Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-10-15
POOR ELLIS cigarettes
Pathetic Incident of the Vic
tory of Santiago.
A VICTIM OF THE FIGHT
Woman Ellis Was Waiting for the
Cigarettes to Be Brought from
jamaica by a Correspondence
Touching Story of the Spanish
War.


II was late in June, 1898, and the
press dispatch boat Faultless was
laboring in heavy sea in the narrow
channel, between the eastern end OF
Cuba and the island of Jamaica. An
hour before she had left the block
aiding American fleet off Santiago and
was speeding to Port Antonio, ia
maica, 100 miles away, the nearest
cable station, to file dispatches for the
New York papers.
Jack Hargreave, the correspondent
in charge of the boat. had everything
ready for the wire and he and two
companions had stretched themselves
on the fan-tail of the tug to enjoy
what little comfort was permitted by
the rolling of the sea and the con-
slant splash Of salt spray over the
sides of the boat.
Say, boys" he exclaimed sudden
ly. Il am getting little tired Of act
ing as a bumboat for the American
fleet. l know the officers are a good
lot Of fellows and they have treated
us very decently. l have been on this
station now for a month hustling for
news and making three or four trips
a week between the blockading fleet
and Port Antonio, and | have estaD-
lished a reputation with the Jamaica
merchants of being the greatest con-
sumer of things to drink that ever
visited the island. Great Scott! what
a thirst this Caribbean climate seems
to have given those fellows!
"At first they began by getting me
to buy them a bottle Of gin or rum or
Scotch whiskey, or perhaps bottle
or two of champagne, whenever they
noticed that l was going to Jamaica.
But now they order it by the case, and
tell you this tugboat is getting to be
a floating bonded warehouse.
But what l am kicking about now
is this-the bumboat business is get
ting infectious. Heretofore no one
but officers has asked me to transport
supplies, but as l was leaving the
Brooklyn to-day sailor stopped me
at the gangway, handed me a two
dollar bill and asked me to buy him
box of cigarettes in Port Antonio.
Of course, I'll get the cigarettes for
him, but what l am thinking Of is
that if all sailors in the fleet get to
making these requests l will have to
give up my newspaper work and build
another deck on this boat"
Hargreave's companions had not
been paying much attention to his
tale of woe" but at this point one OF
them interrupted him and asked:
DO you know the sailors nameI
How are you going to pick him out
when you go aboard to deliver the
cigarettes?"
NO, 1 don't know his name" re-
piled Hargreave, land l am not going
to pick him out. He is going to pick
me out. He told me he would watch
for me, and when l go aboard the
Brooklyn the next time, he is to meet
me a the gangway and claim his prop
erty."
The Faultless remained in Port An
tonic nearly two days on this trip,
coaling and provisioning, and in that
time Hargreave bought the cigarettes
for the sailor and put them in a safe
place on the tug.
The tug cleared from Port Antonio
for the blockading station, off MORO
Castle, on the evening of Saturday,
July 2, and she picked up the Ameri-
can fleet about dawn the next day.
Hargreave had number of things to
attend to, and concluded to wait until
late in the morning before attempting
to go aboard the Brooklyn.
But at 9 o'clock on that morning an
event happened which not only upset
all his plans for the day, but also filed
a large page in American history.
Cerveras fleet made its dash from
Santiago harbor
Hargreave watched the battle from
the deck of the Faultless. 1t was the
biggest news of the war, and the cor
respondent had no thought for any
thing but to get his facts together
and make the fastest possible run to
Jamaica to get his story on the wire.
After assuring himself that the only
casualties on the American side were
one man Yeoman Ellis, of the Brook
lynn killed and two others slightly
wounded. he lost no time in heading
for Port Antonio. Additional news
of the great naval fight continued to
drift into Port Antonio by other
sources during the next few days, and
Hargreave remained there to be close
to the cable.
When the Faultless finally returned
to the feet off Santiago a week or
more had elapsed since he had pur.
chased the cigarettes for the Brooklyn
sailor AS soon as the tug came
within hailing distance Of the cruiser
Hargreave signalled that he would
like to go aboard. The Brooklyn sent
a boat to the tug, and into this Har-
greave stepped with the box of cigar
cites under his arm.
The coxswain said: Aren't you the
reporter who was given 50 by one OF
our men to buy a. box of cigarettesY '
Hargreave replied in the affirmative
and said he had the cigarettes with
him then, and wanted to find the man
so that he could deliver them.
There was a touch of sadness in
the coxswain's reply as he said:
Il guess you won't be able 10 de-
liver them to-day, sir; the man who
asked you to get the cigarettes fol
him was Yeoman Ellis, the only mar
we lost in Sundays fight. 1 think yor
had better give those cigarettes tc
the paymaster, sir, and let him decide
what to do with them"
Hargreaves turned the cigarettes