The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-19
CLOSE CALL THEY HAD
TO HAVE BEEN SENT YESTER-
DAY TO NEW YORK.
weYLER's TOBACCO DECREE REVOKED
The Weed May Now be Exported to the United
States The New Crop is of Excellent
Quality and -Four Fiftls in
Quantity.

Washington, D. c., Nov. 1S.-Minis
ter Woodford has telegraphed the Stat
Department that the Spanish cabine
has notified him that the Queen ha
pardoned the Competitor prisoners.
The State department now announce
that the Competitor prisoners were turn
ed over to Consul General Lee last Mon
day and will be sent by him direct t.
New York today.
1t is not doubted here that the prison
ers are liberated on some such condi
tions as were imposed in the case O
former prisoners, that is, that they viii
not return to Cuba. After their bitte
experience in the Cuban jails, it is no
believed here that the men will be dis
posed to violate any understanding OF
this kind to which they may be parties
1t is singular that the men should have
been for four days in the custody OF
Consul General Lee, without the fact
having become generally known, but il
is supposed that secrecy was observed
in order to insure departure from Ha'
vana without exciting trouble from the
extreme conservative Spanish faction.
There were four prisoners, namely Al
fredo Laborde, the captain of theA Com
petitor, native of New Orleans, La.
VIM. Gildea, the mate, a naturaliZed
citizen Ona Melton, who claims Kan
sas as his native State and who went
on the Competitor in the capacity of a
newspaper correspondent; Charles Bar
nett, of British birth, but who claimed
the protection of the United States by
virtue of his sailing on an American
vessel. The conditions under which the
Competitor was captured April 10Th,
1896, off the Cuban coast while engag-
ed in landing arms for the insurgents,
have been often described. The defense
of the men was that they were forced
into the expedition against their will
by the insurgent party aboard the boat
They We're tried by a naval court mar
tial before which they could make only
poor showing, principally because of
their ignorance of the Spanish language
in which the proceedings were con-
Quoted, so that their conviction and the
imposition of the death sentence was
not matter of surprise. AT that point,
however, the case assumed diplomatic
importance. Our government, through
its consul general at Havana, then
Ramon Williams, and also through Min
lister Hannis Taylor at Madrid, inter
posed an energetic protest against the
execution of the sentence, claiming that
the men were improperly tried without
the guarntee held out in the famous
Gushing protocol. This protest caused
the removal of the case to the higher
judicial authorities at Madrid, by
whom a new trial was ordered The
Spanish government, however, did not
and has not cauoadnd that bo
protocol applied to such cases. To admit
that would, in the opinion of the Spanish
greatly stimulate the fitting
cut of filibustering parties in the United
States. The new trial had been ordered
by the Madrid Supreme court on the
ground of Irregularities in the original
.ual, not because Of any conclusion of
the soundness of the objections inter-
posed by the United States officers. 1t !
was to have begun last Monday and it |
is thought would have resulted in the !
imposition of the death sentence again. I
This would have provoked an explosion |
n this country, according to the antici- |
lations Of the department officials, that |
,',, Ill. Fave been hardly less violent than
he feeling caused by the famous Vir-
,inius episode, so it is to them matter
If satisfaction that the Spanish Queen
has cut the diplomatic tangle by the
pardon Of the men before the second
trial.
Senior Du Puy De LONE, the Spanish
Minister, had long conference with As
sistant Secretary Day this morning, and
It is believed that the Spanish govern
ment is voluntarily about to remove an
other troublesome factor from the field
of negotiations in reyoking the decree
made by Weyler prohibiting the exporta-
lion of tobacco from Cuba. This pro-
hibtion has worked hardships upon large
American cigar making interests, and up
to this time all efforts of the State De-
partment to secure an amelioration of
the harsh conditions of the decree have
been unavailing. The reason set up by
General Weyler for the order was the
necessity of keeping in Havana the sup
ply OF tobacco necessary to run the do
nestle cigar factories and thus, by CIV
ing employment to workmen, keep them
from drifting away into the insurgent
ranks. 1t was matter of common re-
port, however. that another potent rea-
son was a desire to cripple the Cuban
cigar makers in the United States from
WHOM the lDShtEciltS dltH AhhuS.
Reports that come to Washington are
to the effect that the new crop of to-
bacco that will be ripe in February
next is of excellent quality and amounts
TO @four-ffths Of an average crop. Buy
ers for foreign consumers are already
In the field looking over the plantations,
and it is expected that to facilitate sales
the revocation of the decree of prohibi-
ton will soon be made.
GEORGIA'S FOOTBALL BILL.