The record-union., 1898-06-09
HAZARDOUS TRIP.
That Made by Edward Emerson in
Porto Rico

Porto Rico.
NEW YORK, June S-Edward EN-
erson, Jr.. an attache of the War De-
partment, Bureau of Information. ar
rived here to-day on board the steamer
Mariana from st. Thomas, after hav-
ing. performed some hazardous service
and undergoing some thrilling expert
ences in Porto Rico. Transforming his
name into Enlerssohn, he secured a bo-
gus passport and went to San Juan
ostensibly as a correspondent of the
Berlin "Dewitcher Zeitung'
AT San Juan" said Mr.. Emerson,
they would not permit me to go
through the Notifications, nor would
they allow me to make a visit to the
newspaper correspondent, Halstead,
who is held in prison as a spy. 1 was
permitted to walk through the streets
however.
The War Department, 1 may say,
need have no fears of difficulty in TAX
ing San Juan whenever the attempt is
made. While / could not see that
any great damage was done by the
bombardment of the city, the fortifi-
cations are in such a shape that they
offer almost no resistance.
Il succeeded in penetrating to the
exact center of the island to a place
called Caguas, where my papers We're
examined, and the Alcalde was not al
together satisfied with their regular
ity. / said that I had been employed
as the overseer of a sugar plantation
belonging to a German, situated be-
yond that place, but 1 was promptly
thrown into Jail The Alcalde said he
would have to communicate with San
Juan to find out whether or not
was all right.
How long will that take?' 1 in
quired.
" 1t may take two or three weeks
he replied. We will have an answer
by the middle of the summer, anyhow
This was not cheerful, especially
as / feared my identity had been dis
covered at San Juan. 1 wrote tele-
gram to the German Consul, and also
offered to pay for a telegram to the
Governor of San Juan. This gave me
little better standing with the AL
calde and l was allowed a measure of
liberty.
May Odd I walked some distance
from the prison at noon. and found a
number of horses standing outside
about blacksmith shop. The hostlers
were taking their monday meal, and
/ Immediately appropriated the best
horse / could find and decamped. To
get to Peguic L must go to the west.
AS that seemed dangerous. I went in
an opposite direction, riding bareback
for two days and two nights.
Il met a shepherd boy and offered
him a jack knife if he would draw me
a map OF the surrounding country.
From that grew the published state
ment that a foreigner had compelled
a boy to draw map under threat of
Sitting his throat The map / have
now in my possession for the War De-
partment, and l found it correct in
every detail.
When / rode again to the east l
crossed a range of hills to find the
entire east side of the island in the
possession of the insurgents The in
surgents welcomed me and gave me
an escort to the coast, where / found
a schooner at anchor. Though the
schooner belonged to a Spaniard, the
Captain was prevailed upon to take me
away. We had just lost sight of land
on May 2Sth, when warship hove
in sight that we took for an Amer
lean. Our Captain was greatly ex-
covered the stranger flew the Spanish
flag. 1t proved to be the torpedo boat
destroyer Terror.
'She steamed alongside and an officer
was sent aboard. l was dressed as q
sailor and had taken a position at the
masthead After an examination of the
books the Spaniards left her, and we
headed for Santa Cruz There board
ed the Madiana and found number of
United States newspaper correspond
ents and artists aboard.
''The Spanish alcalde has sent a
telegram to the authorities to hold me
upon arrival as a thief. Mr.. Moore
the United States Consul at ST. Thom-
as. positively refused to surrender me.
and even took me in. boat himself
out to the Madiana.''
When Emerson left San Juan he saw
four Spanish war vessels in the harbor
the Isabel H., Alicante. Colchoa and
the Terror.