Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-09
PORTO RICO :" EASY" :"
REPORT OF LIEUT.. WHITNEY on
THE CONDITIONS THERE.
SOLDIERS FEW And SICKLY.
Also Disconte nted, for Lack of Pay
Food AIarmingIy Scarce-PcOpie
May soon Drive Out spahnrds'
without Our Aid.

NEW YORK, June S-Lieutenant Henry
E. Whitney. Fourth United States Ar
tlllery, who has twice penetrated INTO
the very heart OF Spanish territory-once
in Cuba and lastly in Porto Rico-ar-
rived here to-day on the British steamer
Ardanrose from Porto Rico.
Through him the War Department VIII
soon be in possession Of important ana
accurate information concerning the mil
itary strength and defences of the
island.
The Porto Rican mission was under
taken under orders from the department
TO travel through the most strongly foru-
fled places and the headquarters OF
military bodies and observe their
strength and the preparations the com
manders have made to resist occupation
by American troops.
Lieutenant whitney made the journey
with great expedition. He found 6VW
volunteer troops and 4,5OO regulars in and
about Ponce. The soldiers were sickly'
however, and discontented for lack oil
Dey.
Food he found to be alarmingly scarce
and that fact, combined with the Ameri-
can sentiment pervading the towns, In
clined him to the belief that IL the
United states troops did not invest the
island within a month, the inhabitants
would turn upon the Spaniards and drive
them out.
ANOTHER SPYING OUT OF THE
LAND"
NEW YORK, June S.-EdWin Emerson,
Jr an attache Of the War Department
Bureau of Information, arrived here to-
day on board the steamer Madiana, from
St. Thomas, after having performed some
hazardous service, and undergoing some
thrilling experiences in Porto Rico.
Transforming his name into Emerssohn'
he procured a bogus German passport
and went TO San Juan, ostensibly as a
CORRESPONDENT for the Berlin Deutscher
Zeitung.
"At San juan" said Mr.. Emerson to-
day, they would not permit me to go
through the fortifications, nor would they
allow me to make a visit to the news
paper correspondent Halstead. who is held
i'm prison as a spy. L was permitted to
walk through the streets. however.
THE War Department / may say, need
have no fears of any difficulty in taking
San Juan whenever the attempt is made.
While l could not see that any great
damage had been done by the lombard
ment of the city, the fortifcations are in
such shape that they offer almost no re-
sstance.
UNDER SUSPICION.
Il succeeded i'm penetrating TO the exact
centre of the island, place called Cagua,
where my PASSPORT was examined, ana
the alcalde was not altogether satisfied.
[ said that | had been employed as the
overseer of sugar plantation belonging
TO "A German situated beyond that place.
but I was promptly thrown into Jail. The
alcalde said he would have to communi-
cate with San Juan 20 find out whether
or not l was all right. | wrote tele-
gram TO the German Consul. and also Of
fered 90 pay for a telegram % The Gov
ernOr Of San Juan. This gave me a little
better standing with the alcalde, and
was allowed measure of liberty.
ut was on May I'D that | walked some
distance from the prison at noon and
found a number Of horses standing out
side a blacksmith-shOp. The hosters
were taking their MONDAY siesta, and
appropriated the best horse ! could find
and decamped. To get TO Ponce l must
90 to the west, but as that seemed dam
gerous, / went in an opposite direction,
riding bareback for two days and two
nights.
MAP OF THE COUNTRY.
'It was then that 1 met shepherd
boy and offered him jack-knife if he
would draw me a map of the surrounding
country. From that grew the published
statement that a foreigner had compelled
a boy To draw a map under threat or
Sitting his throat. That map have now
I'm my possession, for the War Depart
ment and l found ii correct i'm every
detail
when | rode again to the east !
crossed a range of hills to find the entire
eastern end Of the island i'm the pos
session of the insurgents. These insur-
gents welcomed me and gave me an
escort TO the coast, where found a small
schooner at anchor
.'Though this schooner belonged to
Spaniard, the captain was prevailed
upon to take me away. We had just lost
sight Of land on May 8th, when a war
ship hove in sight that we took for an
American. our captain was greatly eX-
cited. and began to pray, when | discov-
cred that the stranger flew the Spanish
flag.
THE TERROR.
'It proved to be the torpedo-boat-de-
stToyer-Terror.
"She steamed up alongside, and an Off
Ger was sent aboard. | was dressed as a
sailor and had taken a position at the
masthead.
After an examination of the boat the
Spaniards left her, and we headed for
Santa Cruz There | boarded the Ma
diana and found a number of newspaper
correspondents and artists aboard.
'The Spanish alcalde had sent tele-
gram to the Danish authorities he said,
.'to hold me upon arrival as horse
thief. Major Moore, the United states
Consul at St Thomas. positively refused
10 surrender me. and even took me in
boat himself out TO the Madiana."
SPANISH WARSHIPS AT SAN JUAN.
when Emerson left San Juan he saw
four Spanish war vessels in the hafDor-
the Isabella H., the Alicante, the Concho,
and the Terror.