The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-16

Make an Explanation.
KEY WEST, Fla, June 15.-Jamie
Fermiers, who says he is the first Of
| f1cer of the Spanish hospital ship
Alicante, was brought here this morn
ing as prisoner of war on board the
British prize steamer Twickenham
captured by the cruiser st. Louis on
June TO-
conflicting stories are told concern
ing the Spaniard's presence on board
the Twickenham, and there is strong
suspicion that he is more important
capture than superficial circumstances
might Indicate.
The Twickenham was captured on
the morning of June 10, when about
fifty miles off the south coast of
Jamaica. The ST. Louis. which took her
or course, without show of resistance,
was the only American ship in or about
those waters at the time The British
ship had been picked up in West Indian
waters about month and a half ago
and was warned to avoid the blockade
vessels. Recently it was learned that
she was at Martinique. where the Span
lsh hospital ship Alicante, under COM
mand of Capt. Antonio GEMS, has been
| lying for some time.
There was report that the Alicante
and other ships of the enemy had been
securing coal from the Twickenham and
upon learning that the latter had left
that port, ostensibly for jamaica, the
81 Louis secuted for and eventually
found her. The auxiliary cruisers in
formation was that the Twickenham
had sailed on April q from Newcastle
on-Tyne for st. Thomas. filled to her
capacity OF $500 tons of coal. At st.
lhohAas the cargo appeared to have
passed, according to papers, to the
charge of a person named Clark, to
whom the Twickenham had been char
tered by the oWrers, the British Steam
ship company. She left ST. Thomas on
May Is and sailed for Fort de France.
Martinique, but Capt. Goodrich, of the
st. Louis, could find 70 papers to in
dicate TO whom the ship and the carg,
were consigned.
FRIENDLY TIP.
On June the United States consul
at st. Pierre, Martinique, wired to the
state department at Washington that
the Twickenham's cargo of coal was
consigned to the Spanish consul in that
island, but that the local government
refused permission to that officia! to-
land it. On the same day the Twick-
enham sailed for Jamaica, and was
picked up off the coast five days later
by the ST. Louis. Capt. Robinson, of
the TWickenham, professed complete
Ignorance respecting the ownership of
the cargo, and could produce nothing
tending to fix this point. He said that
at Martinique he was Informed by a
man named Lehat that he Gebat) was
the ships broker, but Capt Robinson
added that he had contract with the
owners of tie TWiekenham which.
however, he did not show
PRIZE CREW IN CHARGE.
Capt. Goodrich put on board the
Twickenham m a. zpEize.screw consisting
of Ensign #. B.. Payne and five ma
rines, and. after reporting the capture
to the squadron at Santiago de Cuba,
he sent the British vessel here. Ensign
Payne says it was not until the ship
was bound for Key West that Fer
nieres, the mysterious Spaniard, was
discovered slowed away in the hold
On the other hand, Capt. Robinson
declares he took him aboard as a pas
senger at Fort de France at the re-
quest of Capt. Gems, OF the Alicante.
Fernieres, who is an imposing-looking
person of about fifty years, typical
Spaniard, dropped his eyes as ne told
his story through an interpreter to the
representative Of the Associated Press.
lie said he was directed by orders
to go from Martinique to Jamaica.
where he hoped to board steamer for
the Pacific coast in order to transact
business with the Spanish Trans-At-
lantic company. He was also to see
the company's agent at Jamaica, but
strange to say, he Gid not know the
agents name, and was to secure all
necessary information there He had
been told there was no danger in his
mission. yet he was a prisoner of war
involved in an International complica-
ton. The agitation of Fernieres, TAX
en- in connection with the unlikely nor
lions of his story, lead to the belief that
he is an important prisoner
He will have an opportunity later in
the day or tomorrow to tell his story.
when Capt. Robinson and other officers
will be examined