The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-23
TRAITORS
AID CUBAN5
knowledge of This Fact Saw
ed the Life of Young
Quesada.
PRISONERS ARRIVE.
Members of the Competitor
Crew Now Safe in
New York.
SPANIARDS cow ARDS
Rebels Allowed to Move Free
ly on Their Promise Not TO
Attack Certain Generals.

NEW YORK, Nov. 22-The steamer
Saratoga, from Havana, having on
board the released members of the
Competitor filibustering expedition. ar
rived today. The men are Capt. AL
fredo Laborde, William Gndea, Ona
Melton, William Leavitt and Charles
Barnett, an Englishman Joseph A.
Springer, the United States vice consul
at Havana, was also a passenger on
the Saratoga. Mr. Springer declined
to talk for publication. The released
men wore the clothes In which they
were clad at the time of their capture
on April 25. 1896, at Boraccios. San
Cavelano, Cuba.
Another happy passenger on the Sar-
atoga was Julio Artego y Quesada, the
young Cuban insurgent who was or
dered to be shot by Weyler but was
pardoned by Gen. Blanco, a 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 enthusiastic crowd who gave
them a 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 meeting between the broth
ers was a touching one. The friends
of the others cried with Joy as they
grasped the hands of the released pris-
oners, whose eyes were sunken. faces
pallid and forms emaciated. Represent
atives of the Cuban junta were also
present, and they added their greeting
to the men.
This is the story WAich young Que
sada told tonight concerning his re-
lease: While a member of the army
corps in the Pinar del Rio district [
Became possessed of information to
the knowledge Of which l think 1 owe
the saving Of my life. Last March /
wandered about half mile away from
our hospital tent in search Of some
herbs of which / desired to make medi-
cine, when a detachment of Spanish
infantry captured me. The noise
made by my struggle to free myself
aroused my twelve companions and
they rushed to my assistance During
thc fight that followed my friends
were beaten and one of Them was
killed. After the conflict was over |
was bound and thrown on the ground
and beaten unmercifully. / was told
il l would confess where my com
rades had their dynamite stored they
would stop beating me. This / de-
clined to do. and. seeing that they
could not force confession from me,
they sent me to Artemisa prison,
where l was tried and sentenced to be
shot.
1T was at this juncture that my
knowledge stood me in stead Two
prominent Spanish generals, one
brigadier general. whose name l do
not care to mention and Gen. Arolas
principally concerned themselves in
my release. They feared me because
they knew | had disclosures to make
which would ruin them. They
thought that if I had to die / would
tell what | knew. These men are
either base towards or their desire to
hold their positions overcame their
scTuples. They were in constant COM
mTnication with the insurgent gem
erals. having written letters to them
which | 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
b. them. In return the insurgents
were to have free access to the trocha
and be permitted TO pass at Will.
This proposition was accepted and in
this way we were able to keep in con-
Maceo and Garcia.
I'VE had about 5000 men under COM
mand Of Gen. Nunez, while the Span
iards had between 10000 and $4,000 yet
we were we'll able to cope with them"
The friends of young Quesada were
surprised TO learn that he had secured
his release by giving away q secret
which betrayed the allies of the insur-
gents in the Spanish army. 1t was this
information and not Gen. BIancO's
friendship for the late Prof Quesada
that secured his pardon.
Probably the most wretched of the
Competitors crew is Ona Melton. the
newspaper correspondent. whose inten-
ton on going to Cuba was not 10 par
ticipate in the war, but to report the
true situation in that country. In de-
scribing his capture and subsequent
treatment, Melton said that when the
first shot was fred by the Spanish gun
boat, he and two of his companions
lowered a small boat and tried TO es-
cape. They were pursued and captured
a short distance from the shore. on
board the gunboat they were cruelty
bound with ropes and were prodded
with sharp pointed sticks which pune
tured their flesh. They were after
wards 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 food IL was
Melton is still unable TO say. II bare
ly supported life, that was all.
After the respite Melton said he and
his companions were placed in a large
cell containing forty other prisoners.
both political and criminal, in the
Cabanas fortress, and there he remain
ed in trembling and fear. Last Thurs
dav afternoon he was taken out OF the
dungeon, as ne supposed. to be shot,
but in the corridor he met Consul Gen
eral Lee. who, to Melton's surprise, in
Continued on Third Page.