The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-30

spanish authorities ana captain Fly
and ffty-two members of the crew
& were executed This man is George
4 McCauley. Spanish interpreter in the
Circuit Court. born a Cuban. raised in
Jamaica and Glasgow under the pro-
lection of the British flag. and it is due
to the Union Jack that he claims to
have been saved from the death which
nearly all his Cuban countrymen suf-
fered on that memorable expedition.
In the latter part of the year 1873 the
civilized world was startled by the news
from Cuba of the execution of the
Americans and Cubans of the Vir-
Il ginius who were believed to have been
engaged in ilibustering and aiding the
Cuban insurgents. The vessel was cap
| tured by a Spanish gunboat,-history
says the Tornado, but McCauley calls
it the Fernando del Catolica-and Cap
! tain Fry and most of the Americans
| and the Cubans were put to death
despite the protests of the British Con-
sui. Finding his efforts to save their
lives unavailing by mere protests, the
Consul ordered the Niobe, from a near
port, to Santiago, and the presence of
that vessel with the ensign of old En-
gland floating over her, put a stop to
| the butchery The people of the United
1 O nolo rod
against Spain, but calmer consideration
prevented this, and Spain was compelled
to disgorge a large indemnity instead.
The Virginius was released and was on
her way to New York again when she
foundereds off Cape Fear on December
IS, 1873.
George McCauley tells the story of his
experiences, which however, differ in
some respects from authenticated mar
ratives of the expedition, as follows:
IT was born a Cuban, but raised in
Jamaica and also resided sometime in
Edinburgh. 1 returned to Kingston, ia
maica, in the latter part of 1871. In
1873 L shipped aboard the steamship
Virginius as a mess-room steward. The
Nlrginius came from the States and
was loaded with arms for the insurgents
in Cuba. In the latter part of October,
1873, 1 think it was on a Saturday, we
steamed out of Kingston for Cuba. 1t
was a dark night. The vessel had been
hemmed in there for sometime, and
had waited for just such an oppor
tunity. We had a crew of Americans
and Jamaicans. There were also seven
p. m. and steamed out to sea. There
were two Spanish men-of-war outside
which espied US and gave chase. In adj
dition to our cargo of gunpowder and
rifles, we had a large amount of bacon
on board for fuel. The bacon was piled
into the furnaces and the boat, a side
wheeler. trembled as she plunged for
ward in the darkness.
Fate was against US. however, for
at o'clock in the morning, the ves-f
sci began to slow down. The gunboat
nearest US fired shot across our bow
stack. We afterwards found we had
been sold by the chief engineer one
Of the pins most essential to the run
ming of the engines having been with 4
drawn. The Fernando del Catolica
came up by us and we had to sur
render We were taken in tow. The
thief steward tried to get some of US
% join him in escaping by one of the
small boats but was discovered and was 4
executed. The body was thrown over
BOARD. At $50 the Cuban insurgent Of 4
icers were executed. These were Gen
rails Alameda, Francisco Colisa, Pedro
lie Gonsalves, Raphael Gomez, Jose de
dontano, Manuel Tageira, Joaquin Gen.
arc. Another one, Mendes, was hanged
between the main and mizzenmasts.
Then we steamed on and arrived in
antiago harbor at 1880 a. m. We espied
schooner belonging to the French
CONSUL bound from Port Morant to
kingston. A letter was written by one &
f our men, put in bottle which was 81
called up and thrown overheard. The b
,eople aboard the schooner saw the
ottle and picked it up and Kingston
new from that that we had been cap
ured
AT Santiago we were handcuffed,
AIKEN ashore and placed in the Fortress,
he Americans and British subjects
eing kept in separate places of con-
nement I had been warned not to
peak a word of Spanish and to keep
p the appearance of a British subject.
hat night we were fed on rice mixed
Nth kerosene oil. In one corner of the
lace we came across a skull and
and bone of human being. Our quar-
ers were filed with stencil of the foul