The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-11-23
Members of the Competitor Crew
Arrive in New York.
GIVEN A AHEARTY WELCOME
The Poor Wrotchus We're Too Weak TO
Respond Sunkcn Eyes. Palnd Faces
and Emaciatrd Forms Young
Quesadh's story OF Il.


dea. oua Melton. William i....4 and
Charl,s Bruett. an EugUzhmau The
i've men we've In fairly good hDtuh and
excellent spiiits uu TracAinE uuarln-
unr. Captain I.aborde suffers rom,-
what fmm paralysis. which Ia, CON
uaotrd during nis hong cunnnpmru, in
the Cnhanas fortress.
Joseph 4. Springer the I'ni' states
vie. consul AZ havana, was also pas
srngcr On the Saratoga. Mr. Springer
drciinrd tn talk Tor publication.
The released men wate tne ,iulhcs In
when lheS We're clad AT the tmr "l
their capture on April -, 1896, az Ser
riacos. san cayelano, cuba,
Another happy passenger ON the Sar-
at1ga was JuIlo lArteaga y Qursada.
thr young Cuban insurgent whn Was
urucIuu iu hc SHOT hy Nryler. but WAS
iardun,d hy General lilancu. "A friend
uf the prisoners father
TIN sN men VINO had escaped the
fdte ot th, Ntrglnius capIlNes, were
greeted upon ihyIr "A rival N New York
~ an cninusiasiic crowd. Who gave
lhym a hearty welcome, The poor
Mr'tches were Too weak to RESPOND L.
inc cheers which mad been given IA their
honor captain i.ahUrdiV's brother VAS
one 0f those assembled on the dock
= nr meeting between the brothers Was
"A touching one. The friends uf the ott-
.rs cried Win joy as tney grasped the
hands uf the released prisoners. whose
eyes Mri- sunkrn. faces pallid and
iorms emaCiatrd, Representatives of
the cuban junia were also present, and
they added their greeting To- the mcn.
1his is the story which young Quesa-
da told Tonight.
While a member uf the army corps
In the Pinar del i,io district. ! became
possessed of information To the knowl-
cage uI which 1 ,hink I owe the saving
uf my life.
Last March | wandered about half
mile away nom our hospital tent In
search uf some herbs of which desired
to make medicine. when a detachment
of Spanish Infantry captured me. The
noise made by my siruggl" to free my
self aroused my IL companions. and
tney rusned Ia my assistance. During
the fight that followed my friends were
beaten and one of them was killed.
AfIer the conflict was over | was bound
and thrown on the ground and beaten
unmcrCifully. ! was told that II I
would confess where my comrades had
their dynamite stored they would stop
''"'"'e w "'' - w ""'
seeing tha' 'h'y coul" no, l"i'e con-
fession lion me. they sent me Ia Arie-
mesia prison. where ! was tried and
sentenced to be shot.
III Mas nj thls juncture that my
knowledge stood me in good stead. Two
prominent Spanish generals. one Of
them "A brigadier general whose name !
a. Nv. ,,,,,,,,' ',',',,..a ,h,,,,'
ps", 1900, p"~.'s ~ rna,' - ~,
,'..,'.,,, :" -, ~, L,,,,,' IA ,,s,'l,s,,,',s a.,
49, ,ni'S ,,'',,,d ,,in ,hc,, Thsy
,hn,,,h, ,h.i 4, had IA A.. NnuIJ t.n
MN, II Ln.w Thes, men .r,. either has.
towards ar their deslr, 10 hold their
uositlons oXercam. their srralples They
wrr. I'm constant communication with
TN. insurrent generals. having written
letters lo them which | saw while in
the Pinar del Rio district, in which
they stated they wanted to make ar
rsng,sn.nts by which Spanish soldiers
would not be attacked Ia the districts
controlled by them. In return the in
surgents wcrc 10 have free access TO
the trocha and be- permitted to pass at
viii. This proposition was accepted.
and In this way Wc were able 10 keep
In constant communication with Go
m~z. Mac"o and Garcia. We had about
5Doo mcn under command ~ General
Nuncz. white The SpaniaIds had be-
tween ic.Voo aud 10000, Yet We were
wrll able 10 cope with them.
Probably tue most wretched OF the
Competitors crew Is one Melton, TIE
newspaper correspondent whose Inter-
ton In going To cuba was not To par
ucipate In the war, but To report tie
true situation In that island.
In describing his capture and suo-
s"puent treatment. Melton said that
when the hrst shot was fired by the
spanish gunboat he and two of his
companions lowered "A small boat aud
tried To escape. They were pursued
and captured a short distance from the
shore, on board the gunboat they wrr'
cruelty bound with ropes ana were
prodded with sharp-puiutcd sticks
which punctur'Ti Their n-sh, They ~rtr
afterwards thrown into cell aud fed
hut one" day. Aft"r the first six
DAYS ~" rrisontrs were permitted 4"
sr" Consul Williams and wrrc f"d twicc
day hut Just th" sort "f tpod VI was
Melton Is still unable tu Say. 10 barely
sustained lii'. that WAS an.
Aft"r the respite Melton said he and
his COMPANIONS were placed 40 a large