Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-02
DESPITE VIGILANCE
Jamaica Continues to Send Aid to Cuba
Muni.ion Safely Landed Under Heavy
Fire

Fire
Kingston, Jamaica, Jan. 26.-(Corrs-
spondence of 3the Southern Associated
Press. .)-Although the Cuban revolution
airy junta here, under orders from head
quarters In New York, makes no further
attempts to send off filibustering expedi-
tions from Jamaica since the Pearl fias-
CO, 1t keeps up constant communication
with the southern coast of Cuba, partlc-
ulArly the orient. This lis done by means
of fishing boats, chiefly but some times
the Cuban couriers come in on open dug
outs, as was the case last week. Dis
patches are sent hence and received az =
most weekly, despite the alleged vig1 s.sl
ance of the police. Medicines, clothf -
and such things are sent along with the
dispatches, and patriot officers and des-
patches come this way. Occasionally the
incomers are caught and placed In quar-
antine, but for the most part they are
accompanied by pilots familiar with the
coasts, who put them in under the noses
of the police and the Cuban colony in
Kingston swallows them up. There are
now at Port Maria six Cubans undergo
ing quarantine, including an officer, who
may be released in time to catch this mail
for New York. They arrived last week
in an open boat or rather hollowed-our
log, in which they made the ninety-mile
voyage in three days and two nights.
They bean important dispatches from
(Ie0. Niarcit1 IOr 0enOT GdWIld, VI tie 1NCW
York junta.
Since the capture and detention of
these messengers another party has ar
rived who evaded the police and their
dispatches will doubtless be forwarded
today The news they brought is of
great Importance, for 1t tells of the sue
cessful landing on Sunday last of big
filibustering expedition on the coast of
Santiago province.
The expedition disembarked without
molestation from the Spanish gunboats
which were looking for it-but looked for
1t in the wrong place. When landed,
however its troubles began. The con-
voy was met by a body of Spanish
troops that were not looking for 1t and
skirmish ensued. The Cuban force sue
ceeded in getting between the troops
and the precious munitions and held their
ground until the train had got into
secure position. Then the Cubans fell
back The troops pursued them hotly,
expecting an easy victory and the cap
ture of the whole outfit, but it was de-
coy retreat which drew the troops into
an ambush where a much stronger body
of Cubans were lying low. The result
was disastrous, the Spaniards did not
get out of the mess until they had lost
so heavily that the remnants were glad
to retreat and allow the convoy to con-
tinue it's march along the interior. The
expedition got into the camp of Garcia
without further trouble. The supplies
received by this expedition will go far
toward equipping the army of the ORR
ent for it's share in the big struggle be-
tween Weyler and Gomez that is coming
off soon.
The case against the Pilot LAMA, who
was recently caught trying to get off
with an armed expedition of which the
junta knew nothing, has resolved itself
into a breach of the customs law. He
was indicted under the foreign enlistment
act, but the attorney general discovered
the same flaw that the United States
court have noted. That is, that there
can be no technical breach of neutrality
while no state of war officially exists.
The result was that LAMA was fined f20
sterling for attempting to ship goods
without warrant and he has appealed
the case to the higher courts on the
ground that as the arrest was premature
there is no evidence of the attempt to
ship. The outlook is that he will get off
with a fine of $5 for a breach of a police
regulation, carrying fire arms without
license.