The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-19

1
| any rate its truth or falsity can be
demonstrated by the Gloucester officer
and the sailors who remained on shore
after / left
| But when the report of the illdn@
of tho body was first received here from
| Santiago and it was said to he mat
Of the Pluton'S captain, felt conhdeni
| that that could not be correct. For |
| had the strongest reasons for believing
| the contrary. reasons which were found
! ed on the fact that less than an hour
| after the occurrence related in the fore
going | was introduced by Lieutenant
| Commander Wainwright. the command
or of the Gloucester, to Il Spanish OH
Ger. entirely uniniurcd, who represented
| himself rs the Captain of tha Puton.
| He was afterwards taken to the United
| States with the other Spanish prisoners,
| and. as far ms | know. was return ii 10
! Spain when the war was over.
when | GOT back to the Wanda af-
fcr having left tn chair on shore Win
| the Gloucester sailors ] was very much
! surprised to find that during my alb
Scncc three officers and six sailors be-
longing TO the Plutou had taken rcfug"
aboard the Wanda They had easily
srapcd from The small guard of Amcr'-
can sailors on shore and had put 3dt
to the Wanda i'm one Of the PIuton' =
boats which had noated ashore. Th"jr
reason for going 10 the Wanda was nat
the yacht had British registry ana few
the British flag; but' her flag was HE
only thing British about her, fact
which the SpaniardS did not know. She
had big-hpartcd Yankee skipper in
Captain Miller and when the boat load
IF half-lroWncd and half-stavcd Span
iards came alongside. he forgot all about
the color of the WAnda'S flag and the
possibility of any annoying complications
that these Spaniards might cause US
He could have directed them to go TO
the Gloucester which was then n0t more
| than Il mile away standing by the cy-
| plOding wrecks of the Maria TeTnsa md
| Oquendo receiving more prison rs than
she could take care of. while the Brook
| lyn. Oregon. Texas and New York were
chasing the Cristobal Colon along the
coast fifty miles to tha westward. But
| Captain Miller did not repulsc the APP
peaing SpaniardS. His instinct of ,sll-
| mainly was too strong and he told them
| to come aboard Not only thar. but he
gave them dry clothing and fool and
| drink. SO when I came over the side
of the Wanda ! found our tackles :
pouring Jamaica rum down the ;hfo9tS
| Of the six Spanish sailors ON the fore
castle. and in the cabin were the three
officers telling their troubles to Captain
| Miller while the steward was dealing
out to them lihatiOns of Scotch whisliey
and soda. This was all right from =
humanitarian standpoint. but found
myself confronted with the absolute ne
cesSity Of getting these Spanarls off
| the Wanda ut once. Our yacht vas
ready to put out Immediately for Port
| Antonio. the nearest neutral port ut
| which we could reach coal station md
send the news of the destruction Of Ger
vera's fleet We had then been RAINING
| back and forth between Port Antonio
and the Cuban coast for six WreEs aast
and several times had the British quar-
antina regulations at Port Antonio inn
pressed upon us very forciEly. | kncW.
| to certainty. that if we went into Port
! Antonio bay with These Spaniay
aboard, who had been living in the pest;
| lential climate Of Santiago for Il month
| or two past. the quarantine officials
would not permit us to cnter" but
would anchor us about four mil TO lee
ward of the town and not permit us =
| have any communication with the shore,
| thus shutting us 3lf frem the use OF The
cable and ending the Wanda'S career rs
an Associated Press dispatch boar.
| felt certain that Captain Wainwright,
whom ] had known personally for some
years, would not care to take the Span
| iardS forcibly off vessel dying she
British flag. and Captain Miller AMI my
self seemed to be confronted with Il
proposition which meant that we would
either have to throw our refugees over
| board or OlSc land them on Cuban soil
| where the chivarOuS Cuban army wOa'd
give them a quick finish. | Suggested
| to the Spaniards that hey - aboard tie
Gloucester ana surrender Captain
Wainwright. but they found themselves
too comfortable aboard the Wanda a.3d
refused TO listen to The proposition, a.
the same time inflicting any number Of
affectionate embraces upon Captain Mil
Ter and myself and showing every .ndica
| ton of being in need of further Stimu-
lantS from the Wanda'S medical sores
| In the meantime we were running aiung
shore towards the Glouccstcr.and | was
| thinking that | had very serious promo
sition on my hands. conclude u
| consult Captain Wainwriaht on the sub.
ject and when we lcI.'.l the Glopers-
ter | boarded her. About the first thing
Captain Wainwright toll nit was mat
he had the Captains of both the pluton
and the Furor aboard aS prisoners OF
war. | asked him 20 takc ne To tie
Captain Of the rluton at once aud he
did So | found that he eould@ speak
English and asked him to give
me an order to his men, hold
ing out Il lead pencil and
copy paper to him at the tiinn. IL
wrote the order addressed to the senior
Spanish officer on the Wanda directing
all of them to come abol ii ;he CLIQUE cs-
ter at once and slrfcn! II. | lost NC
time in getting back % the Yacht and
delivering the order. The officers We're
greatly incensed at tleir Captain, but
they dared not disobey his order and
after great deal of rapid alking among
themselves they informed me that they
were ready to SURRENDER. | went to The
Gloucester with III N IN one OF our
boats and felt I huricn lr1p from MY
shoulders as soon aS | saw them climb
over the Gloucester ;, side. As soon as
| returned to the wanda Captain Mi!!"r
pulled the Jingle bell" cord to the en-
CINE room SIX times, and the little yacht