Show ILL TREATMENT OF CAPTIVES Naval Officials at Key West Pursue Weyler Methods Washington June 2The complaints made against the United States officers at Key West of improper treatment of the captives on prizes brought In by American vessels are being dally reinforced re-inforced and are creating so much dissatisfaction dis-satisfaction here that I would not be surprising if the prizes hereafter taken by naval vessels were ordered farther north to Charleston for instance thus depriving the Key West officials of the fat fees which they have been making from this source First came the report re-port through Admiral Sampson of Ca nalejas charges ajgalnst the officials which are now to be formally investi gated by a naval courtmartlal The latest case is in connection with I I the British ship Restormel which was captured off Santiago with a load of coal apparently destined for the Spanish J Span-ish fleet inside This vessel was brought Into Key West with a prize crew and although her British nationality nation-ality was perfectly evident the officials offi-cials at the port for some unexplained i reason positively refused to permit the i I captain to communicate with the Brit ish vice consul The British embassy here being advised of the fact made prompt representations to the state department de-partment with the result that orders were forwarded without delay to the district attorneys office at Key West to at once put the captain of the Re stormel in communication with the vice consul Key West June 2In the hearing eJi before Judge Locke today In the charges made by Cadet N L Jones against deputy marshals and prize commissioners the testimony of the captain and first officers of the Catalina Cata-lina Miguel Jover and Pedro and of the captain of the Argonauts was taken tak-en up They denied joint blank Jones charge that they were Insulted and the steamer pilfered On the contrary they declared the treatment they re calved was highly satisfactory The prize commissioner was satisfied that no negroes or Cubans were allowed onboard on-board the prizes the only visitors being be-ing members of the best families of Key West The judges report copies of which will be sent to Washington will find Jones charges unsupported by any evidence Ensign Christy who asked Jones to submit the charges managed to get the departments of the navy and of Justice involved In a s ra controversy contro-versy The incident probably closed |