Arizona weekly citizen., 1896-09-26
INCORRECT.
Consul General Lee Saws
Weyler Did not Order
His Arrest.
CAN VISIT PRISONERS.
Weyler Fined a Havana Paper
for Using Offensive Language
About Lee.
CAN VISIT PRISONERS.

HAVANA, Sept. 20-(By Central Amer
lean Gable. Associated Press, copyright.
1851 Gen. Fiszhugh Lee, the United
States consul-genersl here, was asked
today by representative of La Lucha
about the widely ly-circulsted report in
some of the American newspapers,
charging Gen. Weyler with having had
notice posted at Las Csbanas directing
that Gen. Lee should be arrested and
detained there if he visited the fortress.
Gen. Lee was also questioned about the
statements frequently made in the
newspapers OF the United States that
he was not permitted to visit prisoners
incsrcerated in the forts near Havans,
and that, therefore, he could not keep
informed as to the health and conditions
OF these prisoners.
Consul General Lee submitted to an
interview which will be published. He
said:
"a few days after my arrival in
Havana, at the invitation Of MY prede-
cessor, MIR. Williams, I accompanied
him on visit TO the Competitor pris-
oners confined at Las Cabanas. Some
days later L heard that it was against
the regulations to allow foreigners to
visit military forts at this time, even
on visitors day, as it is called, and that
the officer commanding at Las Cabanes
had been reprimanded by Gen. Weyler
for allowing me to make the said visit.
The officer IN question offered as an
excuse that his subordinate officers on
duty at the gates did not know me, but
supposed l was one OF the visitors en-
titled to enter the forts On visitors day.
From abundant caution and in order to
prevent any occurrence of that sort in
the future, the commanding officer at
Las Csbanas, / heard, had a notice
posted in one of the guardrooms, direct
ing his officers to arrest and detaln me
If should again attempt to enter the
fort.
once called Gen. Weyler's attention to
it, and he very promptly had it removed,
L am informed that he rsprimanded the
officer who had posted it.
"As to the statements that / am not
allowed to see the American prisoners,
and that the prohibition does not apply
to the consuls of other countries, / de-
sire to say that all such statements are
incorrect. L, or my representative can
see any or all the American prisoners at
any time that it is desirable to do 90 by
simply sending notice to the command
ing officer OF the fort on the evening be-
fore. This being done, the officer il
required by Gen. Weyler to have the
prisoners named at certain point where
they can be seen and talked with, alone
If necessary. Only a morning or two
ago one OF my representatives went over
to Las Cabanas and saw and conversed
with all the Competitor prisoners, dis
tributing among them lot of money
which had been sent to me for their use,
as we'll as large bundle of American
81 think it but justice to Gen. Weylsr
to state these facts, and to add further
that / know of no instance of which he
has made any discrimination against the
of the United States, who
is now and has been in the exercise of
all the rights of consuls of other coun-
tries. Why, Gen. Weyler has lined .
Havana newspaper for using offensive
language about the American consul
general"