The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-01
The Spanish Consul Refused to
wise the Papers.
PACKED WITH WAR SUPPLY
Objections Raised by Senor
Soils Against Her Sailing.
NOVELIST CRANE ON BOARD
Three Friends to be Libelled-- -Maceo
Resuscitation Story Considered an
April Fool Canard--Palma
Smiles Scephcaliy at 1t.

Smiles Sceptcaily at 1t.
Jacksonville, Fla, Dec. 31.-The
steamer Commodore cleared at the Gus
tom house at 5 o'clock this afternoon
with cargo of arms and ammunition
consigned to Salvador Cisneros, Pres
ident of the Cuban Republic ut Cienfue-
COS. Cuba A crew Of twenty-seyen men
was carried. despite the fact that the
Commodore is only of 80 ton register
Most Of these were Cubans. Among the
number was Stephen Crane, the novelist,
who signed as a seaman at $50 month.
The cargo consists of the following:
i 900 hounds of dynamite, 2 boxes of cleo
+rie apparatus. 200 rifles, 203,0 900 car
tridges, 800 machetes, ii boxes OF drugs
and three bundles of clothing.
Clearance papers were issued, notwlth-
standing the fact that a formal protest
was made by Senior Soils, Spanish Con-
sui for Florida, which was made in writ
ing to the collector. The grounds were
that the rules and regulations of ports
of entry in Cuba prohibited the importa-
aian of munitions OF war except upon
the written permission of the Governor
General of the island, and also upon
the ground that it is the belIef OF me
Consul that the arms are to be used by
the insurgents against the kingdom OF
Spain, and also the port to which they
are assigned The Spanish Consul also
refused to wise clearance papers, when
is necessarily requisite in going to for
aeign port. for the reason that the regn1a1
tions do not permit slrer- importation. OF
arms upon the island without permit.
and this Captain Murphy did not have.
The Consul issued a certificate, how
ever. stating his refusal and his reason
therefor. The Commodore went down
the river about s o'clock, an officer from
the cutter Boutwell, having been placed
on board to see that no one was taken ON
board while going down the river. The
officer was instructed to leave the boat
at the mouth Of the river.
Tt is not believed that he Commodore
will make an attempt to land its cargo
ait Cienfuegos, but will make landing
at some convenient place along the Cuban
coast.
The steamer Three Friends arrived
in port shortly after noon to-day from
Key West, with Peter o. Knight, deputy
collector of customs at Key West, on
board. Mr.. Knight at once reported TO
Collector of Customs Bisbee, and the
latter. acting under instructions from
Washington, had an officer from the
RoutweH placed on board. The boat will
he held until it shall be hbelled by the
District Attorney, who was out OF the
CITY to-day. The officers on the Three
Friends decline to make any statements
concerning the trip. Despite the denlals,
however, the reported chase Of the boat
by a Spanish cruiser was well authentl-
Gated and also that the Three Friends
returned the fire Of the cruiser. Also
the fact that the men and cargo were
afterwards left on one Of the Keys near
the southern coast Of the State Inc
Dauntless has gone after the men ana
cargo, but has not as yet been heard
from.
a dispatch from Key West states that
the New York Journals yacht Vamoose
has returned to that place with a party
of Cubans, believed to have been the
men left by the Three Friends.
The Cruiser Newark has been ordered
from Key West to the st. Johns bar and
will arrive tomorrow. 1T will examine
the papers of all suspicious steamers that
aeave this port.
ALL HEARSAY ABOUT MACEO.
Key West, Fla, Dec. 31.-senor Do
Iores Mirabel, the widow Of Lieutenant
Colonel Mirabel, of the insurgent army,
who was killed in a machete charge at
rrapaste in September last arrived here
last night on the steamship Ohvette, en-
rou+e to Tampa. Fla 1t was at first
claimed that Sonora Mirabel claimed TO
como direct from the insurgent camp,
in the western part Of CUBA, ana that she
had been attending on Antonio Maceo.
. thar SpnnTn
Mirabel did not see Maceo. But she
saws that lust before her departure from
Cuba she was informed by gentleman
of Maceo's staff who had just arrived
from the field, that Maceo was alive, but
seriously wounded, with four physicians
in attendance upon him. Sonora Mira
bels informant added that Maceo was
recovering slowly, and he further stat
ed that during the engagement between
the insurgents and the Spanish troops
under Mai. Cirujeda, pr. Zertucha, I'M
observed, shot Maceo, and afterwards
hastened to join the Spaniards For this
the Doctor is said to have received $780,
600.
Previous to leaving Cuba Sonora Mira
bel lived for eight months in a hiding
place known as the Julia Cave, in the
province Of Havana.
PALMA DISCREDITs THE STORY.
New York, Dec. 31.--A representative
OF DR. Palma was seen at the Cuban
Junta IN this city to-day and asked about
nhe dispatch printed from Key West
which alleges that Antonio Maeeo is a.
ave and Is in a Cuban hospital recover
ing from his wounds. His attention was
also called 30 a statement that the wife
Of prominent Cuban had landed at Key