The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-16
CAPTURED TWICKENHAn
And Mysterious Spaniard Aboard
the Collier.

Kew West Fla, June 15-1. 45 p. H.
Jamie Fernires, who says he is the first
officer of the Spanish hospital ship
Alicante, was brought in here this morn
ing as prisoner of war on board the
British prize steamer Twickenham,
captured by the craiser ST. Louis, on
June TO- Conflicting stories are told con-
corning the Spaniard's presence on board
the Twiokenham, and there is strong sus.
picion that he is q more important
capture that superficial circumstances
might indicate.
The Twickenham was captured at three
o'clock ON the morning of June 10, when
about ten miles off the south coast of
jamaica The ST. Louis, which took her,
of course without show of resistanc
was the only ship of the American fleet
in or about these waters at the time.
The British steamer had been picked up
in the West Indian waters about month
ago and was warned to avoid the blockade
vessels Recently it was learned that she
was at Martinique, where the hospital
ship Alicante, under command of Captain
Antonio GEMS, has been lying for some
time. There was report that the
Alicante and other ships of the enemy had
been securing coal from the Twickenham
and upon learning that the later had left
that port, ostensibly for Jamaica, the ST.
| Louis secuted for and eventually found
her.
| The auxiliary cruisers information
was that the Twickenham had sailed on
April 81 from Newcastle-on- Tyne, for St,
Thomas, filed to her capacity of 1900
tons with coal.
| At ST. Thomas the cargo appeared to
have passed, according to papers, into the
charge of person named Clark, to whom
the Twickenham had been chartered by
the owners, the British Steamship COM
pany. She left ST. Thomas on May is.
and sailed for Fort de France, Marti-
nique, but Captain Goodrich of the St.
Louis could find no papers to indicate to
whom the ship and the cargo were con-
signed. On June 9TH the United States
consul at ST. Pierre Mart. wired the
State Department at Washington that the
Tw1ckenham' S cargo of coal was con-
signed to the Spanish consul in that
island, but that the local government re-
fused permission to that official to land it
ON the same day. The Twickenham sailed
for Jamaica and was picked up off that
| coast five days later by the st. Louis,
Captain Robinson of the Twickenham,
protesting complete ignorance concerning
the ownership Of the cargo and could
produce nothing tending to fix this point.
He said that ut Martinique he was in
formed by man named Lebat that he
| (Lebat) was the ships broker but Capt.
Robinson added that Lebat had kilograms
relating to the Twickenham which he did
not show.
Captain Goodrich put on board the
IWickenham a prize crew, consisting of
Ensign Payne and five marines and after
reporting the capture to the squadron at
Santiago de Cuba, he sent the British
vessel here. Ensign Payne says it was not
until the ship was bound for Key West
that Fernires, the mysterious Spaniard,
was discovered slowed away in the hold.
On the other hand Captain Robinson
declares he took him aboard as a passe n
ger at Fort de France at the req uest of
Captain GEMS the Alicante. Ferniers
who is an imposing looking person of
about fifty years of age, is a much
worried Spaniard and tears stood in his
eyes as he told his story, through an in
terpreter to representative of the Asso-
ciated Press. he said he was going by
order of Captain Gents from Martinique
to jamaica where he hoped to board a
steamer for the Pacific coast in order to
transact business with Che agents of the
Spanish transatlantic company. He was
also to see the company's agent at
Jamaica, but strange to say, he did not
even know his name, and was to secure
all necessary information from the
Spanish consul there.
Captain GEMS, said the captive had as
sureu him there was no element of danger
in his mission, yet here he was prisoner
OF war, involved in an international
i affair. The agitation of Fernires was in
a way commensurate with his situation
and this, taking with the unlikely phases
OF his story, leads to the belief that he
may be an important prisoner. He will
have an opportunity, late in the day, OF
tomorrow to tell his story to the United
States officials when Captain Robinson
will also be examined and the entire case
will be thoroughly Investigated.