The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-10
A Spy's Trip Through
Porto Rico.
THROWN INTO PRISON.
Emerson. of the War Depa rtment.
Under Guise of a German Corre-
spondent Goes into the Spanish Line.
Tor 1nformatfOn-Suspeeted and Ar
rested-Escapes to the Sea Shore-Pas-
sage To Santa Cruz-Enorts TO Hold
Him as a Horse Thief.

New YORK. Jun sEfwin Emerson. J-.,
an attachee Of the war department. bu-
reau Of information. arrived here today
on board the steamer NLadiana. from ST.
Ihomas. after having performed some
hazardous service and undergoing some
thrilling experiences in Porto Rico.
transforming his name into Emerssohn.
ne procured a bogus German passport
and went 10 San Juan, ostensibly as a
correspondent OF Tn Berlin Deustscher
Zeitung.
a San JUAN said Mr.. Emerson TO-
day, they would not permit me TO go
through the Notifications nor would they
allow me to make q visit to the newspa-
per correspondent, Halstead, who is held
IN prison as a spy. L was permitted 70
walk through the streets. however.
The war department., 7 may say. need
nave no fears of its difficulty in taking
San Juan, whenever the attempt is made.
WhEe l could not see that any great
damage was lone by the bombardmen
IN the city, the Qualifications are in such
shape that they offer almost no resist
ance.
Il succeeded in penetrating to the exact
centre of the island, to a place called Ca
SuaS, when my papers were examined and
NAlO aItdiut was NOl dIlOSpUler SdtlSff6I
with their regularity. l said that | had
been employed as the Overseer of a sugar
Plantation belonging to a German, situat-
Ed beyond that place, but l was promptly
thrown in Jail. The alcalde said he would
nave to communicate with San Juan 10
find whether or not I was all right.
L wrote a telegram to the German
CONSUL and also offered to pay for a tel
egram to the governor of San Juan. This
gave me a little better standing with the
alcalde and l was allowed a measure of
liberty.
1T was on May 23rd. when I walked
some distance from the prison at noon
and found a number of horses stand
ing outside a blacksmith shop. The hos
tiers were taking their monday siesta
and L appropriated the first horse 1 could
find and decalnped. To get to Ponce /
must go to the west, but as that seemed
dangerous, [ went in an opposite direc-
tIon, riding horseback for two days and
two nights.
1T was then that I met a shepherd boy
and offered him a jack knife if he would
draw me a map of the surrounding cOun-
try. From that grew the published state
ment that a foreigner had compelled q
boy to draw a map, under threat of slit
ting his throat. MIA map 1 have now in
my possession, for THE war department,
and | found it correct in every detail.
When 1 rode again to the east, l
crossed a range of hills to find the entire
eastern end of the island in the posses
sion of the ~urgen These insurgents
welcomed me and gave me an escort to
the coast, where / ound a small schooner
at anchor. Though this schooner be
longed to a Spaniard, the captain was
prevailed upon to take me away. He
had just lost sight of land, on May 18th.
when a warship hove in sight that we
took for an American. Our captain was
greatly excited and began to pray, until
/ discovered that the stranger flew the
Spanish flag. 1t roved to be the torpe-
do boat destroyer Terror. She steamed
up alongside and an officer was sem
aboard. I 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 fol-
Santa Cruz. There 1 boarded the NADIA
ma and found a number of newspaper
correspondents and artists aboard.
1.-THE Spanish alcalde had sent a tele-
gram to the Danish authorities" he said
ito hold me upon arrival as a horse
thief. Major Moore, the United States
consul at st. Thomas, positively refused
to surrender me, and even took me in g
boat himself out to the Mediana.'
When Emerson left San Juan he saw
four Spanish war vessels in the har
bor-the Isabella II, Alicante, Concho ant
Terror.