Evening star., 1896-03-23
Keeping Close Watch on the Cubans
in Florida.
HlGH CHARACTER OF TIE LATTER
System Of Contributions to tho
Revolt.
WHY PLANS LEAK OUT
stan Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| TAMPA, Fla, March q. 1895.
| Spanish agents swarm in Tampa. One
meets you when you step from the train.
| another sees your signature on the hotel
| register before the ink is dry, and another
can tell your days itinerary-where you
have been and VINO you have talked with
and the chances are, eventually, what
about-when you go to bed at night One
day several months ago Robert Pinkerton
came over from New York to Washington
| and took yellow car on the Metropolitan
line. He got off at Minister de Lome's res
! idence, away out Connecticut avenue, and
7 an hour later was on his way 10 the depot
| again. In that time there had been
| ranged the details of the most stupendouS
| system Of espionage that one government.
| ever established over the citizens of an
| other. The keenest men in the employ of
| the great Pirkerton agency were chosen
| to watch the various Cubans who were
| at work in the United States in behalf of
their struggling brothers, as we'll as to
! report upon the actions of their Ameri-
| can sympathiZers. The ramifications of
| this service extended all over the eastern
! part of the country. and its most i'm
portant branch was given headquarters in
Tampa.
So. today, the city and its vicinity swarm
| with Pinkertons, representing. apparently
| every class In life. In the garb and with
| the habits and language of cigar makers
| they associate with the Cubans who work
| In the factories at Tampa and Ybor City,
| few miles away, participating IN their
| sports and pleasures, living with them and
| noting every word that may give evidence
! OF the plans and purposes of the revolu-
| tionists in Cuba and in this country. Clad
| in the habiliments of ease and leisure, they
| lounge In the hotels, and frequent the
saloons. eager to hear some enthusiastic
synpathizer with the Cuban cause forget
himself in his cups and tell secrets in a
moment of thoughtless braggadocio.
They are at Fort Myers, Punta Gorda,
| Cedar Keys and more of them are at Key
West and on each of the inhabited Florida
! Keys where it is possible for an expedi-
ton to form or boat to put in for stores
of war there is sure to be one or more
Pinkertons
Vigilance of the PinkertOns.
Tha Cuban leaders here complain that
| every plan they make is known to the
| Spanish authorities before it can be car
| ried into execution. and that no matter
how secretly arms and ammunition may
! be secured or how dexterously boat may
| be loaded VITA them, the news is sure to
| go to Washington. and government inter-
| vention ensues. There are no traitors in
| the Cuban camp to tell about these things.
| The only way they become known is by
! the ceaseless watchfuness of these same
| Pinkertons, whose suspicion never sleeps,
and who jump at conclusions if there is
even a hint of something unusual.
| Then, again, the southern nature is a
confding one, and Cubans display this
! branch of the Latin race. They welcome
sympathy and can be easily won hy the
| appearance Of it. The Pinkertons know
| this and utilize their knowledge to the
| full. Suppose one of them meets Manuel
| who has heard good news and is dying to
| tell it. These detectives are rare students
of human nature and can discern what is
| passing in aDOther's breast sometimes.
Manuel Is asked to drink and deftly led
| to talk of the war. His guard is soon
| broken by the eloQuence of the American
On Cuban's wrongs, and his fierce denunci-
alton of Spanish atrocity. Manuel is won.
| 1t will soon be over, he says. There are
great schemes in progress. Why, many
boxes of arms and cartridges even
grows more loquacious He has heard
| enough to let the liquor he is being piled
| with make him imagine that he knows
everything. Oh, yes, the boat has already
| been secured and will soon sail. Cuba
| libre!
The detective has a clue, and in an hour
score of others are in possession of it.
If Palma, Quesada, and the other brainy
and deliberate men engaged in the Cuban
cause could only place a seal Of silence on
the enthusiastic lips of their compatriots
| the Pinkertons would not be able to give
| Mr.. de LONE and the other Spanish rep
resentatives in this country such valuable
information.
| Character of the Cubans.
I have frequently marveled at the de-
liberate Misrepresentation indulged in by
Minister de LONE about the character of
| the Cuban people, who are now slowly
| but, nevertheless, surely winning their
freedom from lis masters in Spain. They
have been held up as bandits, dsorganized
and undiscipliHed, and held together only
by mutual love for disorder and devasta-
ton. Unless Minister de Lone would have
the intelligent American public believe that
every decent and respectable Cuban has
fled from the island long ago, he has IN
suited it by malgning a good and generous
race, which has all the sympathy and good
wishes of that public. Certainly, people
| must be judged by those of them who go
doubt that the Cubans in Florida and else
where in this country are fit representa-
tives of those at home
What do we find here? Earnest, intelli-
gent, Industrious men. In every old city or
town in Florida are Cubans found among
the best class of citizens, occupying honor
able and important positions in the bLs-
ness and social community.
In Tampa, Ybor City, Jacksonville st.
Augustine there scores of them, highly
respected for their probity and commercial
standing. Then, there is the great army
of workmen in the cigar factories, honest
and energetic, doing their work capably
and intelligently, and all burning with zeal
for the cause in Cuba.
1t is simply inconceivable that all these
men would be giving their ardent and
ceaseess support to a series Of sorties Iy
brigands and bandits, such as the Spanish
now consists of. 1t is insulting to the in
telligence of the American people