The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-12
Captain General Ceballos and the
Herald-O'Kclly's Report Anxiousiy



correspondent, which we publish elsewhere,
settles, we should imagine, the question OF
Mr.. O'Kelly's safety when he returns from
| the Cuban Insurgents lines The main facts
| of the decision of the Captain General
reached US some days ago by cable,
but we are for the first time made
acquainted with the grounds on which
| Ceballos reconsidered his first threat
| to have the HERALD Commissioner shot as q
spy He finally consented to limit his disap-
probation to Mr.. O'Kelly's expulsion from the
island on the understanding that his report
should be truthful and impartial The Gap
tain General is to be congratulated on taking
a common-sense view of the matter, in spite
of all the false light which certain infuriate
Spaniards have thrown upon it. The insensate
calls for the blood of a journalist whose only
offence Is in seeking the truth had no doubt
o greater effect at first upon the Captain Cen
sral than they were entitled to. 1t is credit
able to his good sense that the brief, but
pointed, explanation of the aim and purpose
of the HERALD Commissioner, made by an
authorized representative of the HERALD,
should have caused him to reject the blood
thirsty appeals and resolve to deal with Mr..
O'Kelly in more honorable spirit.
The position in which the matter stands at
present makes it pleasant duty for us to ex-
tend our warm congratulations to our Special
Commissioner to Cuba for the manly, straight
forward and able manner in which he has con-
Quoted his mission thus far. From the day on
which he set foot on Cuban soil he has had OBJ
stacles and vexations in every form to combat.
He has throughout had but zone heart and one
tongue" for Spaniards as well as Cubans, and
the evidence of his impartiality, to which our
correspondent drew the Captain Generals
attention, could be supplemented by every
syllable he has written on the subject in the
island. When the Captain General saw fit to re-
! fuse our Commissioners salvo conducto through
the Spanish lines we condemned the action as
shortsighted. Our Commissioner replied to
the verbal refusal in q firm and dig
nifed letter, which will remain as
courtesy and sense Of duty which BELTS the
representative Of Independent journalism
who rises to the level of his mission among
governments as well as peoples. The one
| sentiment which breathed through it all was
that necessary, an honorable and, above all,
humane task having been assigned him, he
saw but one course before him-namely, to
| fulfil it or risk even existence in the attempt
To men accustomed to loud Wanting and
paltry performance the calm, impertur-
bable spirit of the HERALD Commissioner
language to so powerful an official as the Cap
tain General did not at once appear in its
proper light. 'It is bombast; it is brow
beating; it is insolence," were some of the
phrases that greeted it among panic-stricken
Spanish journalists. These were supple
mented by the phrase dear to oil doubters-
1--WE shall see." And they have seen The
Captain General saw in the letter sufficient to
warrant him in writing long reply, wherein,
it will be remembered, he gave him liberty
to proceed, but without any saluo conducto
and Eat his own risk" Our Commissioner
had undertaken his mission with an appreci-
alton OF what difficulties might be in his way,
and he accordingly accepted the position
which the Captain General s letter made mani
fest. Equally unmoved by the unexpected
threat Of General Morales at Santiago de Cuba
to have him shot, he gave proof of his
unconquered courage and his calm reliance
upon Providence and an old shot gum by
riding out to seek the rebels through the wild
passes of the mountains. Twice foiled and once
detained as prisoner, he still kept on. At
length he disappeared from Spanish eyes and
| NJ, No., 90 To-, 60 o,I
in the insurgent camp If nothing else were
added to this story it would form series of
chapters worthy of long remembrance; but,
exciting as have been the situations, the breath
less interest which the whole story, down to its
d<nouement on o Kelly return from the rebel
camp, must evoke, will transcend, we doubt
not, what has been already created. Expecta-
ton is ION tiptoe to hear it, and through
the length and breadth of the land and
through all the civilized world his experiences
of Cuban life under its most extraordinary
aspects will be read with avidity and admira-
ton. And all this because he is striking
instance Of the power, the perseverance and
the daring Of the independent press. The cold
nesses, the refusals, the dark hints and the
bloody threats which were intended to scare
him, failed of their object, because he OWNED
their intent. They tried to intimidate him;
but as we said at the time they had mistaken
their man. He has done only what we should
expect Of any of the HERALD staff under the
circumstances, but he has done it remarkably
we'll His achievement belongs to the chivalry
of journalism, and we are proud in pointing
to other dashing feats of the HERALD men, to
say he does not stand alone.
In perusing the interview with the Captain
General it will be observed that he lays great
stress upon his dissatisfaction with the report
of MIR. Henderson, our former Commissioner
! to the island We can admit Of no fenabla