Show GHT A FRENCH VESSEL Stiisliip Lafayette Attempts to Run the Blockade at t Havana After Being Notified Not to Enter Port I 0 French Vessel Left a Spanish Port After the Declaration of War Carried Guns and a Large List of Passengers la Believed Be-lieved to Have Contraband of War Juuon Way ArlTh Let fort 1IlooC to the Fneh Racist I > Itoled Ivlc n late Captain Ignored tho ornlnlf Not to Vatimi Idnsimasho I Tltd In To lot Was Cb1 Down by Gnnboils and Woo Mauled Or to I vTMtCoold Not Foot With the lllockaden g Is I I Aoclnte4rrc PI1 Aasociftte Jon1 the on lost Kato Spencer via HeY teh 1898 6Copyrlghtd Fin May 11 The c 1ated Press1 Lnfny br of the French genonl tranal tie line a vessel of 339 IU emopanys tans register bound from Corun on April 23 for Havanit Was Spain captured I L yesterday evening Off the lIt part by he United States gunboat ler commonder J J Hunker AnDlpoll bile trying to roll the blockade after lvlnr previously been warned off of Jai board a large number she bag on and a valuable general purengers containing Contraband cargo Possibly If I or Till 111fayette which hall from St C mrre France J l > a fine vessel of the old type She I 9 3U feet > long > has 44 oot Sun and Is I 23 feet dew She ss built In 150A at Qreenock of Iron be Htr capture was effected shortly tori sundown last night In the following follow-ing manne The Lafayette was beading for Hat a ind nas boarded by an offlcer of it Annapolis I and warnall not to enter pirt She afterwards made an attempt = ttli H and was captured after an ex tog chase The Wilmington Newport New-port and Sic rrlll took part In the capture cap-ture of the Frenchman After an examination of theLofay tttti papers had been made a prize few from the Annapolis was placed on board and she was sent to Key Wes iwntUy the Wilmington Frtrta to this step being taken Ciiiiler Hunker of the Annapolis tit temporary flag officer and com xltitr C C Todd of the Wllmlngti tinted signals for over an hour International question U thought to ttlirolved I but It was Beemlnglylflnally I decided to Bend tier to Key West The fact that she left a Spanish port Corm Cor-m on April 23 after the declaration of ar D tell occurred on AVrll21 items to warrant holding the Lafay entOn On the question of Contraband of war the officers of the Wilmington seem reticent hut ft hardly seeing possible that the steamer could leave Spnln with 10 many mal passengers on board n4 < act hive Contraband of wr In her can W Is reported thaI the Lafayette In rlillson to being a French mn Steam or I a French naval reserve vessel mounting guns and to rrIOI a crew sufficient to make her ready for active imlce at short notice This It Is said add considerably to the gravity of the 10IoraUon1 aspect of the case The Rate Spencer dispatch boat of the Allolatd Press jut before the cbs began had spoken the Annapolis a little mt of Cojamar battery and live mil on shore Thc Annnlollo with canvas ventilators spread had come up lazily from the east and after having spokt the Spencer hd gone about to follow her dOM the coast The Cuban shore line the arnoon Cray with the hot atmosphere of lui never looked more peace fuiTh The big Krupp guns on the battery were Biientand a Pretty effect wnn caurt by the white smoke wreathS furling Up from the IIIUe settlement of 2raar rising faintly against he Ctefn i4oves of the Cuban bill lid Four mil down the roast the grim lOwer of 1Iorro Iood frowning a 11t ruadlsn of the Cuban capital hooo roof already rea rlow reflected the red If of the declining un It Wa a CubaMul uddltil Picture of f Cuba Suddenly the titling Of Mira r m was broken 100 by the elec I call of A chase 10 the which echoed Spacer Tb Annapolis bad Put nor 1 helm hard starhoard and It putting on full tam And rlev llfr the water In d northwest dlrectlQ ter nle dh O daik k black funnels belched oui i clouds l oi la lho ornoke as the stokers piled coal furnaces on every effort was algilt to drive unVborat aT the gunboat a p4 j a IOn at a wh I-On the tallIttet horizon could 41 seen the trace t of lumoke slim Thin ship full I was 11114 the circling quarry swiftly of thif American ahe was I The L cry after her prey Jill Wnmer came rapidly up even classes lay line andthe marine beer With On red Ina d a eje out to be a big funpel I Of Ibises I headed straight On he came under full I 11 to nif UHnder steam < r a to I her feet h I Ujir ors may h hK t glh the a ii 1 Is I throwt fig It It steamer or other Vessel up a roll of Ib White Ill water as fiven TI through the i Vft ter with I Q uB Cond that ill 6 There sepriedVft i 1 tt no doubt lit tath t