From 1878 until 1895, when the present insurrection gained strength to become openly active, the island is supposed to have been at peace, but in the latter year the open war and filibustering expeditions began again.  The name of President Cleveland was added to the list of Presidents whose duty it was to interfere with efforts to aid Cuban liberty.  He issued appropriate proclamations on June 12, 1895, and July 30, 1896.  Revenue cutters and warships constantly patrolled the Florida coast and, indeed, all the waters of the gulf, and sometimes New York harbor, to head off filibustering expeditions.  It is said to have cost more to suppress the natural desire of citizens of the United States to relieve the political distress in Cuba than it has cost to enforce customs regulations from the same territory.

The voyage of the “Three friends.”

As evidence of the fact that Cuban sympathizers have been successful in escaping the patrol on American coasts and the enemy’s battleships in Cuban waters, we give the report of one of many expeditions that have been made during the past three years.

The steamer “Three Friends,” of Jacksonville, Florida, in command of Captain Napoleon B. Broward, returned to Jacksonville on March 18th, having succeeded in landing in Cuba, General Enrique Collazo, Major Charles Hernandez, and Duke Estrada, besides fifty-four men taken off the schooner “Ardell” from Tampa, and the entire cargo of arms and ammunition of the schooner “Mallory” from Cedar Key.  It was by long odds the most important expedition that has set out from this country, and the Cubans at Jacksonville, when they learned that the “Three Friends” had safely fulfilled her mission, shouted “Viva Cuba!” until they were hoarse.

They declared that it would change the character of the whole war, as the unarmed men would now be armed, and that Maceo, who had before been wary and cautious, would be more aggressive than he had ever been before.  The cargo of arms landed by the “Three Friends” and the “Mallory” was as follows:  750,000 rounds of cartridges, 1,200 rifles, 2,100 machetes, 400 revolvers, besides stores, reloading tools, etc.

The “Three Friends” met the “Mallory” at Alligator Key.  The “Ardell” had just finished transferring the men to her.  While they were rendezvoused there behind the pines in a deep coral-walled creek, three big Spanish men-of-war steamed slowly by, but they did not discover that there was anything suspicious looking in shore, although with a glass men could be seen in their look-outs scanning the horizon, as well as searching the shore.  Sunday, about noon, no vessels being in sight, the “Three Friends” took in tow the “Mallory” and steamed southward under a good head of steam.

The “Three Friends” is a powerful tug, and by Monday night was close enough to the Cuban shore to hear the breakers.  Several shiplights to the west were seen, one of which was evidently a Spanish man-of-war, for she had a search-light at her bow, and was sweeping the waves with it, but the “Three Friends” was a long way off, and had no light, and so was out of the neighborhood of the Spaniard.