Two Cuba Invaders Escape, 13 Jailed

By Dennis Sneigr

Thirteen Castro foes who trained for six months for an alleged raid on Cuba before federal officers arrested them were in jail at Key West tonight.

But two others escaped the 10 raiding border patrolmen.

The officers closed in on the men, clad in Marine battle fatigues, at 2 a.m. yesterday at Marathon, as they gassed and loaded arms aboard a 31-foot cabin cruiser.

Jospeh A. Fortier, supervising customs agent, said his office had known for months about the men training on No Name Key.

“Thus far,” said Fortier, “it had only been training. From the Customs standpoint, such training is not in our jurisdiction but that of the FBI.”

“However, when they start to export arms, that’s where we come in,” he added. “We had them under close surveillance for a couple of nights before knocking them off.”

Officers found 15 rifles, six pistols, ammunition, two cases of plastic explosives, and blood plasma aboard the twin-engine cabin cruiser Sally.

Charged with violating the Neutrality Act and brought before U.S. Commissioner William V. Aubry, on e of the 13 – James A. Lewis, 29, asked:

“Does it matter who violated neutrality, the government or us?”

Albury called the 13, nine of whom are Americans, “just an adventurous group that could get our country into trouble.”

“We have no name and belong to no other anti-Castro faction,” said the leader of the group, Gerald Patrick Hemming, 25, and ex-marine.

Hemming is from Los Angeles and most recently lived at 220 NW 8^th Ave.

Three men identified themselves as Cuban citizens: Ramigio Arce, 43, of 1145 SW 23^rd Ave; Ronald P. Ponce de Leon, 22, Havana; and Eleno O. Alvares, 26, Miami.

With them were a Canadian, William J. Dempsey, 21, of Ontario, and a naturalized American from Finland who gave his name as Edmund Colby, 31.

The Americans were: Lawrence J. Howard Jr., 27, of Pico Rivera, Calif.; Edwin A. Collins, 27; Justin J. Wilson, 26; William Seymour, 25; and Joseph C. Garman, 32, all of 1925 SW 4^th St., and Roy E. Haragraves, 22, of 1870 SW 12^th Street.