The herald., 1898-07-08

n oalOs \
4 HoBsoN TELLS HIS STORY I
+ During the first four days we were 4
4 prisoners of war we were confined in 4
+ Moro castle, and assure you these 4
+ were extremely uncomfortable and 4
+ disagreeable days. The Spanirds did /
+ not exactly i'll treat us, but It took /
r them some time to recover from the 4
+ shock caused by what most of them /
4. considered our Yankee impudence in +
+ trying TO block their harbor. 1,
r "As a rule, the officers and men +
r who came in contact with us were r
+ gruff In speech and sullen in manner +
+ For Admiral Cervere 1 have moth 4.
4. ing but the highest admiration. +
1. His act in informing Admiral Sampson 1.
+ of our safety regard as that Of kind +
r hearted. generous man and chival- +
1. rous officer. He repeatedly spoke to +
+ me Of his admiration for what he +
+ called one of the most daring acts In 1.
+ naval history. though I am sure we +
+ were not entitled to the commenda- r
+ ton we received, for there were hun +
+ dreds of other men in our ships who +
+ would have been glad to undertake to 1,
+ do the same thing. r
r A GLIMPSE OF SANTIAGO 1,
+ "whie we were in Moro castle we 1,
+ were naval prisoners. but at the end +
4. OF four days were were transferred 1.
r to the jurisdiction of the army, and +
r were removed to the Reina Mercedes 1,
r hospital, on the outskirts of Santiago, +
+ where we remained until today. We r
+ knew but little of what was going on +
+ In the city. though, of course, We j,
i, could always tell when our fleet was +
+ bombarding the shore batteries, and +
+ we could easily distinguish the ter +
+ rifle explosions caused by the Vesu- +
+ vius' throwing dynamite shells Sew +
r eral times at night we were also fully +
+ aware that the land batteries were +
+ fighting outside the city. The little 1.
+ information the Spaniards would give +
+ US could not be relied upon. +
+ lone thing that found out in the +
r hospital was that large numbers Of +
f. Spanish officers were wounded in last +
r Fridays fight. for many were brought +
+ to the hospital to be treated. Num- +
r bers of badly aimed bullets came into +
+ the hospital windows on Friday, but +
4. do not believe any one was injured r
r by them. Our quarters there were +
+ food was fairly good. r. !
+ ''In fact, have no reason to COM +
+ plain of our treatment as prisoners +
+ of war. The prejudice which the 1.
r Spaniards showed against us during 1. |
+ the first few days soon wore away. + |
r We conducted ourselves properly and + |
4, simply forced them to treat us we'll" + |
r TROOPS GO WILD + |
r Hobson and his men were escorted + |
1. through the American lines by Captain + |
i. Chadwick of the New York. who was + |
+ awaiting them. Every step of their +
r journey was marked by the widest +
4. demonstrations on the part of the 4.
4. American soldiers, who threw aside +
+ all semblance of order. scrambled out r
+ of the entertainments, knocked over + |
l. tents, guys and other camp parapher- r
+ MALTA in their eagerness to see the re- +
:, turning heroes, and sent up cheer af- i.
+ ter cheer for the men who had passed 1,
+ safely through the Jaws of death to +
r. serve their country. +
I, ON THE FLAGSHIP +
/, The same scenes of enthusiasm were r
/. repeated upon the arrival of the men at 1,
/. the hospital station and our base at +
+ Juragua. Hobson, who reached there +
+ in advance of his companions, was +
:. taken on board the New York imme- +
+ diately. The fiagship's deck was lined +
/. with officers and men, and as Hobson r
+ clambered up her side and stepped on +
+ board his vessel, the harbor rang with 1.
4. the shouts and cheers of his comrades, r
+ which were re-echoed by the crews Of +
+ dozen transports lying near by. f.
+ Hobson had little to say in regard to +
+ his experiences except that he and his +
4. companions had been we'll treated by +
!. the Spaniards and that they were ali +
+ in excellent health. The Spanish au- /.
1. thorities consented this morning to +
1. exchange Hobson and his men, and a +
+ flag of truce was established for the 4.
f. SCENE OF THE EXCHANGE +
+ purpose. The place selected for the 4,
r exchange was under a tree between the r
+ American and Spanish lines, two +
+ thirds of mile beyond the entrench- +
f. ments occupied by Colonel Woods 1,
r rough riders, near General Wheeler's +
+ headquarters, and in the center of the r
r American line. 4.
+ The American prisoners left the +
r Reina Mercedes hospital on the out r
+ skirts of the city. where they had been r
i. confined, at 2:45 this afternoon, in r
+ charge of Major Irles, Spanish staff +
1, officer, who speaks English perfectly. r
f. The prisoners were conducted to the 4.
4. meeting place on foot, but were not 4.
+ PRISONERS BLINDFOLDED +
f. blindfolded. Colonel Jacob Astor and 4,
+ Lieutenant Milloy. accompanied by r
+ Interpreter Maestro, were in charge of +
r the Spanish prisoners. These con- r
!. sisted of Lieutenants Amelio-Volez and 4
+ Auerelius, a German, belonging to the r |
+ Twenty-ninth Regular Infantry, who r |
+ were captured at Ell Caney on Friday r
i last; and Lieut. Adolph Aries of the r |