The Chipley banner. (Chipley, Washington County, Fla.) 1893-1943, 1897-07-24
|A|N SHOULD Be FORCED
RELEASE IMPRISONED CITI.
kENs OF THE UNITED STATES.
JOINT RESOLUTION REPORTED.
Asks That the President BE Empo wered
to Take Necessary Action
In the Matter.

A Washington special says: Senator
avis, chairman of the committee on
reign relations, reported from that
pmmittee the following joint rssolu.
on Wednesday.
8ch measures as in his judgment may be
ecessary to obtain the release by the Span
. government Of Ona Melton, Alfred o.
|sborde and William G.. Glider, and the
storstion Of the schooner Competitor to
d owner, and to secure this he is author
ed and requested to employ such means or
eraise such powers as may be necessary"
Il The report recites all the facts that
I've been brought out in the Compel
pr case, her ownership, capture and
tizenship of the three men named in
Ae resolution. together with the pro-
edings thus far had by the Spanish
hthorities, the trial, sentence, etc.
he report characterizes 1t q "mockery
a trial" The affidavits Of the par
es are cited to show that they were
berced into Spanish waters, in which
>se they were not amenable to Span
d jurisdiction. They were not sub
ct to piracy and intended no act of
Ibpredation on the high seas, nor
ore they subject to the Spanish au-
Aorities on account Of alleged rebel
ipR. The report then says:
retrospective Of any OF the foregoing con-
VIBRATIONS, the conduct Of Spain, rs herein
fore detailed, constitutes such delay aud
|onial Of justice and such an actual inflic-
|on OF injustice upon these men as to make
the duty OF this government to demand
tparation therefor irrespective Of any act
hitch these prisoners may have committed
p to the date OF their capture. Among the
pts Of reparation which ought to be de-
handed should be the release OF these cap
IVES
Secretary Evarts is quoted to sus-
bin this position. The report declares
hat the rights of the men have been
Tiolated and continues:
"They have been tried and sentenced to
|eath by summary naval courtmartial in
which has been annulled by the
appellate courts Of Madrid on the ground
hat such courtmartial had no jurisdiction
whatever over them. Ten months have
lapsed since this death sentence was an
,ulled and they have not again been brought
o trial. In the meantime they have been
INFECTED to protracted preliminary exami-
lations preparatory to their trial by another
which differs from the first on
y in the fact that it IS less summary and
nore formal in its character than the first"
The report says that the men at the
irst trial did not know until after the
testimony for the prosecution was in
hat an interpreter was present, and
he only translation made to them was
II the close of the sanguinary proceed
ngs, when they were asked if they
lad anything to say, and necessarily
hey have little to say, yet one of
hem protested that he had not under
TODD one word of the proceedings
'gainst him by which his life was adj
udged forfeited.
"With these protests, continues the
'eport, "the trial ended and the de-
endants were immediately sentenced
o death. 1t is now fourteen months
ince they were arrested, during all OF
Fhich time they have been held in the
bahamas fortress as prisoners. Melton
md Laborde are unquestionably citi-
lens of the United States. Glider is a
british subject, but he was sailor
lpon an American vessel when taken,
Fas acting as mate, and it is the
|pinion of your committee that he is
Untitled to be protected by this gov
rnment. He was serving under the
Jag and he is entitled to be protected
y it,"