VIRGIN I US AFFAIR, THE

an inciCuban insurrection ary war dent of the in 1873 that brought against Spain States and that country the United flying brink of war. A_ ve el ‘on the flag, the Virgin tus, com the American Captain Joseph Fry, an manded by captain, 36 of his crew and 16 pa engers were summarily shot on charges of piracy. Hight of the victims were Amer. citizens. More executions were pre= vented by the timely arrival of the Brit. sloop Niobe, whose commander forced the Spanish general to reprieve the rest of the prisoners. The affair caused a tense crisis between the United States and Spain, especially as the shootings took place after the American government had remonstrated with Spain and demanded the release of the Virgin i us and all on board. Spain afterwards surrendered the ve el and its surviving crew and pa engers, and it was shown a it had no right to fly the American ag.