The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-18
.BLANC0 IS ACTING UGLY
No Exchange of Prisoners Has
Been Effected.
THEY'RE CALLED SPIES
II May Go Hard With the Captured
American Reporters-American ves-
sci Said to Have Been Blown
Up and i8 Men Killed.
Copyright lsss by Associated Press.

Copyright 1s9s by Associated Press.
Havana. May 17.-Inquiries made at
the palace here show that Captain Gen
eral Blanco was unwilling tn receive
Lieutenant Brainard. u. :. N. the spe-
cial agent Of the government Of the
United States, in the matter of the pro-
posal to exchange Spanish prisoners
for the two newspaper men. Messrs.
Thrall and Jones. because the general
considered that Lieutenant Brainard
was not empowered with sufficient au-
thority Therefore he simply accepted
the documents presented by the lieu
tenant and consulted with the Spanish
government on the subject. The an
swer from Madrid has not yet been re-
Ceived.
on Sunday morning. the day the rep
resentative of the United States gov
ernment arrived off this harbor on
small steamer bearing "A flag Of truce.
there were five American vessels i'm
sight of Havana. and four of them were
i'm sight the same afternoon. In add-
tion. "A vessel supposed to be a Nor
wegian frigate. was in the offing. Yes
terday morning there were FIVE Ameri-
can vessels in sight off this harbor.
The French cruiser Duboic left Ha-
vana yesterday afternoon for Hayti.
having on board number of French
refugees.
All sorts of war rumors are in circu-
lation here from Spanish sources. Among
them 1t Is said that a number Of Amer
leans in a boat recently tried TO raise
some OF the torpedoes at the entrance
of Cardenas bay. whereupon one of the
torpedoes exploded. The boat and it's
crew are alleged To have been blown up.
The report. however. is not officially con-
firmed.
Another report has it that documents
taken from the American correspond
ents confined in the Cabanas fortress
are In the possession of Captain Blanco.
Their money is said to have been de-
posted at. the British consulate.
The Spaniards say an American force
attempted to make landing on May
IL at Tabla Aqua beach. and that after
two hours firing the Americans retired.
Three American warships We're report
ed of Mariel on sunday. three We're
sighted of Cardenas and there are
some American ships off Cienfuegos.
II is announced at the palace that "A
Spanish force on saturday last was en-
gagged at Chimbourzo. province OF Ha-
vana. with a combined force of insur-
gents under the leadership OF Maya,
Acea Colozo and Jacinto Hernandez.
Inc MnDie lHSuIStUt ibttf u Sdlu ~
have numbered 500. and IL Is alleged
that the enemy lost IL men killed. The
Spanish loss is officially reported as be-
ing two lieutenants and three soldiers
wounded.
The Norwegian steamer Bratsburg ar
rived on Sunday at Sagua la Grande
and will leave there on May Is with
passengers for New York. There are
seven American warships in sight on
Havana this afternoon and rumor has
il that the spanish fleet is making for
an important port Of the United States.
Madrid MAY l.. 4 p. NIT Is an
nounced here in a dispatch from Ha-
vana that after the arrival OF the Tn
cas- of that port the two captured
American newspaper correspondents
were examined, and IL il added that
the inquiry revealed the fact that they
could not be considered as prisoners OF
war but must be looked upon as spies.
one being. il is claimed. a Cuban EN-
ployed Ia Havana IL is further al
legged that upon the prisoners were
found reVolvers. cartridges. interesting
documents and a camera.
AdVices received here confirm the re-
port that Freeman Halstead. the news