The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-09

1t has already been officially announced
about six times that Antonio Maceo has
been killed, and there have been rumors
innumerable to the same effect. Hereto
fore it has been the custom of the Span
ish officials in Havana to announce the
death of Maceo whenever defeated the
Spaniards either in strategy or open battle.
No recent reports have been received OF
the death of the Cuban leader, and it is
conjectured that the American correspond
ents in Havana, knowing the ways of
Spanish officials, placed so little credence
in the report that they have not mention
ed it in their dispatches The report that
Maceo has crossed the trocha and is NOV
ing westward to join the forces of Gomez
may have prompted the Spanish officials
to circulate the statement that he was dead
in order to @tlm the excitement certain to
be caused by the knowledge that the Gu
ban leader had again outwitted Capt. Gen.
Weyler.
New York, Dec. S.-Six children, named
Velves, arrived from Havana this morn
ing by the steamer Orizaba They were
sent here by the Cuban insurgents. Three
are boys and three are girls. Their ages
range from to 10 years. They were met
by an aged Brooklyn couple who are rela-
tives. The father of the children, plant
er, resided near Nuentas Cuba. On Nov.
II he was arrested as a spy, and after a
| short trial condemned to death. The Span
ish officers agreed to permit Mrs. Velves
to witness the execution While she was
on her way to the military camp the Span
sh soldiers hurried him off. When she
arrived at the scene of the execution and
saw the lifeless body of her husband, she
swooned. The Spanish soldiers let her
| lie where she fell for several hours before
n a nv
died shortly after. The insurgents heard
| the story, sought out the children and
| sent them here.
That portion of President Cleveland's S
message referring to the losses of Amer
leans on the island of Cuba, owing to the
war; was confirmed to-day when the
| steamship Orizaba arrived at her dock.
Among her passengers was Frank Nc
| Minney, an authority on engineering
| and machinery. He went to Cuba twen-
| ty-five years ago. His investments were
successful and before the present war
broke out he had large business interests
| throughout the island. To-day he is
ruined. Everything he possessed has been
| swept away, and he has been compelled
to return here to begin life over again.
Business in Havana, the passengers on
| the Orizaba said, was at a standstill.
Judge Benedict in the criminal branch of
| the United States circuit court to-day di-
rected that at the opening of the Decem-
| ber term tomorrow the names of John d.
Hart, Edward Murphy, John ]. O'Brien,
| Capt Charles B. Dickman, Col. Emilio
! Nunez and Gen. Carlos Roloff, accused of
| having been concerned in Cuban filibuster-
ing expeditions, be called. Should the de-
! PENDANTS fail to appear their bail will prob
| ably be declared forfeited There is a
| belief that Gen Roiof will not answer to
| his name, it being intimated that he landed
in Cuba with an expedition few days
| since.
Senior Tomas Estrada Palma, delegate
of the Cuban republic in the United States,
gave out a statement to-day regarding the
reference by President Cleveland to Cuba
| in his annual message to congress. Senior
Palma, in his statement, says 81 think
| that the message, generally speaking, is in
a great measure very Oppressive to Spain
| as an Independent nation. The message
| acknowledges the grievances which have
| led to the present revolt of the Cubans
against the authority of SPAIN 1t supports
| the Cubans in their distrust of any promise
whatsoever that the Spanish government
| can make to them, and pledges the guar
| anty of the United States as a security for
| any agreement which Spain may enter
upon with Cuba. President Cleveland
finally declares without hesitation, that
the patience of the United States in wait
| ing for Spain to end the contest has a
| limit; that the obligations to the sovereign
/ ty of Spain will be superseded by
higher obligations, and that con-
siderations of humanity and desire to
| see a rich and fertile country, intimately
| related to the United States, saved from
| complete devastation, will subserve the in
| terests thus involved and at the same time
| promise to Cuba and its inhabitants an
opportunity to enjoy the blessings of peace
| "As to the inference contained in the
| message that the Cuban government has
now given up all attempts to exercise it's
| functions, l shall only mention the fact
| to prove the contrary that Immediately
| after the capture of Guaimaro by Gen.
Calixto Garcia, President Cisneros and his
! cabinet proceeded to the town and there
| issued and enforced various DEGREES, some
of which related to the treatment of pris-
oners and to further military operations.
| At the time Gen. Gomez, commander-in-
| chief of the army, was only eight miles
| from Guaimaro receiving orders from the
| government and making ready to comply
with them. This fact proves beyond any
doubt that the civil government of the
republic of cuba commands the respect
and obedience of the military authorities
even, as in this case, superceding a vic
torious general in the very moment of his
| triumph
1T remains for me to say some words
/ dDOul AuAoHoiuy WouAu mean
| that the Cuban people will make their
own laws, appoint all of their public Of
| ficers, except the governor general, and
| attend to the local affairs with entire in
! dependence, without of course interfer-
ence by the home government. What then
would be left to Spain, since between her
| and Cuba there is no commercial inter-
course of any kind? Spain is not, and
cannot be a market for Cuban products,
and is, moreover, unable to provide Cuba
| with the articles In need by the latter.
"The natural market for the Cuban pro-
ducts Is the United States, from which in
exchange Cuba buys with great advantage,
flour, provisions, machinery, etc. What,
then, / repeat, is left to Spain but the big
debt incurred by her, without the consent
| and against the will of the Cuban people2
We perfectly understand the autonomy Of
| Canada as a colony of Great Britain. The
two countries are already connected with
each other by the most powerful ties-the
natural interest of a reciprocal commerce,
which is the only thing apt to create and
strengthen friendly relations, good will and
respect among the people OF the world.
ION the other hand, it is idle talking to
speak Of autonomy to the Cuban people