The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-25
SUPPOSED
SPY TAKEN
One of the Passengers on
the Panama.
MAY HAVE HARBOR PLANS
Spanish Mortality During Cardenas
Assault Small.
MAY HAVE HARB0R PLANS
SHARP SKIRMISH OFF SANTIAGO.


last evening by United States Marshal
Hoar. The prisoner is Romigno Jimenez,
who was among those captured on the
Panama and who has since been heid
aboard ship as a prisoner OF war.
Jimenez is supposed TO have obtalned
concerning New York har-
bor and It's defenses, with charts OF tho
harbor. which he Is attempting to get to
the Spanish authorities. He is about
40 years of age. Spaniard and civh
engineer.
Marshal Hoar and United States Com
missioner Otto received information
from the north. in consequence OF which
they slipped quietly out TO the Panama,
arrested Jimenez and brought him
ashore. He was taken to the Key West
hotel and put through a vigorous ex-
animation In a private room. SO quietly
was the affair managed. however. that
only one or two persons knew of 1t.
Jimenez stoutly denied the accusation
that he was a spy. but his story was OF
such a contradictory nature that 1t con-
firmed 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 few
years. He had lived. he admitted, in
New York city since then; but he de-
cided to return to Cuba to engage In
mercantile business, and was on his way
there when the Panama was captured.
He asserted also that he had spent con-
siderable time in Venezuela and other
South American countries. His story.
however. 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 ex-
aminot tion will be resumed and JimeneZ
will be held under arrest meanwhile.
A new aspect has been given to the
engagement at Cardenas. where Tnsign
Bagley and four men of the United
States torpedo boat Winslow were killed.
by statement of Colonel John j. iowa.
who has been serving under General
Gomez Colonel Jova has been in Car
denas since the engagement. and he says
the mortality on the Spanish side was
by no means so great as was reported
Mt the time in the United States. Ac-
cording TO els Information, which gems
to be corrchorated ~ the testimony Of
other Cublns taken aboard from Car
denas by tns vessels of the blockading
fleet. only rine persons were killed on
the Spanish side. A shell from one of
the American ships fell In one of the
streets OF the town. killing two women
and three children. while three sailors
and one medical officer on a Spanish
gunboat foil under the fire OF the United
States ships. The firing from the shore
was not from a masked battery, but from
the three Spanish gunboats, to attack
which the Winslow was sent in. Two Of
them were disabled, but not perman-
emily damaged. and the third ran away.
According to Jova's information tho
shells from the Wilmington did little
execution. because she lay too far of
shore. No fewer than three Spanish
flags were brought down by stray shots
from the wilmington's guns. One shell
struck the flagpols on the casino In the
heart OF the town, crashed through the
roof and exploded in china shop below.
The place was wrecked, but no one was
hurt. The second flag to come down was
flying from the Spanish barracks, and
the third from building formerly used
defiantly on the very pole where the
stars and stripes had once waved. Curl
ously enough, not one OF these shots had
been aimed at the flags: but the Span
iards were so amazed at what they con-
sidered the marvellous skin Of the Ameri-
can gunners that every Spanish flag In
town was hauled down.
Two sailors were attacked by a negro
named Kitchen, and one OF them will
probably die Of his injuries. One OF the
sailors Is William Carne from the gum
boat Morrill, He was sitting In front OF
a saloon. when the negro came up and
fired at him with winchester, infiicting
a severe scalp wound. Carne's COM
panion. who belongs on the Hudson,
came UP and the negro struck him over
the head with the gun, infiictlng a serious
wound. The negro's attack was wholly
unprovoked. The sheriff and posse are
after him.
The tug Wampatuck brought in story
OF sharp sklrmish off Santiago last
Wednesday. The tug. with the ST
Louis. went into the Santiago channel
TO cut the cable. While they were en-
gagged in the work they were fred upon
by the shore batteries. The st. Louis re-
turned the fire. and lively fusillade a.
sued for about half an hour. The
Wampatuck eventually succeeded In
cutting the cable. None OF the Spanish
shots succeeded In reaching either boat;
while neither of them In turn boasts OF
having inflicted any damage upon the
enemy. From Santiago the two ships
proceeded to Guantanamo. the Wampa-
tuck going In about 400 yards from shore
TO cut the cable there. the ST. Louis lying
out OF range. The shore batteries gain
opened fire and the 81. Louis signalled
the tug TO come out, which she did. with
out having cut the cable M that point.