New-York tribune., 1912-02-18

five thousand dollars was the ordinary
price,. where he was TO land. When the tll-
busters and their arms had all been put
ashore they would find themselves sur
rounded bv a concealed force OF waiting
Spanish troops, and in a few minutes they
were massacrcd to a man; for no prisoners
were ever taken in such cases. 1t seems IN
credible that Captains could be found who
were vile enough to sell mems lives for few
paltrv dollars, to take patriots to what they
knew was certain death to travel with them
rs shipmatcs for davS and then put them
ashore. knowing they would be murdered IN
half an hour,-but there were a number who
did il. OF course these villainOuS Captains
suffered no injury: that was part OF the
agreement. If it was necessary for the sake
OF aDpcarancc 10 seize the ship that landed
the hlibustcrs, the vessel was invariably re-
leased within a few days and the Captain
was given a bonus TO compensate him tor
his polite detention.
II consequence of the activity Of the horde
L Of spies and their willingness TO hand out
money TO anyone who would bctray a secret,
there was much trcachcry, though never
among the Cubans who had anything TO DO
with the organization, and for some months
things went strongly against Palma. Come
and Macco were calling for arms and sup
plies with which 10 continue the war; but
none could be delivered TO them. Numerous
expeditions were planned; but all Of them
were either held up just as they were ready
10 sail. sunk at sea. or run into traps when
they reached Cuba, involving great and un-
necessary loss OF life, heavy and useless
drains on the revolutionary treasury, and
bitter disappointmcnts 10 the rebels.
In January, 1896, the steam fisherman
Hawkins. under Captain Hall, was sent
away from Nontauk Point with a cargo OF
arms and a party Of CubanS who were
going down TO Join Gomez. Her scacockS
were trcachcrously opened few hours after
her departure, and she sank of the south
shore Of Long Island, carrying down Jack
Lynch. the chief engineer, and ten men. The
man who was paid 20 sink the ship went
down with her; but have always suspected
that ne did not meet death by drowning.
The cargo. OF course, was total loss.
About the same time it was discovered
that the Captain of the Commodore, which,
after having been held up for a long while at
Charleston, was then lying at Wilmington,
had accepted five thousand dollars 20 reveal
TO the Spanlards the landing place OF an cA-
petition he WAS preparing TO take out. On
learning this, Horatio Rubcns went to VII
mington. "borrowcd" from the Captain all
he had left Of the bribc, which was two hun
drcd dollars Che had sent the rest to rcla-
tive in Brookyn), and kicked him of the
ship. This Captain subsequently admitted
that ne had received FIVE thousand dollars
from the Spaniards but insisted that he
had intended to "doublc-cross' them by
telling them he was bound for some point
far away from his real destination He was
drowned in the Gulf Of ST. Lawrence IN the
spring Of 1909, when bringing a ship around
from the lakes to New York.
In that same i'll fatcd month Of January,
1896. a cargo of arms was seized on the
steamship Bermuda when she was lying of
Bcdloc Island in New York Harbor, Just
as she was about to sail for Cuba with Cen
cral Calixto Garcia, who was known in the
Ten Years War as The Terror, and sew
cral other prominent Cubans. There was