The evening times., 1897-03-27
MAT KERsEY NOT IN PRISON
He Has Been Seen on the Streets
of Kingston.
LONG THOUGHT TO BE DEAD
c. b. Montgomery, of the Tug Conn
modOre, Met the Alexandrian on
the.Cuban Coast, and Tells an In-
teresting Story of the Missing
Mans Doings-He Is Free Man.

/ Gf--IDdIteS ID. MOuJ-
| gomery, who volunteered as cook on the
tug Commodore, which was wrecked near
| Mosquito Inlet, on the coast of Florida,
on January 3, while on an alleged filibus-
teTing expedition to Cuba, arrived in Bal
| timore yesterday and is now stopping at
No. 80 West Camden street.
Mr.. Montgomery gives an interesting ac-
count of recent expedition which start ed
| out of Charleston, S. c., on the schooner
| Wild Rose, on March 3, bound for Cuba.
lin all" he said Il have made five
| trips to the island; but in no ins tance was
l on an expedition which violated the
neutrality laws. The Wild Rose was the
last expedition, and 1t came near finish
ing my career. Everything went well un-
til the Cuban coast was sighted.
ION March &, when forty miles south
east Of Nassau, we sighted the steamer
Laurada bound for the coast OF Cuba, from
all appearances. We had aboard several
hundred boxes Of rifles and a few pas
sengers The latter were Col Pagueto
Benito, George Gonzales, Paul Hanco and
Julio Rodrigues. The boxes were buried
by the native Cubans, who met us, and We
started further up the coast.
AT an unfortunate moment we were
sighted by the officers Of the Spanish war
ship Enfante Isabel, which chased US.
We were compelled to run into a creek,
but the Spaniards continued the chase in
launches manned with marines, and we
were compelled to take to our yawl. 1t
was nghUfall, and we succeeded in elud-
ing our pursuers, and made our way to
Kin sston, Jamaica.
"On the coast we picked up Mat X ersey
the man from Alexandria, Va, who was
supposed to be imprisoned in Havana;
but / know he is now in Kingston
Il am much surprised TO learn that an
insurance company paid q death claim to
his relatives Kersey appeared In Jack
sonville last October. he may have been
there before that but it was then that he
first became known as man anxious to
engage in the Cuban filibustering enter
prise During October he worked in Merrill
4 Stephens machine shop on East Bay
street. Jacksonville. On November / he
registered at Bettilini's Hotel, on the same
street, in Jacksonville, signing his own
name.
ON November he applied to Capt.
Rudolph Emil Leopold Matt, of the schooner
Wild Rose, at Pensacola to take him TO
CienfuegUs Cuba. He gave the name OF
Kersey to Capt. Matz and paid him $40
as passage money. BE said he was
machinist and intended to offer himself
to Gen. Gomez in Cuba as an electrical
expert and an adept in the use of ofdynamite.
Capt MatZ is now in Philadelphia 10
secure bonds for the release of his schooner
held at Carabclle, Fla. a filibuster.
He can confirm this story.
1T is presumed that keTsey lived in
Florida previous to this under an assumed
name but when he applied for assistance
to the s s Davis Lodge, No. 8, K. of P,
Of Jacksonville, he had 70 give his name
as 4 member Of Alexandria Lodge, No. 13,
X If T., of Alexandra, Va. 1t was his
Pythian brethren who put him up at
Rettilini's Hotel, in Jacksonville.
'Kersey left the Wild Rose at Cienfuegos,
hut he did not get an appointment as cleo
trical expert or adept in explosives from
Gomez He went into the interior and join
ed the Virginian and Texan sharpshoOters,
employed by Gomez for special service in
the guerrilla warfare waged on separated
Spanish forces. He has lived and fought in
the eastern provinces: was never west Of
SdnCil SElFltuS, anu L. 1dIb IdBub, int
jersey City news paper correspondent, met
HMM Santa Clara province and employed
him in his attempt to communicate with
Sylvester Scovel, now in New York after
thirteea months impris onment in Cuban
prison"
Mr.. Montgomery declares that Kersey is
today free man and well, and that he
will be heard from if his relatives com
municate with Louis Courier. ship chand-
Ter. OF Key West, Fla, or with Mr.. Haight,
az Kingston, Jamaica, though, Mr.. Mont
gomery adds, Kcrsey does not seem to be
particularly anxious to communicate with
his friends in Alex andria.