The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-21

Ndihp h SaIAd, 'odilIdIidllAo Day
Wednesday June $3.50 D. m. Via
Kingston, ia, Thursday Is, s a. NJ
The brick fort and earth works at Calm
enara at the end of the railroad load
ing to the city Of Guantanamo were de-
molished today by the bombardment of
the Texas, Marblehead and Suwanee.
| The warships opened fire at 2 p. m. and
| the bombardment lasted one hour and
| thirty minutes. The steamed
| slowly up the channel leading to the
| Notifications followed closely by the
| Marblehead. The Texas fired two shots
| as range finders, both falling short and
to the right. The M~arblehead stood off
the west side of the channel and opened
with her 5-inch guns on the fort, knock
ing down part of the wall. The Texas
then threw in some 12-inch shells, tear
ing down the wall of the fort m
throwing the brick and mortar thirty
feet in the air. After badly damaging
the fort, the Marblehead stood further
in to shell the earthworks and barracks
at the west end of the harbor. She
| knocked them into the air and when the
| Spaniards fled from the fort they were
| shelled by the st. Paul and driven into
the bushes.
The Spaniards fired only five shots,
which did no damage.
| After the ships stood out into the
harbor, the Spaniards in the bush open
| ed fire on the Ma~rblehead'S launch,
which replied vigorously.
| The a then turned back and
l Shpl1pd the pushes. driving the Span
iardS inland.
STARVING SPANISH SOLDIERS.
During the afternoon a half starved
and ragged Spanish soldier craWled in
to the camp and gave himself up. He
said he expected to be shot, but he
| would gladly die if they would only Il
him foo and water. He had had
neither for forty-eight hours. He re-
ported that there were 1000 Spanish SOL
diers, half-starVed, who wanted to give
themselves up, but hat they believed
| they would be killed by Americans as
soon as they were once in captivity.
M Spaniard was given a good dinner
and some clothing and was then taken
on board the Marblehead. He declar-
ed that he would go back and report
to his comrades, but that they would
| certainly shoot him. He is now held as
| a prisoner on the Marblehead.
| FIGHT BETWEEN A LAUNCH AND
BUSHWHACKERS.
The Marblehead's little steam launch
| cleared out a detachment of Spanish
bushwhackers this afternoon and es-
| capped without the loss of a man after
a hot engagement of a quarter of an
hour. The launch had been dragging
the harbor neal the fort for mines. She
had found one and was towing it back
to the Marblehead when the enemy,
concealed in the bushes on the shore,
opend a hot fire On the five men in the
launch. The launch headed toward
shore and began banging away, but the
bow gun finally kicked overheard, car
rying the gunner with it. IN the mean
time the enemy was fleeing wildly. The
marine was promptly rescued. 1t is
believed that several Spaniards were
killed.
THE PURISIMA CONCEPTION
SAILS
Kingston, ia, June 16.-2:15 p. NJ
| The Spanish steamer Purisima Con-
cepion, loaded with food for Manzanillo
left Kingston at 2 o'clock this afternoon
taking a westward course. The colon
ial authorities ignored the protest Of
| United States Consul Dent, as not bas-
| ed on sufficient evidence, and ave the
ship her clearance.
AtiC l. SoilSSpSLO1 oS
Kingston in the latter part of May
from ManZanillO, with a Spanish COM
missariat officer, in disguise, seeking
] supplies. She already had on board a
large amount which had been obtained
elsewhere, but at Kingston she began
at once to take on flour, corn and rice,
purchasing in all $500 bags of corn from
| jamaican merchants.
The %colonial authorities were inform
ed by her owners that clearance papers
would be asked for a non-blockaded
| port, like M~anzaniilo, on the south
coast, on the bay of G~uanayaro.
United States Consul Dent made rep
reservations to the government of the
island against the vessel, and a careful
inquiry was instituted, the authorities
promising that If Mr.. Dent could fur
nish specific proof that her captain in
tended to run for a blockade port they
would refuse to allow her to load. An
unsuccessful attempt was then made
| by her owners to change her register.
Mr.. Dents protest failing, the Pur-
| iSima Conception, according to dis
patches from Kingston to the Associat-
ed Press, has been planning to a
as secretly a. possible, in the hope, un-
der cover of darkness, of evading cap
| ture. There has never been the least
doubt in the mind of Mr.. Den that
the supplies n provisions, though
| iOdueO HOuliudlly 1OT al uIlDlOckdO0Q
port, are destined ultimately for Gen.
eral Blanco's troops.
There is little likelihood that she will
reach her destination as Admiral Samp
son is fully aware of her plans and has
probably detailed a fast auxiliary
cruiser to capture her and the Spanish
officer. Lieutenant Commander Joa-
quin Montague, who is understood to
| have left Kingston on her.
SIGHTED BY THE YOSEMITE.
Kingston, ia, June Is. 6 p. m.-The
captain and officers Of the auxiliary
cruiser Yosemite (ormerly Ell Rio)
feel foolish mt are thoroughly <vexed.
AS the Yosemite approached Port
Royal about 5o'clock this morning she
passed a large steamer going out. No
attempt was made to ascertain her
name, but on arriving here the Yose-
mites captain learned that the steamer
was the Purisima Conception.
The Yosemite, with other American