New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-14
WARSHIP TO NICARAGUA.
Minister Merry to Investigate Case
of Tnpmisored american.

Washington, Sept. 13.-After a conference be
tween the State and Navy departments ii has
been decided that warsIip shall be sent to one
Of the Costa Rican ports to convey Minister
Merry. at last accounts in San Jose. northward
% the nearest point the coast Of Nicaragua
or Honduras to the place where William s. Al
bers, an American citizen. and his brother are
confined pending trial on the charge of resist
fng legal process and Of insulting the President
OF Nicaragua. The officials decline to make any
statement on this subject at present. but it is
known that it has received serious attention,
and that the lack Of Information to the ex-
act nature OF the offence charged against Albers
and the possibility Of his not receiving fair
trial have caused effort to be made to get in
closer touch with the prisoner. The gunboat
Princeton now at Panama. is the nearest war
ship TO Ocotal. in the province of Segovia, where
Albers is imprisoned But this town is seventy
miles inland, over rough mountain range from
the coast, and the trail is not passable by any
vehicle. Anapala, the Gulf Of Fonseca, on the
southern boundary of Honduras. appears to be
the nearest port 10 Ocotal. The Port Limon
Company. whose agent Albers was has sent a
lawyer named BrubaBe from Philadelphia to
ocotaI to assist in defending him.
An American OF intelligence and high char
scter who has been travelling in Central
America for the last few months engaged in
scientifc work. has written a detailed account
If the AIbers case to friends in Baltimore. which
has been received here. He says he is familiar
With the case, and reports as follows:
The Limon Company. of which William s.
Albers is the manager. Is located at Jalapa.
CORPORATION is engaged III gold and silver min
ing and IL raising wheat and tobacco. and has
made quite large investments in good faith. 1t
appears that in March. 1903, a company of
armed men led by one claiming TO be a lieu
tenant in the Nicaraguan army. and alleging
thai they were sent by the government tobacco
evndicere demanded Of Albers that he permit
them 10 enter and carry away his stock of to-
bacco under seizure.
sIbers replied that he had contraband
tobacco. that ne obeyed the law: that he paid
the government in full. that he held regular
official receipts for al tobacco in his stores.
He furthermore said that the first man who
tried 10 enter his door would be shot, but that
he would permit the lieutenant 10 go through
with one man and inspect the tobacco IN order
that his assertions might be proved This was
ssone and no cOntraba tobacco was found.
Following the search OF the LiInon Company's
PREMISES the executive ar Mauagua. the capital
Of Nicaragua issued decree ordering that any
one holding tobacco in stock should obtain q
hermit and that should he fail 10 do this his
4obz Geo would be confsCateds WheTeupou several
Americans holding tobacco applied for the per
mis- and were refused them. These Ameri-
esn holders thereupon arranged 10 sell their
s1,a coo 10 the syndicate, with the exception Of
ATrers But the treatment received from Al
hers. vho had on his place American employees.