The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-12-02
WILLIAMS RESIGNATION
Why Consul General Lees Prede-
Cessor Left Havana,
THE SPANISH WE'RE OFFENSIVE.

They Made His Stay Unpleasant, and He
Would Have Left Earlier but for Presi- |
dent CleveIand's Urgent soIicitation-He /
Tells of Spanish Disregard of Treaties.
NEW YORK, Dec. 2.-Ramon O. Will |
Jams, ex-consul general of the United
States at Havana arrived at his home in
Brooklyn yesterday from n trip through
England, France and Spain He 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 government
toward American citizens, but General
Williams declined to discuss that point
He said that his resignation was given
because his activity in the case of Ameri-
can citizens under arrest made him per-
soma non grata to the Spanish government,
and made his residence in Havana un-
pleasant. The particular episode in which
Mr.. Williams incurred the dislike of Spain,
he says, was his insistence that Sanguilly,
Aguirre and GARLIC, who were arrested
martialed, should be tried in the civil
courts under article of the treaty of 1795
Mr. Williams said:
Both the captain general and the In
sular secretary of state were entirely ig-
norant of the existence of article Z. The
captain general became offended because l
! demanded the transfer from military to
civil jurisdiction, and the case was re-
ported in such a manner to the Madrid
government as to almost provoke the re-
vocation of my exequator.
Il was guided in this by n recollection
of similar cases which had come under my
notice in Cuba. 1 was a young man EN-
plOyed as clerk in Havana in 1851 wher
the Crittenden men were shot, regardless
of the treaty of 1895 l was merchant II
Havana when the Virginius men were
shot in 1873, an almost similar case.
Again, while was there, Heccanea, an
American citizen, who had gone, repre-
senting certain Spanish elements, to ne
gotiate terms of peace with the insurgent
in the eastern department dt ing the las
insurrection in 1873. was arrested by the
Spanish forces, tried by court martial
condemned to death and shot in the for
at Cabanas, where Sanguilly and the Com
petitor prisoners are now held, regardles
of the safeguards of the treaty of 1875 an'
the safe conduct given to him by tn
Spanish minister at Washington Th
recollection Of these cases animated me T.
make quick and earnest defense of thes
men, and it was this action on my par
that gave offense to the Spanish authori
ties at Cuba.
Il was then in Washington. Acting o.
the rule that no man of self respect woul
lswant to return or to enter any plac
swhere he believes he is not welcome, l re
= solved not to continue longer in the pos
tion of consul general, and signified m
desire to resign. The circumstances, how
ever, were of such u character that l wen
back to Havana, resumed charge Of tn
office and continued the defense of SaI
gully until the case was transferred to til
civil courts.
"A few weeks before this the case of n
5, American citizen, Jose Zepro, who ha
e been arrested and subjected to coul
81 martial, and several other American cit
,d zens had been treated the same way, an
d. in consequence was not able to presel
I'd my resignation in due form until Febrl
ary, 1896. "
Mr.. Williams said that he returned
IN Havana only on the urgent solicitation
q President Cleveland himself, and adde
O. that Secretary Gresham's subsequent il
n ness and death occurred too soon to adm
or of his personally explaining to the seer
III tary his views on the matter,