Arteaga Quesada, the young
shot by Gen. Weyler, but who was par
doned by Gen. Blanco, friend of the
prisoners father,
The six men who had escaped the fate
of the Virginius captives were greeted
upon their arrival in New York by an en-
| thusiastic crowd, who gave them hearty
welcome. The poor wretches were too
weak to respond to the cheers which had
been given in their honor.
Capt. Laborde's brother was one OF
| those assembled on the dock. The meet
ing between the brothers was a touching
one. The friends of the others cried with
joy as they grasped the hands of the re-
| leased prisoners, whose eyes were sunken,
| faces pallid and forms emaciated.
Representatives of the Cuban junta were
| also present and they added their greeting
| to the men.
This is the story which young Quesada
| told tonight concerning his release:
| 'While a member of the army corps in
| the Piuar del Rio district became pos
sessed of information, to the knowledge
| of which think L owe the saving of my
| life.
| Last March 1 wandered about half
| mile away from our hospital tent in search
| of some herbs, of which 1 desired to make
medicine when detachment of Spanish
| infantry captured me. The noise made by
| my struggle to free myself aroused my
| twelve companions and they rushed to my
/
| ed my friends were beaten and one of them
! was killed.
After the conflict was over l was bound
| and thrown on the ground and beaten un-
mercifully. 1 was told if l would confess
! where my comrades had their dynamite
stored they would stop beating me. This
| / declined to do and seeing that they
could not force a confession from me, they
sent me 10 Artemisa prison, where 1 was
| tried and sentenced to be shot.
ut was at this juncture that my knowl-
| edge stood me in good stead. Two promi-
nent Spanish generals, one a brigadier
| general whose name I do not care to men
ton, and Gen. Arolas, principally con-
| cerned themselves in my release. They
| feared me because they knew L had dis
closures to make which would ruin them.
| They thought that if 1 had to die l would
tell what I knew
"These men are either base towards or
their desire to hold their positions over
| came their scruples They were in con-
| slant communication with the insurgent
| generals, having written letters to them
which l saw while in the Pinar del Rio
| district, in which they stated that they
wanted to make arrangements by which
| Spanish soldiers would not be attacked in
| the districts controlled by them. In re-
| turn, the insurgents were to have free ac-
| cess to the trocha and be permitted to
| pass at VIII. This proposition was accept
| ed and in this way we were able to keep
in constant communication with Gems.
| Gomez, Maceo and Garcia.
| "We have about 5000 men under COM
mand of Gen. Nunez, while the Spaniards
had between 10000 and $4,000, yet we were
well able to cope with them"
The friends of young Quesada were sur
| prised to learn he had secured his release
| by giving away a secret which betrayed
| the allies of the insurgents in the Spanish
| Infe inf 1lf inn an .an
Blancos friendship for the late Prof
! Quesada that secured his pardon.
| Probably the most wretched of the COM
petitor's crew is Ona Melton, the newspa-
| per correspondent, whose intention in go
| ing to Cuba was not to participate in the
war, but to report the true situation in
| that country. In describing his capture
and subsequent treatment, Melton said
| that when the first shot was fired by the
| Spanish gunboat he and two of his COM
| panions lowered a small boat and tried TO
| escape. They were pursued and captured
short distance from the shore. On board
| the gunboat they were cruelty bound with
ropes and were prodded with sharp pointed
sticks which punctured their flesh. They
were afterwards thrown into a cell and
| fed but once a day. After the first six
| days the prisoners were permitted to see
| Consul Williams and were fed twice a day.
| but Just the sort OF feed it was Melton Is
|
| life, that was all.
After the respite Melton said he and his
companions were placed in a large cell
| containing 400 other prisoners, both politi-
cal and criminal, in the Cabanas fortress,
| and there he remained in trembling fear.
| Last Thursday afternoon he was taken
| out of the dungeon, as he supposed, to
| be shot, but in the corridor he met Consul
| General Lee, who, to Melton's surprise
! informed him that all of the Competitor
| prisoners had been pardoned. Then he
| and his comrades were placed on board
| the Saratoga, which brought them here.
| When arrested Melton weighed 165 pounds
| but now he could not pull down the scale
| at 100 pounds. He win remain here about
week and will then return to his home.
| Capt. Laborde, speaking of his prison
| life, said: 1.-THE stories of cruelties in
! Spanish prisons are utterly unfounded.
| have been there long enough TO know. The
| jailers were as kind as could be expected
! and Matteo Fernandez, the warden Of Ca
banas, was especially kind and consider
ate-so much so that we called him
| Father
"Why, we knew more about what was
4 IA