The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-02
PERSONA non GRATA
WHY MR.WiLLIAMS RESIGNED
HIS OFFICE.

New York, Dec. 1.-Consul General
Williams consented TO talk for the first
time concerning the circumstances of his
resignation from Office last year, which
was surrounded by some mystery, and
the reasons for which have not before
been made public.
There was talk at the time that Mr.
Williams and Secretary of State Gresham
differed regarding the policy of this Gov
eminent toward American citizens, but
General Williams declined to discuss that
point He said that his resignation was
given because of his activity in the cases
of American citizens under arrest made
him persona non grata to the Spanish
government and made his residence in
Havana unpleasant.
The particular episode in which Mr..
Williams incurred the dislike of Spain,
he says, was his insistence that San
gully, Aguirre and GARLIC, who were
arrested Februery 24, 1898, as insurgents
and courtmartialed, should be tried in
the civil courts under article Z of the
treaty of 1875.
Mr.. Williams said:
both the captain-general and the in
sular secretary of state were entirely liz.
norant of the existence of article T. The
captain general became offended because
demanded the transfer from military
to civil jurisdiction and the case was re-
ported in snch Il manner to the Madrid
government rs TO almost provoke the re-
vocation of my eXequator.
81 was guided in this by IL recollection
of similar cases which had come under
my notice i'll Cuba. | was IL young man
employed rs clerk in Havana in 1851
when the Crittenden men were shot re.
gardlcss of the treaty Of 1915. | was n
merchant in Havana when the Virgnius
men were shot in | S73, an almost similar
case.
again, while | was there, Zeccanea.
an ltalan-American citizen who had been
representing certain Spanish elements to
negotiate terms of peace with the insur-
gents III the eastern department, during
the last Instruction in 1878 and who was
arrested by the Spanish forces, tried by
court martial, condemned to death and
shot in the fort ut Cabanas where San.
gully and the Competitor prisoners are
now held, regardless of the safeguards of
the treaty of 1895 and the safe conduct
given to him by the Spanish minister ut
Washington. The recollection of these
cases enabled me to make quick and earn.
est defense of these men and it was this
action on my part that gave otIense to
the Spanish authorities ut Cuba.
II was then III Washington. Acting
on the rule that no man of self-respect
would want to return or enter any place
where he believes he is persona non
grata. and therefore not welcome. I re.
solved not to continue longer in the DO
sition of consul general to the islands and
signiied my desire to resign The cir
cumstances. however, were of such IL char
acter that | went back to Havana, re.
sumed charge of the office and continued
the defense of Sanguilly until the case
was transferred to the civil courts.
"A few weeks before this, the case of
the American citizen, Jose Cepro, who had
been arrested and subjected to court
martial, and several other American citi.
zens had been treated the same way and
in consequence, was not able to present
my resignation in due form until Febru-
airy, 1896"
Mr.. Williams said that he returned to
Havana only on the earnest solicitation
of President Cleveland himself and added
that Secretary Gresham subsequent i'll
ness and death occurred too soon to admit
of his personally explaining to the score
tary his views on the matter