The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-03-17
WAS IT ADMIRAL
VILLAMIL'S BODY?
A Witness Of the Santiago Sea Fight
Thinks II Was.
WAS NOT THE PlUT0NS CAPTAIN
He Met and Talked With Him, Unin-
jured. on the Deck OF the Glouces-
ter - Possible That the Body
was That of Seaman.

siderable renown in the Spanish service,
and he was I'm command Of the torpedo
hotilia which accompanied the larger yes
sells OF Admiral Ceryera's fleet from tho
Cape Verde Islands to Martinique and
thence TO Curacao and Santiago last
spring. lie Was badly wounded aboard
the DESTROYER Pluton in the engagement
between the American and Spanish
fleets near Santiago on July Sd last put
managed 10 reach the shore and the
American sailors did not lind him. As
he never appeared in Santiago, and as his
brother officers on the Pluton knew that
he had been desperately w0unded-haVng
lost AN arm and a leg-his death was
never doubted. But the finding or ms
body in a chair, and IFS positive identih-
cation by means Of his uniform and pa
pers found On his pockets. Is the hrsl
absolute proof Of his death.
The mere finding OF the body IS nor
such a remarkable fact but that u should
be found seated IN an armchair on That
rocky coast several miles away from any
habitation. calls forth the statement
from the correspondent referred to who
accounts for the presence Of the chaln
which. for more than eight months, hai
been the strange tomb OF the spanish
commander.
NOT THE CAPTAIN.
The report from Santiago about the
finding OF the body. which was received
here on Friday. March 10Th, stated that
II was believed 10 be that the captain OF
the pluton. The statement of the corre-
snondent shows that this could not be
correct for by a peculiar chain Of cir
cumstances. connected very closely with
the presence Of the chair on the Cuban
shore. he was obliged 10 have an inter
view with the captain or the Pluton
aboard the auxiliary gunboat converter
YACHT Gloucester. an nour or more aller
the Pluton had been sent TO her destruc-
t.oa.
The correspondent says:
During the sea fight of the coast OF
cuba on July Sd last was on
the Yacht Wanda. the commander or
which was captain J.. O.. Miller. We
came upon the Spanish torpedo boat de-
stroyer Furor. just as she was sinking
and the destroyer PlutOn, which had been
cut I'm two by shells from the Gloucester
and was pounding TO pieces on yre rocks
along the shore. This was at point
about three or four miles west of MORO,
at The entrance of Santiago haroor, ana
about one mile east of the point WheIe
Maria Teresa and the Almirante Oquehdo
shore a half mile from the Pluton. Inc
Gloucester was standing by half mile
or more 10 the westward
SPANISH PRISONERS.
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 quartermas-
ter and one or two sailors with me ana
went ashore 10 the place where the men
were for the purpose or getting thet
..forv' Of the destruction Of tho Furor ana
rhe pmton I found that most Of the
men we're Spanish sailors. belonging 10
the puton. They were being guarded hy
"A small squad OF sailors from the Glou-
cr-tor who were waiting TO take them
aboard the Gloucester as prisoners OF
war. one Of the American sailors told
mo that an officer OF the Gloucester was
mo on the blum OF rocks overlooking the
wreck Of the Piu-0n. few hundred yards
away. and he also told me that there was
a wounded sailor from the Pluton there
with him. lie asked me II ! could not
get litter or something from the wanda
so that they could get this wounded man
off 10 the Gloucester.
IT sent my boats crew back 10 the
Wanda with instructions To report thJ
circumstances 10 Captain Miller and SEQ
il he could do anything % help the
wounded man 7 then climbed over the
rocks I'm search OF the Gloucester officer,
and after q great deal OF difficulty
found him near the wreck Of the Plut0n
with a navy rifle IN his hand standing
Guard over an officer of the Piuton, VINO
was almost naked and had his feet tied
mn I'm burlap 10 protect them from tho
sharp rocks. have forgotten the namo
Of the American officer. but he was a
young ensign or naval cadet
IN BAD SHAPE.
.arhe Spanish officer was very pleas
ant fellow. but he was a most pluanle
eneciman. had evidently concluded that
he had been "up against it, sufficiently
and he could not surrender quickly
enough. All that he wanted then was a
boa, 10 got him ont 20 the Gloucester as
a prisoner He could speak little Eng
fish. and with my monerel Spanish WE
could understand each other very well
In the next few minutes / did some very
"rapid fire" interviewing with both the
,,,cricar and Spanish officer. Then |
agl,sd tho Gloucester officer about the
wounded man. but he had lost him Tor
the time being. and the three or MS COM
merced n search for him. There was no
shade nor vegetation OF any kind where
We were. Il was q BLUM covered with
rocke so no, from the scorching sun
that thew bIistered the feet in walking
over them. and here and there were de-
n-essions in which a few inches Of stag
rant water remained from the last rain
fall
1--WE wandered over these rocks for
fully fifteen minutes searching Tor the
,,o,,,dod man. The heat was almost in
,olerable. and all Of us were nearly lam
isbod from thirst The Spanish officer
cave m the search and sank on the
-ocl-s exhausted The Gloucester officer
ard myself finally came upon the wound
ed man living IN n pool Of stagnant
,,ofer which had turned red from his
own blood. He was n common sailor or
fireman from the Pluton. and he had
bolo I'm his hin large enough 10 have been
,,odo nv a siy-inch shell. lie was plainly
dvirg though no waa conscious. but he
v,os TOO weak 20 speak plainly and an
that could get from him was a cry
for .ag1lar 'aguar (water). and ! had
none to give him. He kept moving his
bands about IN the pool and washing
the bloody. stagnant water over hi1
voundq The Gloucester officer remained
with him and returned 10 the beach
~ Soc N ny boat had como back from
the wanda I found II waiting for me.
and that Captain Miller had sent with
II a wicker steamer chair which had
becn used on our after deck This was
the nearest approach 70 litter that
could he found on the Wanda. The few
gloucester sailors who were present said
that they could take care OF the wound
-, -. a,d would take him 10 tho