Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-16
WEYLER DENIES THE PLOT
Spanish General Declares His Opponent
Was Not Assassinated,
MACEo WAS NOT SHOT FROM AMBUSH
Insists that the Cuban Leader Died
in u Hopeless Attempt 40 Escape
After His Men Had
Disbanded.

NEW YORK, Dee. 15.-The World this
morning prints the following signed state
ment from General Weyler in regard to the
alleged assassination of Antonio Maceo;
ITO the Editor Of the New York World:
Maceo died as result of the feeble state in
which were the insurgent bands at Havana.
Doubtless, before the sudden attacks and
constant persecution of the battalion OF San
Quintin, they were losing ground. To re-
organize those bands he put himself at their
head, and for this he died, with part of the
staff accompanying him. In the same man
ner have died many generals In all the wars
over the world.
"Maceo was not killed in an ambush. My
assertion can be proved by the fact that
the Spanish column which fought against
his forces had to maintain itself against the
fire of the insurgents. and the insurgents
were strong enough in number to retake the
bodies OF Maceo and the son of Maxine
Gomez. which were carried away from the
field.
"Maceo was surrounded by his own men,
who embarked with him and passed the
trocha, it is affirmed by his own physician,
DR.. Zetucha. 1t is not true that Maceo was
coming for any conference with me.
can prove it with two reasons. The first is
that If were in the province of Pinar del
Rio, how could summon him to the province
of Havana? The second is, that knowing
myself the situation in which Maceo was in
Pinar del Rio, knowing that his situation
was desperate that he asked help from the
rebel forces in the other parts OF the island,
| would not be so innocent as to agree to a
conference with him in place where he
would be out OF the trocha. Once in Ha-
vana he would have solved the problem of
breaking the circle in which / had him and
his forces in Pindr del Rio. Maceo died
as fell all who command forces who at the
sight of the enemy fly away.
'ThlS discouraged band he brought to
Havana with the hope of making it fight.
Any chief, in similar circumstances If his
men disbanded would be sure to die. And
that is what happened to Maceo.
"WEYLER."
WASHINGTON Dec. 15-The following
dispatch from the Spanish minister of for
eign affairs in regard to the death of Cen
eral Maceo, received at the legation, was
made public by Minister de LONE:
MADRID, Dec. 15-Spanish Minister,
Washington: Maceo,s death took place in
loyal fight at Punta Bravo and was caused
by our, soldiers bullets. This is proved
by the letter written by the son of Gomez,
in which he states that he killed himself in
order not TO abandon the body OF the gen.
eral The handwriting of the letter has
been verified and also details of The fight,
time and circumstances when NIlceo and
the son of Gomez were wounded All these
details have been published in europe by
teIegrams from Spanish ana foreign cOrrc-
spondents. TETUAN.
HAVANA, Dec 15.-The second trial of
the crew of the American schooner Com
petitor captured on April 20 last by a
Spanish gunboat, while apparently landing
a filibustering expedition on the coast of
Cuba, is still in its preliminary stages,
and consequently, according to Spanish law,
the proceedings are yet private. 1t is ex-
pected that the proceedings will shortly
pass into open court.