Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-18
HAVE BEEN SET FREE
Competitor Prisoners Have Been Par
doned by Spain.
THEY WERE RELEASED MONDAY
Delivered Into the Custody of
General Lee.
SUPP RES SED THE NEW S

United States Minister Woodford has
cabled the Secretary of State that the
Spanish cabinet has notified him that the
queen had pardoned the Competitor prison
ers This action has been expected for
some time and Is accepted in official cir
cles as clear proof of Spain's desire
to remove all cause of friction between the
United States and Spain. The Star recently
gave history Of the Competitor case and
predicted the speedy release of the prison.
ers There are five of these, as follows:
Alfred Laborde, a native of New Or
leans, master of the Competitor an Ameri-
can schooner, owned by Joseph Wells OF
Key West. Laborde was arrested on the
| charge of landing arms for the Cuban in
Sprgents.
William Gildea a naturalized citizen of
the United States. mats of the Competitor.
arrested on a similar charge.
Ona Melton, citizen of Kansas and a
correspondent for Key West newspaper.
who shipped on the Competitor to go to
Cuba.
William Leavitt, a native Of Bangor. Me-,
supposed to be one of the Competitor :
crew. He was captured en- land and held
on charge of the same character as that
preferred against his companions.
Charles Barnett, a British subject, stew
ard of the Competitor; also arrested on
land on the same charge.
News Withheld Since Monday.
Soon after the receipt of the cable mes
| sage from Minister Woodford announcing
the pardon of the prisoners the following
bulletin was posted at the State Depart
| ment for the benefit of the newspaper men:
THE Competitor prisoners were turnel
over to Consul General Lee last Monday,
and will be sent by him direct to New York
today
No explanation was made to the rea-
son for Withholding until today the fact
that the men had been in the custody of
General Lee since last Monday, but it is
surmised that 1t was part of a policy to
have the men sent away from Havana be-
fore the fact of their release from prison
should become known to the residents Of
the Cuban capital, in order to avoid the
possibility Of any hostile demonstration on
their part The action of the Spanish gov
ernment is not apt to meet with much ia
vor in Havana. The department refuses to
make public General Lees dispatches or to
give out any additional Information on the
subject
1t is not doubted here, however. that the
prisoners are liberated on some such eondi-
tions as were imposed in the case Of for
ner prisoners-that is, that they will not
return to Cuba. After their bitter expo
r!ence in the Cuban jails it is not believed
here that the men will be disposed to vio-
late any undersia ianding oil this KIND 10
which they may be parties
The Case Reviewed.
The conditions unCer Wnlcn tne Sofiipeti-
tor was captured April -, 1896, off the
Cuban coast, while engaged in landing arms
for the insurgents, have been often de-
scribed. The defense of the men was that
they were forced into the expedition against
their will by the insureent party aboard
the boat They were tried by a naval
court-martial, before which they could
make but a poor showing. principally be-
cause of their ignorance of the Spanish
language, in which the proceedings We're
conducted, so that their conviction and the
imposition of the death sentence was not a
matter of surprise. AT that point, how
ever, the case assumed diplomatic I'M
portance Our government, through its
consul general at Havana, then Ramon
Williams. and also through Minister Han
mis- Taylor at Madrid, interposed an ener-
getic protest against the execution of the
sentence. claiming that the men were I'M
properly tried, without the guarantee held
out in the famous Gushing protocol This
protest caused the removal of the case to
the higher judicial authorities at Madrid,
by whom a new trial was ordered. The
Spanish government. however, did not ana
has not yet conceded that the Gushing
protocol applied to such cases. To admit
that would, in the opinion of the Spanish
authorities, greatly stimulate the fitting
out of filbustering parties in the United
States, and according to their view the in
surrection is prolonged solely through the
aid received from these parties. The new
trial had been ordered by the Madrid su-
preme court on the ground of Irregularities
in the original trial, not because of any
concession of the soundness of the objec-
tions interposed by the United States Off
GERS.
1t was to have begun last Monday week,
and it Is a fair suppCsition that had it
taken place by court-martial, as ordered.
the conclusion must have been the imposi-
ton of the death sentence again. This
would probably have provoked an explosion
III Itr1r 10 fhn anti nsv
tions Of the department officials, that
would have been hardly less in force than
the feeling caused by the famous Virginius
episode, SO 1t is to them a matter of salts
faction that the Spanish queen has cut
this diplomatic tangle by the pardon of
the men before the second trial.
Another Concession Looked For.
Senor Dupuy de LONE, the Spanish min
ister had long conference with Assistant
Secretary Day this morning, and 1t is be-
lieved that the Spanish government is vol
unfairly about to remove another trouble
some factor from the field Of negotiations
in revoking the decree made by Weyler pro-
hibiting the expectation of tobacco from
Cuba. This prohibition has worked great
hardship upon large American cigar-mak
ing interests, and up to this time all ef
forts of the State Department to secure
an amelioration of the harsh conditions of
the decree have been unavailing. The rea-
son set up by General Weyler for the order
was the necessity of keeping in Havana
the supply of tobacco necessary to run the
domestic cigar factories, and thus, by CIV
ing employment to workmen, keep them
frcm drifting away into the insurgent
ranks. It was matter of common report,
however, that another potent reason in
mind was desire to cripple the Cuban
cigar makers in the United States, from
whom the insurgents drew funds.
1t now seems probable, however, that
the decree will be vacated, and that shortly
The reports that come to Washington are
to the effect that the new crop of tobacco.
that will be ripe in February next is of ex-
cellent quality and amounts to four-fifths
Of an average crop. Buyers for foreign
consumers are already in the field looking
over the plantations, and 1t is expected
that to facilitate sales the revocation of the
decree of prohibition will soon be made.