The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-19
BONES ON SANTIAGO'S BEACH.
CORRESPONDENT SAYS THEY WERE
ADMIRAL VILLAMIL'S.

Body Of Nfliamti or Ihat OF
Common SniIor-HOw the Wanda
Got Rid of some sDaniards.
New York. March lS.-The sensational
finding Of a body, reported to have been
thai of Admiral vnlamn of the Spanish
navy uhough doubt has been raised as TO
its IDENTIFY. sitting in an arm chair on the
Cuban coast about four miles west of the
entrance 60 Santiago harbor, calls forth
a statement from the correspondent who
witnessed the destruction of Cerveras
feet on July last, from the yacht Wanda,
a dispatch boat in the service OF the As
ISOLATED Press.
Admiral Vnlamfl was an officer of con-
siderable renown in the Spanish service,
and he was in command Of the torpedo
fiolilla which accompanied the larger yes
sells OF Admiral Cervera $ fleet from the
Cape Verde Islands TO Martinique and
thence 10 Curacao and Santiago last
spring. He was badly wounded aboard
the destroyer Pluton in The engagement
between the American and Spanish fleets
near Santiago on July last, but man
can sailors did not ind him. As he never
appeared in Santiago and as his brother
officers on the Pluton knew that he had
been desperately wounded, having lost an
arm and a leg, his death was never
doubted.
But the finding of the body in chair
and It's supposed identification by means
of ihe uniform and papers found In the
pockets is considered the first proof of mis-
death The mere finding of the body IS
not such a remarkable facI but that 1t
should be found seated in an arm chair
on that rocky coast several miles away
from any habitation, calls forth the state
ment from the correspondent referred to.
who accounts for the presence of the
chair, which, for more than eight months
past has been the strange tomb of the
Spanish commander.
Was Not PIuton's Captain.
The first report from Santiago about the
finding of the body. which was received
here on Friday, March 10, stated that II
was believed to be that of the captain of
the Puton. The statement of the CORE
spondent shows that this could not be cor
rect, for by a peculiar chain of circum-
stances, connected very closely with the
presence of the chair on the Cuban shore,
he was obliged to have an interview with
the captain of the Pluton, aboard the aux
iliary gunboat converted vachO Glouces-
ter an hour or more after the Pluton had
been sent to her destruction. The corre-
spondent says:
During the sea fight off the coast of
Cuba on July last l was on the yacht
Wanda, the commander of which was
Capt. +. c. Miller. We came upon the
Spanish torpedo boat destroyer Furor, just
as She was sinking, and the destroyer
Pluton, which had been cut in two by
sheels from the Gloucester and was
pounding 20 pieces on the rocks along the
shore. This was at a point about three
or four miles west of MORO, at the en-
trance to Santiago harbor, and about one
mile east of the point where the Maria
Teresa and the Almirante Oquendo were
driven ashore.
'fThe Wanda ran in shore a half mile
from the Pluton The Gloucester was
standing by a half mile or more to the
westward. From the deck of the Wanda
we could easily see a score of men on shore
near the wreck of the Pluton, but we could
not tell whether they were Americans
Spaniards or Cubans. l took one of the
Wanda's small boats with a quarterrnas-
ter and one or two sailors with me and
went ashore TO the place where the men
were for the purpose of getting their
story OF the destruction of the Furor
and the Pluton. l found that most of the
men were Spanish sailors, belonging TO
the Pluton. They were being guarded nv
small squad Of sailors from the Glou-
cester who were waiting TO take them
aboard the Gloucester as prisoners of war
Wanted "a Litter.
zone of the American sailors told me
that an officer of the Gloucester was nm
on the bluff OF rocks overlooking the yyraci,
of the Piuton, few hundred yards awav.
and he also told me that there was a
wounded sailor from the Pluton there with
him. He asked me If l could not get a NJ
ter or something from the Wanda so that
they could get this wounded man off to the
Gloucester. / sent my boats crew hack
10 the Wanda with instructions to reDort
the circumstances to Capt. Miller and see
IL ne could do anything 10 help the wound
ed man. l then climbed over the rocks In
search of the Gloucester officer. and after
great deal of difficulty, found him near
the wreck OF the Pluton with a navy rife
IN ms hand standing guard over an officer
OF the Piuton, who was almost naked and
mad his feet tied up in buriap to nrotao,
them from the sharp rocks. / have forgot
ten the name Of the American officer. hut
he was a young ensign or naval cadet.
The Spanish officer was very plea nj
4floNs btt ne was a most pltiablp anpei-
men, had evidently concluded that he nod
been up against it. sufficiently. ana he
could not surrender quickly enough All
that he wanted then was boat 10 ga,
him ont 10 the Gloucester as a prisoner. III
could speak little English. and with my
mongrel Spanish we could understand each
other very we'll. In the next few minutes
did some very rapid fire., interviewing
with both the American and Spanish of
hcer Then ] asked the Gloucester office,
about the wounded man, but he hal lost
him for the time being, and The three ~
us commenced a search for him. There wa,
no shade nor vegetation of any kind vvber,
We were. 1t was a bluff covered with rocl,.
50 hot from the scorching sun that the,
blistered the feet in walking over tbem
and here and there there were depression,
in which few inches of stagnant waite,
remained from the last rainfall
search for the wounded.
I'VE wandered over these rocks for fulI,
fifteen minutes searching for the WOUNDED
man. The heat was almost intolerance
and all Of us were nearly furnished from
thirst. The Spanish officer gave up m,
search and sank on the rocks exhausted
The Gloucester officer and myself finalb