Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-03
WAR WAS POSTPONED 25 YEARS.
Country Came Within an Ace OF
Fighting Spain in 1873.


Twenty-Five years before we had our
little brush with Spain that resulted
in the freedom of Cuba and the acqui-
sition by the United States Of Porto
Rico, Guam and the Philippines, this
country came within an ace of fighting
the land of the Dons. The incident is
recalled by a reference to it the other
day in the Forty Years Ago. column
of The Star. The trouble was back in
1873. and the bone of contention then,
as in 1898, was Cuba. You will find the
story entered in history as 1.-THE Vir-
ginia Affair."" and the facts of the case
are these:
Cuba had been fighting continuously
for freedom since 1868, and the rebel
lion was still going on in "languid,
desultery, ferocious and indeclslVes
way in 1878. There was much sympa-
thy in America for the struggling Cub
ans and great indignation over thei
barbarous cruelty with which Spain
punished the rebels. And there was a
great deal of filibustering being car
ried on by Americans in behalf OF theI
Cubans.
Tho sidewheel steamer Virginius
piled its traffic in the West Indies, hy-
ing the American flag and commanded
by Joseph Fry, an American, who 1ad
once been a Lieutenant in the United
States navy. Fry had resigned his COM
mission when the Civil War began and
was an officer in the Confederate army
throughout the strugese. He was a
brave and capable man, and one feels
a good deal of sympathy for him. There
is not the least use in denying, how
ever, that he was engaged upon nii-
clustering expedition to aid the CUBAN
rebels when he fell afoul of Spain.
The Virginius, carrying cargo OF
war material and 1856 passengers, clear
ed from Kingston, Jamaica, Oct. 20,
1873, with papers for port In Costa
Riea. The passengers, most or whom
were Cubans, although there were a
few Americans among them, were list
ed as railway laborers. AS a matter
of fact they were planning to fight the
Battles of Cuba.
Before the Nirginius reached Cuban
waters, however, the vessel was sight
ed by the Spanish bunboat Tornado.
which at once gave chase The Virgin
JUS out aboAt and raced toward Jamal-
CO, where Captain Fry knew he would
be safe in neutral waters of England.
He couldn't make it. His vessel was not
buflt with any special view to speed,
and he was short of fuel Everything
combustibIe was stuffed into the fur1-
aces-oil-soaked waste, hams, greasy
clothing. bits of cabin furniture. but
little by little the black hulk of the
three
shots from the Spanish cannon mace
the Yirginius heave to. The Spanarus
boarded the American vessel, whlch
made no resistance, and all the pas
sengers and members of the crew were
mode prisoners. The vessel and every
one aboard were taken to Santiago de
Cuba. where the passengers and crew
were Imprisoned. Next day drum
head Court-martial was held, ana by
4 o,eloc1r in the afternoon--the hearing
began at in the mornings men ma"
been condemned to death. Captain Fry
was one of them, and there were seven
other American citizens.
The morning of November four Oh
the prisoners were shot. Two days lat
or - more went the same route, ana
November Captain Fry and 80 mem
hors of his expedition were stooo
AGAINST a wall and shot down. A cabled
absorption of the death of Captain
FRY and his men appeared in the Kan
sas City Times of 40 years ago. Here Is
part of it:
Friday morning, Nove--;ber Z, ~
members of the crew c. the Virginlus
were brought on shore and taken TO
prisor to remain there until their exc
eution, which was ordered for that
afternoon.
Captain Fry, a noble-looklng old man
fullv n head taller than the rest or the
crow. when he met his men on thei
wharf previous to their march to prison.
eaIuted them all. The salute was re-
turned with affection. At 4.45 Captain
Frv and IS men and officers were pub
lielv shot, despite the protests OF al
competent foreign authorities. me ma
rines were seven minutes killing tne
wretched prisoners, and 1t seemed as
though they would never finish. AT las
the sailors marched off and the troops
filed past the long row of bodies. Theh
the dead carts were hurried up.
The news of the affair aroused ire
mendous excitement in the united
states. A war fever swept over the
country, and everywhere people Were
demanding that the United states
avenge the injury in Spanish oiooa
The demand for war was especially
loud and violent in New York. A CUB
an junta had long made its head
quarters there and worked up much
sympathy for the Cubans, and there
were plenty of men who believed that
The easiest solution of the whole long
drawn-out Cuban difficulty, which hao
SO disturbed American commerce III
the West Indies, was the annexation
of Cuba to the United States. Puplc
meetings were held, demanding war
a huge crowd assembled in steinway
Hall the night of November Il and an
overflow meeting had to be heid IN
Tammany Hall. Hamilton Fish,
Grants Secretary of State, was iperai-