The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-16
EXCITING
ADVENTURE.
Capture and Release Of NeWspa-
per Correspondents -Saved
FromSpanish Dungeon.

when we left the Triton on the morn
Ing Of May Ia to meet tho Cuban chief,
Colonel Pence Delgado. we struck along
the shore about q quarter of a mile look
ing for q path to break through tho
thick underbrush that lined the shore,
says Charles H. Thrall concerning tho
capture and release by Spaniards Of
Hayden Jones and himself. After walk
ing about ten minutes VIC found a slight
trail which led to a well beaten track
running east and west parallel with tho
coast.
Colonel Delgndo had agreed to bc in
this neighborhood, so we followed the
path east toward the deserted village Of
Baracoa- We had goue about half q
mile when we came to q spot whore the
brush was beaten down and tho path
was strewn with empty Mauser car
fridge shells, and there was evidence
that there had been q fight there q short
time before. Later we found that our
surmise was correct and that the day
before the Spaniards had had an engage
ment there with Colonel Delgado and
had driven him from his position.
Knowing the habits of the insurgents, l
believed that they might be ten miles
from there and that. looking for them
blindly was foolishness So / determin.
ed to strike for the sugar plantation
central Lucia. which / thought lay
about three miles to tho west and sbont
two miles inland. / knew that there
were Spanish troops quartcred there.
but ] hoped to meet some pacifico neal
who could give us some information as
to the present whereabouts of the insur-
gents.
We started back over the same path
and followed it until we came to a path
that branched off in just the direction
that we wished to go. The trail that we
were following gave nc evidences that
any one had passed over it recently. We
found an abandoned rebel camp hat no
one had evidently been in for a long
time. Shortly after passing this camp
we came to an old ruin beside which
was a we'll beaten track that showed
that it was used frequently by the Span
ish cavalry. South of us about half a
mile was a low ridge of hills that bor-
dered,a wide valley. From this ridge l
knew that we would be able to see Lu-
cia. After taking a photograph Of the
ruin we followed the path, which was
almost-~.Ie enough to be called a road.
On one side Of it was q large open
field and on the other was a field cover
ed with thick grass and weeds about
Q feet tall. W. had almost reached the
ridge when the path took a bend, and l
saw soldiers just coming over the crest
and only about 500 yards distant. / saw
them first through this tall grass and
did not think that they had seen us. I
was ahead q little and told Jones to
drop and run back. He did not seem to
understand, although he, being taller
than l, had seen the troops palmer than
] had, but thought that they were Gu
bans. But when ] sprang past him,
bending as low as possible. he at once
followed. / ran as far as / dared and
then broke into the thick grass to the
left for about 100 feet.
We lay down behind a small clump
of bushes, not daring to go any farther
on account Of the noise. We were COM
pletely concealed and l thought that we
were safe unless they had seen Us, al
though Jones thought that we were
goners We were armed with "A Colt
revolvers, and as we lay behind tho
bushes we got them out and were ready
for the worst. Jones asked what chances
we would have if we gave ourselves up.
! told him that / did not believe wc
would have any and refused to think Of
it. He replied, "All right then; we will
die game"
We had lain there about five minutes,
1t seemed, when we could hear the sol.
diers talking Is they came up. We
could hear one of them coming through
the grass, and in O minute l saw him
looking behind a bush not 40 feet away.
/ asked Jones if the revolvers wero self
cooking. / had never used n before,
and when / saw the soldier leave the
othar bushes and start toward us ] told
Jones to get ready to run and fred. I
ran and he after me, but before W. had
got fairly started shots Were whistling
around rs from 90 Mauser rifles. Tho
grass was 30 thick that IL was impossi-
BILE to make fast progress. and tho
ground was covered with strong vines,
and wo were continually falling over
each other. We had got about 200 yards
away from the troops who were firing
when we raj right into the arms of an
other squad that had been sent down n
parallel way to head US of. We imme-
diately held up our hands and threw
our reviewers away and then lay down.
All the time they werc firing Mt us The
squad that caught as were now in line
a fire. and they also lay down and
swors because the others did not stop
firing and because there was no buglcr
there to sound the recall. After much
shouting the other squad stopped firing,
after firing two rounds of five snots
each. They fired between 200 and 200
AGREAT SURPRISE IS IN STORE
for those who Will co TO-DAY and. cot q rac1
sge OF oRA1N.O. II tnkes the place OF coffee