The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-25
HAD HARBOR PLAN
Z. s. Authorities Arrest Jimi-
nee, Suspected Spy.
Taken ON the Vessel Panama
UnaWares.
LIVES IN NEW. YORK.
Prize Vessels Will Be Brought
North For Sale.
Spaniards Terrorized by Amer.
lean Gunnery at Cardenas.

Key West, Fla, May 25.-An import
ant arrest of supposed Spanish spy
was made this evening by United States
| Marshal Hoar.
The prisoner Is Romignog Sapetro
Jiminez, who was among those captured
on the steamer Panama, and has since
been held aboard ship as a prisoner OF
| war.
Jiminez is supposed to have obtained
information. concerning New York har-
Dor and its defenses, with charts of the
harbor, which he is attempting to get to
the Spanish authorities.
He is about 40 years of age, a Span
lard and a civil engineer. Late yester-
day afternoon Marshal Hoar, with sew
eral deputies and United States Com
missioner Otto received information
from the north in consequence of which
they slipped quietly out to the Panama,
arrested Jiminez, and brought him
ashore. He was taken to the Key West
hotel and put through a vigorous exam
ination in private.
Jiminez stoutIy denied the accusation
that he was a spy, but his story was of
such a contradictory nature that it con-
frmed the suspicious of the federal au-
thorities. He said he had left Cuba in
1877, a date which he subsequently cor
rected to 1890, and later set back a few
years.
He lived he admitted, in New York
since that time, but had decided to re-
turn to Cuba to engage in mercantile
business and was on his way there when
the Panama was captured. He assert
ed also that he had spent considerable
time in Venezuela and other South
American ports. His story, though, was
so conflicting on the whole as to be
meaningless. A thorough search of the
Panama was made in the attempt to
locate the charts, but no trace Of them
could be found.
The examination will be continued,
and the prisoner will be held under ar
rest meanwhile.
The Panama case was before the
district court yesterday. Arguments on
both sides were heard and Judge Locke
reserved decision. 1t has been decided !
that such ships as are held to be legit-
innate prizes of war, shall be sent north
for sale, so as to bring better prices.
This will probably not be done, howev-
er, until all the cases have been finally
determined.
Col John A. iowa, who has been in
Cardenas since the recent engagement
arrived here today. He says the NOR |
tally on the Spanish side was by no |
means so great as reported at that time |!
in the United States. Only nine persons !
were killed on the Spanish side. A shell !
from one of the American ships fell on |
one of the streets of the town, killing /
two women and three children, while !
three sailors and one medical officer on |
a Spanish gunboat fell under the fire of |
the United States ships. Two of them |
were disabled, but not permanently in
iured and the third ran away.
Three Spanish flags were brought /
down by the stray shots from the Will |
guns. One shell struck the |
aagpole on the Casino, in the heart of
town, crashing through the roof and ex-
ploding in a china shop below Inc
place was wrecked, but no one hurt.
The second flag to come down was fly
ng from the Spanish barracks and the
bird from a building formerly used by
he American consulate, flying defiantly
IN the very pole where the stars and
stripes had once waved. Not one of
hese shots had been aimed at the Tags,
)ut the Spaniards were so amazed at
what they considered the marvellous |
kill of the American gunners, that ev-
ry Spanish flag was hauled down.