The herald., 1897-09-20
THE THREE FRIENDS"
A CIRCUS MAN TELLS OF HIS EX-
CITING EXPERIENCES
Was Passenger on Filibustering
Expedition to Cuba-Spanish
Men-of-War Poor Shots

erdl HlDuSterlnS expeditions or the
steamer "Three Friends" and Of her
several seizures by the government on
complaint of the Spanish authorities be-
cause of the success of the expeditions
in which she landed several cargoes of
men and arms in Cuba.
The identity of the men who manned
her on these trips has never been
made public for the very good reason
that prosecution was feared in the Unit
ed States courts on charge Of violating
the neutrality laws. Paul C. Blume,
press agent Of Mains circus, who is now
at the Hotel Ramona, was aboard the
Three Friends" on one of her trips
from Florida to the Cuban coast ard
narrowly escaped capture, which would
certainly have resulted in either the i'm
mediate death of all on board or their
incarceration in Cuban prison. Mr..
Blume is somewhat reticent on the SUBJ
ject, and when asked to relate his ex-
periences last night would only consent
to give in a general way what he had
seen and done on the one trip which he
made, declining to enter into details:
II was in Jacksonville, Fla, for more
than morth before we could get away"
said he. "The Spanish spies were ev-
erywhere and it was next to impossible
to keep them from knowing just what we
intended. Having had some experience
in the regular army, had determined to
accept commission in the Cuban army
which had been offered me by the La
Junta. We made several attempts to
load the vessel at the wharf by dis
guisir,g the cargo, but each time we were
discovered. At last we succeeded in
loading one dark night by placing the
materials of war on lighters and towing
them to the vessel from the opposite
side of the river. All the time we were
at work there were sevral spies on the
wharf, but they did not see what we
Were doing, as the vessel was short dis
tance out in the stream. We got away
that morning before any attempt could
be made to stop us. and the run down
the coast and to Cuba was made with
out incident. We landed within sight
of the lights of Havana, that being con-
sidered a safe place because the Span
ish would not, we thought, be on the
lookout there. We got out the cargo,
and while the last boat was on the way
back to the vessel from shore there was
a sudden flash and we found ourselves
Within the zone covered by the search
flight of Spanish man of war. Then it
meant that we must get away in hur-
ry or be captured, and we did not even
wait to take the boat aboard. line was
thrown to the boat and on this the men
in her clambered aboard and the boat
or nj
firing, but at no time did any of the
shots come within 500 yards of us. We
soon distance6h that vessel, which was
slow old tub, and we thought we were
safe. That morning after daybreak we
encountered another Spanish war vessel
out on our course to Florida. We saw
her before we were discovered, and al
though she fired several shots at us,
all of them fell short. She chased us
clear into American waters, but we
eluded her.
II had had enough of Cuba, for l
found that I could rot live there, and l
gave up the iGea of fighting for Cuban
independence. There can not be the
slightest doubt as to the final outcome
Of the war. 1t will certainly result in
Cuban liberty. There have been nu-
merous important battles in which the
Spanish loss has been enormous, no
news of which has ever reached the out
side world. 1t Is not necessary for me
to tell you anything of the atrocities
perpetrated by the Spaniards. All that
has been written upon that subject has
not half told the story If the truth was
known about the condition of affairs
there it would not be week before at
least the belligerent rights of the Gu
bars would be recognized They have
Weyler whipped now. The end will
come suddenly whenever it becomes
known what false reports have been sent
out by him as to what he has accom-
plished, for. as matter of fact, he has
not succeeded in any of his attempts to
clear a single province of insurgents"