Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-14
Vigorous Report on Americans Held
in Cuba.
Case OF THE COMPETITOR PRISONERS
This Government Should Demand
Their Freedom.
RESOLUTION OFFERED

Senator Davis. chairman of the COM
mittee on foreign relations. today reported
from that committee the following Joint
resolution:
That the President be empowered to
take such measures in his Judgment
may be necessary to obtain the release
from the Spanish government of Ona Mel
ton, Alfred o. Laborde and VIM. Glider.
and the restoration Of the schooner Com
petitor to her owner and 10 secure this he
is authorized and requested to employ such
means or exercise such power as may be
necessary"
The report recites all the facts that have
been brought out in the Competitor case
her ownership, capture and citizenship of
the three men named IN the resolution, to-
gether with the proceedings thus far had
by the Spanish authorities. the trial. SEN
tence, etc. The report characterizes IT a
'mockery of trial" The affidavits of
the parties cited to show that they
were coerced into Spanish waters i'm
which case they Were not amenabIe to
Spanish Jurisdiction. They were not sub
,ect TO piracy and intended no act of dep
redatlon on the high seas, nor were they
subject to the Spanish authorities on ac-
count of alleged rebellion.
Reparntion should he Demanded
The report then says: "Irrespective of
any of the foregoing considerations, the
conduct of Spain, hereinbefore detailed.
constitutes such delay and denial of Justice
and such an actual infliction of Injustice
upon these men as to make il the duty of
TINS government to demand reparation
there1or, irrespective of any act which
These prisoners may have committed up to
the date OF their capture. Among the acts
oil reparation which ought to be demanded
should be the release of these captives."
Secretary Evarts is quoted to sustain
this position.
The report declares that the rights of the
men have been violated and continues.
They have been tried and sentenced TO
death by summary naval court-martiaI
i'm a proceeding which has been annulled
by the appellate courts of Madrid, upon
the ground that such a court-martial had
no jurisdiction whatever over them. Ten
months have elapsed since this death SEN
tence was annulled. and they have not
again been brought to trial. In the mean
time they have been subjected to pro-
tracted preliminary examinations. pre-
paratory to their trial by another court
martial, which differs from the first only
in the fact that it is less summary and
more formal in its character than the
first"
The Farce of n Trial.
The report says that the men at the first
trial did not know until after the testimony
for the prosecution was in that an inter-
prefer was present. and the only translation
made to them was at the close of the pro-
ceedings, when they were asked if they
had anything tc say, and necessarily they
could have little to say, yet one of them
protested that he had not understood one
word of the proceedings against him by
which his life was adjudged forfeited.
with these protests" continues the
report, 1.-The trial ended and the defendants
were Immediately sentenced TO death. 1t is
now fourteen months since they were ar
rested, during all of which time they have
been held in the Cabannas fortress as pris-
oners. Melton and Laborde are unquestion-
ably citizens of the United States. Glider
is British subject but he was a sailor
upon an American vessel when taken, was
acting Its mate, and IL is the opinion of
your committee that he is entitled TO be
protected by this government. He was
serving under the flag, and he is entitled to
be protected by il.
"This Government should Demand"
I'm our opinion, these acts of delay, and
denial of justice and of the infiiction of in
justice, vitiate and make void any right
which Spain had In the beginning of this
transaction to proceed criminally against
any of these men. This government should
demand that they be set al liberty and that
the Competitor be restored to her owner.
as there is no evidence that the owner
knew anything about the divergence of the
vessel from its regular voyage to Lemon
City, Fla"
Americans Who Have Suffered Injury.
Representative McRae of Arkansas today
Introduced in the House a resolution calling
uI7on the Secretary of State for a list of
all Americans native or naturalized, who
have filed claims in the State Department
against Spain for injuries to person or