Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-16
TWICKENHAM CASE.
BRITISH STEAMER AT KEY WEST
AZ a PRIZE.
MUCH WORRIED SPANIARD.
He is a Prisoner of War On
Board the Ship, and, IL Is
Thought, Probably m Important
One.

KEY WEST, FLA, June 15.-l45 p. NJ.
Jaime Ternieres, who says he is the first
officer of the Spanish hospital-ship ALI
cante, was brought in here this morning,
as a prisoner of war. on board the Bri-
fish prize-steamer Twickenham, captured
by the cruiser 81. Louis on June 10th.
Conflicting stories are told concerning
the Spaniard's presence on board the
~Twickenham, and there is strong suspi-
cion thai he is a more important capture
thar superficial circumstances might in
dictate. The T-wickenham was captured at
3 O'Clock on the morning Of June 10th.
when about ten miles off the south coast
of Jamaica. The St. Louis, which took
her. of course, without a show of re-
s~istance, was the only ship of the Ameri-
can fleet in or about those waters at the
time. The British steamer had been pick
ed up in West Indian waters about a
month ago, and warned to avoid the
blockade vessels. Recently 1t was learn
ed that she was at Martinique, where the
Spanish hospital-ship Alicante, under
command Of Captain Gents. has been
lying for some time. There was a report
that the Alicante and other ships had
received coal from the Twickenham, and
had left that port.
The auxiliary cruisers information was
that the Twickenham had sailed on April
Isl from Newcastle-on-Tyne for st.
Thomas, filled to her full capacity with
300 tons of coal. At st. Thomas the
a. la.~. nnngnI aannP1fnn
to the ships papers, into the charge OF a
person named Clark, to whom the Twick-
enham had been chartered by the own
ers. a British steamship company. The
steamer left st. Thomas. on May 18th,
and sailed for Fort-de-FTance. Marti-
nique. but Captain Goodrich, of the st.
Louis. could find no papers TO indicate
10 whom the ship and the cargo were con-
signed. On June 9th the. United States
Consul at st. Pierre, Martinique, wired
to the State Department at Washington
that the Twickenham's cargo of coal was
consigned 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,
professed complete ignorance concerning
the ownership of the cargo. and could
produce nothing tending to fix this
point. He said that at Martinique he
was informed by a man named Lebat
that he UebaD was the ships broker,
but Captain Robinson added that Lebat
had kilograms relating to the Twicken-
ham, which he did not show.
FERNIERES A STOWAWAY.
CAPTAIN Goodrich put on board thu
Twickenham a prize crew consisting oi
Ensign f. r. Payne and five marines
and after reporting the capture TO the
SQUADRON at Santiago de Cuba, he sent
the British vessel here. Ensign Payne
saws IL was not until the ship was bound
for Key West that Fernieres, the mystic
rious Spaniard. was discovered, slowed
away in the hold. on the other hand
Captain Robinson declares he took hin
aboard as a passenger at Fort-de-France
at the request of Captain GEMS. or th'
Alicante.
Fernieres, who is an imposing-lookin1
person of about 80 years of age, Is .
! much worried Spaniard, and tears stoot
in his eyes as he told his story, through
an INTERPRETER. to a representative Of tbs
Associated Press. He said he was going
bv order of Captain Gems, from Mar
rinioue TO Jamaica, where he hoped L
board a steamer for the Pacihc coast IT
order TO transact business with th'
agents of the Spanish Transatlanti
Company. He was also 10 see the com
nany's agent, AT Jamaica, but. strang'
TO say. he did not even know this agent
name and was 10 secure all necessary
information from the Spanish Consu
there.
Captain GEMS, said the captive ha'
assured him there was no element o
danger In his mission. yet here he was
prisoner Of war, involved in an inter
national anair =,
The agitation Of Fernieres, taken II
connection with the unlikely phases o
his story. leads to the belief that he maA
be an important prisoner. he VIII nav
~ ornortunity later in the day or 10
morrow to tell his story to the unite'
states officials, when Captain Robinson
will also be examined, and the enur'
case will be thoroughly investigated.