Ills stranger bloclhdIng was bent squadron on runninir and under II plot rd ill c guns at Illorro ollible I I t ore belIr 1eiaUe jut overhauled I dlTrent rrunom0rffi rem a K directions I three onf Uncly j lily 11111PILIclilelli 1 had been drilit latilnt the tropical sea hild been m 9 4 Into get I and Kcdm life I attracted by the chase let ned bloek thdilY In the attempt to tone tranger entrall ToPlHa the 40 wn wit Jdll 111In I > the the Annapoll chase R In Wa ill distance rushlnA lii 1 Iwarini I allngtOn Hn Ond I the Newport were War dnl I which down had been I upon her and the nqsring the tip to boat cr I at liner 8091ung Amsticlatpil around Pr across dixilateh the path Pt 1 tie IF for a sort the old lill to challeng a ginar i dispatch T I Ilt Cutter now acting as a 0004114 I slid a member of the The A nlosq Ito fleet up118 d attic however bad much fine been as o Work that the stran Of the if orrill Wrinatiled two Mll ahead Duff If bile There Was a flash a nb l lu smoke to il 144 by t boom the bee follow 0 we lb how lad 0 1 a run fired 1 whl ch announced that I I I t mete Sam had ordered the lrangr to henve 10 The liner I obeyed and tbo Ifonill and the Associated Press dispatch boat started on n neck and neck race for the bill prize In the meantime a boat from the nnapolls bad boarded 1 a e d Ihe Frenchman all tbe 9 trnnger I wov d 10 he On Ijoard the liner a ofo cieltedOn crowd of xrlted passengers pressed anxlolloly about the vessels side Up from the south the wicked gray hulk of the Wllmlnton with her men a 1 quart en and the delicately lined Newport New-port were coming up rapidly A moment or so later the three warships war-ships lay by until the boat from the Annapolis started back from the liner to the gunboat Then suddenly to the astonishment of all on board the worships tbd Frenchman blew aUone querulous whistle and put on full team ahead painting straight 10 thel entrance of Havana harbor A sharp word of command rang out on board the Annapolis and In less I time than It I takes to pencil those words her crews were at quarter and the muzzle of every gun of he starboard broadside was pointing In I deadly earnest straight at the runaway run-away The big after gun roared forth a hoarse order from over her starboard quarter while the crews of the other guns looked up anxiously eager 10 follow suit But the warning note had Its effect The big liner again stopped her en gloves and put them going Btom < while columns of steam poured from her escape pipes telling of the high I pressure below pleading for release IdThe Wilmington and the Morrill had already started across the Lafayetter path but their services were not necessary for the Frenchman no Ion ger dared to make a run fordt There was a long spell of wlgwigglns I between the Annapolis and the Wilmington Wil-mington In the dusk of the evening the sun dropping behind the horizon and the nlghl failing over the scene like a drop curtain for there Is no twilight twi-light In these latitudes Later elec trie signals succeeded the flag signals and there was a nervous Period l of rig Clog and blinking Wind and white question and anewtn The olgnalllng continued for almost an hour while the purzled dispatch boats guttered In the moonlight aticinot rolling thrlr boilers out In the north east swell as they Impatiently awaited the solution of the signal consultation At 7U the Annapolis and the Wilmington Wil-mington lowered boats and the officers boarded the Frenchman The ex amlnallon of the liner war soon over and after the boats had returned to their respective ships a prize crew from the Wllmlngtol wan put on board the Lafayette and at 815 last night the big Frenchman irja hcadd north and was escorted tq Key West under the guns of the Wilmington The prize anchored here this morning and the prize court will probably determine what Is I to be done with her Knslgn H II iTlcgomelr of the An napolls who was In charge of the prize crew on board the Lafayette says the laUer commander denlea that he bas Spanish soldiers on board The French commander however admits that he left Corunna on April 23rd after the declaration of war and that he took on board many male pasesngers He feigns Ignorance of the nature of his ships cargo and sayshe will be unable ton to-n what she has on board until he examines her manifest The navy department at Washington has been communicated with and In structlons as to the disposition of the Trench steamer are eagerly awaited = The officers of the Lafayette pretend to be very Indignant and declare the detention of the steamer will become an International episode |