Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-04-06

l kept watch that night in one direction
and my mate Kept watch in another
Our best men were placed as pickets
keeping lookout on all the points of
the compass, and so, with 100000 in dy-
Mantle and guns aboard, bought by
American capitalists, we sailed on with
the heart of Cuba in our keeping.
You get mighty brave when you are
right in danger. We had been trembling
before we got the ammunition aboard.
but with our feet on the guns and the
smell of powder around us we took
heart and kept right on, even laughing
and singing songs and making merry,
as we had never done with our simple
cargo aboard.
Our plan was to go south to the TWEEN
tieth parallel and then to sail directly
west. We intended to pass San Diego,
and If possible to land our cargo within
thirty miles of the insurgent camp.
Within thirty miles of Cuba there would
be 4 little Cuban war vessel watching for
us. Its signal would be the flag of Cuba
and the sign of Maxine Gomez. This
would be raised in answer to our own
signal, and then we would make Il
quick transfer of cargo
That night we took the quickest trip
ever made. We sailed hard and fast,
and the next morning when day broke
we were on the parallel of St. Augustine
We had intended to continue on our way
i'll daylight and to make the transfer the
next night, but TO our surprise there was
nothing in sight, SO we decided to cast
anchor and wait. Once the tail fun
nels of cruiser came looming up over
the horizon and straight toward us. Sud
denly light flooded us. 1t was their
searchlight. But to our surprise they
turned away again. and we saw them
no more. 1t was probably the Spanish
orr an 70 No,4lr
harbOr, but we decided to let her pass
us as quietly as possible. If she noticed
us at all II was only to take 4 passing
glance at the insignificant little fruit yes
sci off there in the Atlantic.
That night we put west and kept in as
straight a line as we could until we got
in the Bahamas. Here to our cOnSterna-
ton, we saw before us coming straight
on a steamship. 1t looked like an ocean
liner. but for the life of us we could not
tell whittier she was bound or what she
was doing there. That there was no
steamship line crossing that point we
knew. What then did Il steamship mean
and was she an imDrOvised Spanish war
vessel on the lookout for filibusters?
We decided to pull off so far from her
that she could not examine our cargo
with her glasses, and await developments.
To our surprise and JOY she turned north
and continued on her way to Florida. We
afterwards learned that she contained
some of the board of inquiry and the
United States officials that were at that
time plying between Florida and Cuba.
For a few days there was great running
from Key West to Cuba with messages
Ten steamships with friends of the
Names crew and navy officers put out
within three days for Cuba.
Toward dusk we saw ahead of us Il
little vessel, and as soon it was dusk
we gave the light signal. 1t was instant
~ answered with a white light. in front
Of which the flag of Cuba for an instant
flashed, then the signal of GOmez-a red
star on Il white field. 1t was in the form
of huge lantern, with a flash of red
across the front, and then we knew that
we were near our friends.
We were strangers to the CubanS. but
our interests were one, and when we
touched sides we all went to work with 4
will to transfer our cargo.
1t was a long Job but we got it over
safe, then turned back again, and at noon
the next day we were in Atlantic waters
\ government guard got hold of US that
day and gave us an Oyerhauling. but there
was not much to see aboard. Just lit
tie dust from spilled bag of powder and
twenty pairs of dingy hands. but they
were suspicious of us and did not want
| to let US go.
We got away from them and came on
north, but did not stop until we reached
New York harbor.
And that was where they found us
when they came to investigate the fiIibus-
tering vessels two weeks ago: but they
couldn't prove it on Us. And we've taken
several since. Amos ]. Cunningham.