The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-28
a WoULD-BE FILIBUSTER.
Experiences and Narrow Escape Of
Captain Allies I'm 1851.

~
Captain Allies I'm 1S5
Dubois county. Indiana. has a prominent
| and honored citizen who was a member of
General Lopez's famous hlibustering expedi-
ton to- Cuba in the year 1851. This man is
Capt. John j. Allies, a resident OF Clestine.
Ind. He was born in Prussia. April q. 1874.
| and came to America in 1870. When Presi-
dent Lincoln called for volunteers in 1851
Captain Allies organized Company i, Forty
ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was
commissioned captain and served as such
until the close of the war.
I'm the year 1851" said Captain Allies, lin
| the month of November, / went to New
Orleans with a raft of timber from the
Yazoo swamps. and OF my arrival found an
expedition was being organized TO assist the
Cubans to their freedom. 1 joined the expe-
dition as did also my partner, Robert
Weathers, of Tennessee. under Gen. Mar
cesso Lopez. We were paid SIS down, and.
If we succeeded in freeing the island, were
to have a farm apiece. There We're nearly
100 Of US, and We went into camp etween
the United States barracks and the old
Jackson battle ground. After camping there
about three weeks, President Fillmore
issued a proclamation stating that the
United States was not at war with Spain,
and all those who might go TO Cuba would
not be protected by the government, ana
for US 10 Immediately disband. OF course,
we were not allowed 10 know about this by
our officers. On the night OF the receipt OF
the proclamation there came an old ship q
believe her name was Pompero) Wnlcn
anchored in front OF our camp and We were
ordered aboard. The next morning We were
anchored in the Gulf of Mexico. After about
ten hours We lifted anchor INC moved
farther out into the gull.
1T was d tilibusterlng trip. pure and sim
pie, started by SPECTATORS from New hork'
and the date of meeting and place of rem
devious had been arranged Tor a certain
point out in the gulf. The orders to move
had not come " hen we left, but under the
| circumstances We could not stay longer.
We circled around in the gulf waiting Tor
the other companies to arrive at the place
of rendezvous when one morning a span
| ish cruiser came along and gobbled US up
we were put in MORO Castle. The other
companies on hearing our misfortune as
banded and remained at home. The most
of US were raftmen and steamboat and coal
boat men, a pretty tough set. Our officers
were all Spaniards living in Cuba. My cap
tain's name was Rodriguez. They told US
when we enlisted that when we got 10 CuDa
| all the people would be- our friends and
would join us in fighting the Spaniards,
but We found 1t quite otner"ise; an the eb II3
showed that Cuba was not ripe at that time
for a free government.
| About two weeks after our Imprisonment
a court-martial was convened and we were
| called on for trial. We sent word to the
American consul q believe his name was
not as the consul, but as a private citizen;
He told us he was very sorry for US and
regretted very much that he could do moth
ing for us, that he was instructed not TO
interfere, so the court-martial went on. A
Spaniard was the judge advocate. AND when
through. this mockery OF a trial., having
found those tried guilty. they would order
from twenty-five TO fifty TO be shot at a
time, and the remainder had to march out
In the M ~ aud Witness the TaVOltinQ
and sickening scene. After about $50 of our
company had been shot our turnkey told me
that in three days we would have TO APP
pear for trial. This turnkey of our division
was a very old Spaniard and l often tried
to engage him in conversation In ,different
languages. but he would always shake his
head. / asked him II there was a German
consul in Havana, but he only repeated
consul, consul and shook his head. Then
/ said Ambassador Prussia, and he nodded
his head. / made signs that L would like
to write TO the consul, but he would again
bring us a loaf of black bread. 1t looked
like 1t was made out of oats; at least we
found oats chaff in it; and he usually
opened our cell door and handed us a jug
OF water and threw in our bread, but one
morning he brought the bread wrapped in
were getting very fancy with wrapping up
our bread. BY that time Bob had torn off
a piece of the bread and put Ii in his mouth,
the %scoundrels want to feed us on nails
now told him he was getting crazy.
rounS p rGeK h of w,o ne s abou fn one ea and a me half e
inches long. / went to the key hole In the
door. which was the, only light we had. and
held a piece of lead pencil in my hand. I
took the paper and wrote a few words on it
to the Prussian consul. The next morning
L wanted to give the paper to the turnkey.
but he would not take 1t, so as he walked
out 1 threw it in his basket and gave up
all hope.
1.-THE day for US to appear before the
court-martial was coming on, and we felt
bad indeed. The next morning, at the usual
time for the turnkey, 1 heard a strange noise
in the corridor, which was lined with stone
tagging. II sounded like metal striking the
rocks. Directly the key turned in the heavy
key and a gentleman with a long black
the Prussian consul, and it was the point
of his sword striking on the floor that we
had heard. After asking questions where I
was born, when I came TO America, and
after telling him how 1 got there, he said:
be a pretty hard case, for these spaniards
are a bloodthirsty people He then turned
to my partner and asked him where he came
from, etc., but being a Tennesseean he
thought we were brothers.; in fact, we al
ways passed as such. and looked a good deal
alike. He advised up to claim to be broth
ers. He left us and went to court and asked
a continuance in our case until the next day,
which was granted. The next morning we
were called up and after a spirited fight
were acquitted. The consul afterwards
furnished as transportation to New Orleans.
He got our guns and accouterments, and
brought mine home.
A of our officers were shot except Gen.
Lopez. He was garroted- The officers We're
shot first and we had to witness 1t. When
General Lopez was garroted his last words
were. L die for my Cuba, Bob Weathers
ton who escaped from Moro Castle. 1
learned since that Weathers did not long
survive after gaining his liberty"