Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-17
BR|CHT-EYED AND BRAVE
She Saw the Spanish Mercena-
ry's Dastardly Trick
PLUCKED HIM BY THE SLEEVE
She and Consul General Lee Told the Story to
Weyler.
BUT 1T WAS TO LITTLE AVAIL
An Instance of Despicable Methods in Cuba.
Gomez Said to Be Coming With Fire
and Sword-A Monetary
Crisis.

Key West, Fla, Sept. 1.-THE an
nouncement that the wholesale arrests
of prominent citizens made Sunday last
was simply a government plot to remove
what it believes are obnoxious persons,
has been fully confirmed, at least in the
case of Alfredo Huguet, the American
citizen arrested. When the police over
ran his house in search of discriminating
paper his daughter saw one of the men
introducing suspicious document
amongst his papers, and seizing him by
the arm strongly protested against the
infamous act he was committing but 1t
was OF no avail, for they carried that
document as convincing proof of his guilt
she then went to see Consul Lee and told
him her tale, and when the consul asked
her If she had the courage to lay the facts
pefore General Weyler she unhesitatng-
ly assented. 1t Is understood both went
to see the general, and that he refused
to listen to her on the ground that he was
not the judge that had to decide the case,
and that she should give her testimony
to the judge who Is Investigating these
matters.
The military operations are practically
on standstill. No fighting is reported
on either side. 1t is reported the rebels
are making strong concentration of
FORCES all around the country, presum-
ably obeying Gomezs orders for the COM
ing campaign, which, 1t is said, will-be
tremendous. All sorts of wild rumors
are afioat as to his future intentions
Some believe he will come with fire and
sword, laying everything waste in his
track, destroying all the sugar estates
FARMS villages and towns he meets on
his way; others that he will simply come
and make big fight in this province
The real truth cannot be ascertained
FOR Gomez is too wise a man to let every
If. H.
presumption Is that he will reinvade the
central provinces with large force very
soon and come into this section to do
general lighting, and as it appears he has
considerable war material at his disposal
exciting times are expected.
The money question is the all-absorbing
topic of the hour. Ever since General
Weyler issued his famous decree order
ing the Spanish banks paper money to
be accepted al par with gold 1t was fore
seen that serious complications would
arise, because not having the govern
ments proper guarantee 1t could not be
accepted as circulating medium. The
government is doing all in it's power to
sustain the value Of the paper, threaten
ing with sever penalties all who refuse to
accept 1t on the same basis with gold.
The Spanish bank, with the assistance
OF the government in order to uphold
its paper, announced its willingness to
accept it in payment of drafts on Spain,
but when one of the local bankers-as q
test case-solicited from the bank draft
on Spain for $4,000 the bank refused,
on the ground that it could not furnish
bills to bankers who did not admit its
paper in payment of their exchanges. BY
repudiating its own paper the bank has
initia ted a crisis in financial circles,
which has upset the money market, and
there is every reason to believe will end
in commercial panic. Many efforts are
being made to avert disaster by inducing
General Weyler to allow the quotation
on exchange of the paper currency, that
everybody should know its exact intrin-
sic value, but it seems Weyler stands
firm on his decree, and does not allow
the least variation of his orders. The re-
suit Is that ever since then the stock and
gold exchanges have not done any opera
tions, and all quotations are considered
nominal.
On the other hand, all the bankers, in
order to evade the penalties of Weyler's
decree by refusing the acceptance of pa
per in payment of drafts, have decided to
close their exchange departments, alleg-
ing that they have no funds abroad to
check against-except when they are Of
fered gold in payment, when the draft is
furnished. The governor of the Spanish
bank called a meeting of all the bankers
three days ago to see how the financial
difficulty could be solved, but no definite
agreement was reached and the situa-
ton continues the same. AS a natural
consequence of this state of affairs the
expectation of gold and silver Is being
carried on to a great extent, all the out
going steamers carrying considerable
quantities of the precious metals to Spain
and the United States, this being at
tributed to the great distfust existing
among the wealthy classes regarding
future prospects, which certainly are not
hrip