The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-11-26
RELEASED AT LAST.
Tho Grew of the American ship
Competitor
Given In Custody "a gen. Lee-They nr'
Permitted Ia Go Free ON Condition thss
They Return Ia Cuba mo Mor--ihe
Captureand History of the Case


that the Competitor prisoners had
been turned over To Gen. Lee
Secrecy regarding the release was
maintained. at the request OF
the spanish authorities. in order
10 avoid hostile demonstrations In lia-
vana Ii was feared that II the am
nestv became known before the men
were sent out of the country the ultra
Spanish elemen. in Havana might re-
sent it.
Itisnot doubted here that the pris-
oners are liberated on some such con-
dtions as were imposed in the case OF
former prisoners. that is, that they
will not return To Cuba.
After their bitter experience IN the
Cuban fails. ii is not believed here that
the men will be disposed 10 violate any
understanding of this kind To which
they may be party. 1t Is singular that
the men should have been four days IN
the custody of Consul General Lee
without the fact having become
generally known, and it Is supposed that
secrecy was observed in order to insure
departure from Havana without ex-
citing trouble from the extreme con-
sentative Spanish faction. There We're
four prisoners, namely: Alfredo La
bordc the captain of the Competitor.
"A native of New Orleans; William Gil-
dea. the mate. IA naturalized citizen;
Ona Melton. who claims Kansas as his
native state. and who went on the
| Competitor in tbs capacity of a news
paper correspondent, aud Charles Bar
nett. Of British birth. but who claimed
the protection of the United States
government by virtue of his sailing on
an American vessel.
The conditions under which the Com
petitor was captured April y. 1890, OF
the Cuban coast, " hlle engaged IN
landing stores for the insurgents have
been often described. The defense Of
the men was that they We're forced into
the expedition against their will by the
nsurgent party ON board the vessel.
They were tried by a naval court-mar-
tial. before which they could make only
poor showing. principally because OF
their ignorance of the Spanish Ian
guage. in which the proceedings were
conducted. SO that their conviction aud
the imposition of the death sentence
was not II matter of surprise. AT that
point. howe yer. the case assumed dip
lomatic Importance. Our government
through its consul general at Havana,
then Ramon o. Williams. and also
through Minister Taylor at Madrid,
interposed an energetic protest against
the execution of the sentence, claim
ing that the men were improperly
I'D ,.-1eh thu uf-a m to-. held
in the famous Gushing protocol. This
peotest caused the removal of the cass
to the higher judicial authorities a
Madrid, by whom new trial was or
dered. The Spanish government. how
ever, did not and has not yet conceded
. that the Cushing protocol applied Y
such cases. To admit that would. in
the opinion of the spanish authorities
greatly stimulate the fitting out o
flibustering parties in the United
States
, The trial had been ordered by tn
Madrid supreme court on the groun'
Of irregularities in the original trial
not because of any concession of tn
aoundness of the objections interpose'
: by the United States officers. 1t wa
to have begun last Monday and 1T
thought would result in the imposition
; Of the death sentence again. Thi
would have provoked an explosion /
this country according to the anticipa
: tions of the department officials, tina
would have been. hardly less violen
than the feeling caused by the famou
Q Nirginius episode, so IT Is to them
n matter of satisfaction that the SPANS
n queen has cut the diplomatic tangle b
= the pardon of the men before The SEE
r ond trial.
/. Senior Dupuy de Lone. the SPANS
minister had a long conference wit
Assistant Secretary Day yesterda
morning and il is believed that tn
: Spanish government is voiuntaril
7 about to remove another troublesom
: factor from the field of negotiations
/ revolving the decree prohibiting the e.
l. portation of tobacco from lIavan;
L This prohibition has worked harishi
en- large American cigar-maisin
interests. and up to this time a
% efforts of the state department
A secure any nmclioration of the hars
:. conditions of the decree have been vi
a availing. The reason set up by &c
!, Weyler for the order was the necessi'
= of keeping in Havana the supply
tobacco necessary to run the domest
cigar factories and thus. by giving ell
ployment To work men, keep them fro
n drifting away into the insurgent rank
II twas a matter of common repor
e however, that another potent reasc
re was desire to cripple the Cuban Gig
n makers in the United States fro
u whom the insurgents drew funds
1t now seems probable that the d
cree soon will be vacated. Repor
that come to Washington are to the G
rs feet that the new crop Of tobacco tn
Is will be ripe in February next is of e
&c cellent quality and amounts to fou
nc fifths of an average crop. Buyers 4
W foreign consumers are already in u
Geld looking over the plantations.
H. WEYlER AT CORUNNA.
VA~ vy1,ule To~n Turus ONT tn DO Ito