The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-21

tho calking was starting and the seams
were opening. The Aspinwail already
wes unseaworthy. To add Insult to In
jury, a force OF armed men was put on
board and the work OF lifsinS coal out
Of the bunlSers was begun. The pro-
tense was that It was to search for con-
traband weapons and munitions Of war.
Capt. McCarty had seen enough Of
Spanish methods by this time to know
what a move of this character might
mean. He knew very we'll that to make
out their case the Spanish were easily
capable Of smuggling arms on board. He
set sharp watch, composed of men from
his own crew, on those who were prowl-
ing about in his coal bunkers. Then the
Spanish put night watch on board the
ship to see, as they said, that no arms
or ammunition wera removed under COW
er Of darkness and thrown overheard
Capt McCarty on his part, put a night
watch on the Spanish night watch to see
that no arms or ammunition were snug
gled up the side.
The Spanish Indignantly demanded why
he had set this watch upon their men.
Capt McCarty coolly replied that neither
the Spanish men nor the Spanish officers
were to be trusted, and that he proposed
to see that they did not practice on him
at least their favorite game OF making
evidence where evidence was lacking.
BY this time matters in the diplomatic
end OF the affair were fast approaching
a crisis. Two Spanish men-of-war, tho
Victoria and the LeaItad, had arrived in
In New York and locked. 1t was at
this time that Mr.. Fish sent a terse
note to Minister Sickle5 in which he
used the name of the president of the
United States for the first time. THE
president" he wrote, rs not satisfied
with this prolonged delay"
He did not eXaggerate when he said
that the president was not satisfied. The
president, in fast, was very much dissat-
iSfed and as the president at that time
happened to be one Ulysses S. Grant, dis
satisfaction on Ids part was very apt to
express itself in action. Indeed, Presi-
dent Grant was very seriously contem-
plating bringing matters to a focus by
putting an armed force on board the
Spanish men-of-war, then lying in dry
dock in New York harbor and holding
them as hostages until Spain made up
her mind whether she would come to
terms or fight. Such a proceeding, of
course, would have been nothing more
nor less than an overt act of war,
Things were at this stage when two
imperative dispatches went from Wash
ington to Madrid-one from Mr. Fish the
other from Minister Roberts. Mr..
FdSh'S dispatch 10 Gen. Sickles said:
1T seems that the Madrid government
gives assurances which the authorities Of
Cuba refuse to fulfill. Ask explanations
of these evasions, and the immediate ex-
ecuton of the promises made to YOU
In reply to this there was some further
shutting, but it was evidently for the
purpose Of what the Chinese call Saving
the face for it was accompanied with
the very Oriental assertion that the
council Of ministers 1.-The day before"
had decided to order the release OF the
vessel on receiving a final demand in
wriing from Gen, Sickles. Even then
thirteen days more passed before the AS
pinwal was liberated, on April Is, or Just
ninety-eight days after her seizure. She
was so unseaworthy by this time that it
took two weeks to patch her UP.
In the following June board OF arbi-
tration, consist ing of John S., Williams,
of the firm of Williams & Guion of New
York; Juan M. Ceballos, Spanish mer-
chant Of this city, and Johannes Roes-
sing, consul general of the North Ger
man Confederation, sat to consider the
amount of damages to be paid by Spain.
By the deciding vote of Mr. Roessing
$l8, $50 in gold damages for demurra ge
to the vessel were awarded, and 1920 in
gold to the crew.
And thus ended one of the many IN
suits and outrages which this govern
ment received from Spain before the
final one the blowing up Of the Maine,
at last brought about what with almost
any other nation would have come a
quarter of a century before.