The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-23
TO BLOW UPWEYLER
STORY OF AN EXPLOSION ar ~
PALACE IN HHTdNA.

THO work or y Cuban who Couldn't FIEht
In the Rteia ana wanted to strike n Biow
FOR Eia Country-Thirty Pounds or Dynn.
mite smuGEied from New York In . Trunk.
A year ago last March Havana was startled
by tho noise Of n tremendous explosion, which
shook the entire city and threw the Inhabitants
into a panic. An attempt had been made 10
blow up the Government palace, n part OF tho
western wall being destroyed by dynamite. Tho
affair caused such a crowd to gather in front OF
tho place that the reserves Of tho Orden Pub.
licos had to be called out to keep II In check. and
II looked Cor many hours as though an attack
upon tho palace would DO made. The author OF
the attempt was never caught. lie arrived in
New York about the middle of last week. He 4,
n small man. about five feet three inches tail.
and his dark skin, large black eyes. and heavy
black mustache would cause him to be picked
out as a Cuban wherever he went. To a party
OF friends no told the story the other day. Ills
naino is withheld at his own request.
II am too small and too weak to help nv
country by fighting her enemies in the field. " he
said; land this thought used to drive me mad.
! have two brothers now in the field and my
father fought in the ten years war. 1t seemed
to ine that ! was called upon to help my country
in some manner. and with that object | came 10
this city. Once here I offered my services 10
the Junta. then at 60 Broadway. I was told
tnnJ tnelT ONCE was already ONpItrOwleu and
that for tho present / could not help the cause in
any way. ! gave UP the idea OF doing any work
for Cuba Libre, and decided TO leave for Europe.
One night. n few days prcvioust to the day of sail.
ing. a party of friends dincd with mo at my
hotel. or course. every one present being a
Gen. Weyler was mentioned. and many were tho
stories Of his abominable cruelty. Ii was after
an unusually revolving. tale of one of Weyler's
acts that one OF my friends asked Inc how the
lower c class y. Of pe spa managed ma IS to live in Havana.
able In borrow or StcAl.' | answered Name Az,
of want every week. and those who have tho
courage join their countrymen in the field.
that none of these poor fellows has had pinct;
enough to kill Weylcr. II caught he would DO
Killed, Of course; yet they go to war where the
Nothing more was said on the subject. and
s Sowe a,.er ,n we sep pun Inc conversation had.
.%hy sou %Gas i II Kill iiin &syieP WEN VEN a %g dm+.Pafi
blow his palace up with, dynamite I ! thought. 1
the explosive and return 10 Havana without any
one Knowing anything about IL. Here at last
A that night I planned my. campaign, and
at the break Of day was up and dressing. My
act. AT first I attempted to obi ain dynamite in
this city. MY idea was to purchase 200 pounds
trunk to Cuba. l thought this plan over and
decided that 1t would br too heavy n load for an
ordinary individual to conceal in his trunk. and
SO called OH several chemists in this city and
asked them what amount OF damage 200 pounds
Of dynamite would do. gave as an explana-
w " Iby qutSlloh tudt L l1ItIltu 10 use III In
blowing up some rocks that interfered with the
co %T wns toIa t S5 f s}qftld nnsn on w my PlbSin ntS
building Mas ike ike the hnsi POST osts o s2anf in T this c R'Sw Xxi
etatemcnt somsThat surprised me, ana as the
SGxer as ;he Post ps, ofice IN / d haxann d to mot pu 9sbf 80
thirty pounds. which / easily obtained in this
CITY,, then had a false bottom made in my
a yard Of fuse, the latter being heavily coated
with sulphur. Thus supplied I engaged passage
On q WaEd steamer, and two days later left
-Four days later we anchored in the bay Of
large hasen TRANSPORT tpe nf had rMds duW With " ovsr a thou.
were putting around her taking off the Span.
able as l thought Of what my end would be
should the Custom House authorities discover
as with their customary fear, of overworking
themselves the authorities barely ran their
idea was to hire a small ' shop on {obispo street Ms
underneath which knew the drain pipes of the
t Rs1'S veil P{afss noxn This IN tS Plae CITY, ! g and mp mp rs ss / was
shop would have awakened suspicious.
NJ then began to- call at the palace daily; Al:
place tho bomb. 1 finally decided to use a small
room on the ground floor which was sure was
Weyler was accustomed to use. Eleven o'clock
was the hour when every one took breakfast.
accordingly decided to explode the dynamite at
THE following day I went to the palace.
which / had concealed the dynamite and the
fuse. had used 2 long. cylindrical;shaped can
and running the fuse through a small opening
at the head Of the can As I expected. tho
let me pass him unchallenged and I walked
as though about to see some one on
official business. I waited a few minutes at the
possible down the stairs and managed to enter
there my work was nearly done.
Il placed the bomb in a corner and proceeded
to strike a match. My hand shook so that I
delay would be fatal to all my plans, yet could
not control myself. and seemed to have lost all
to light a match and touch of the fuse. Then
rushed out of the room. across the hall. and
straight for q small door. which I thought wa:
I rushed right into the guard room. II was
full of soldiers and non-commissioned officers.
and had but one thought In my head 10 get
out Of the building; and here I was in a room
full Of men. who would surely arrest and hold me,
"Imenaged to stammer something in reply.
swer l. or Else :. n iii iS SSa y eru np. IDIOT ne an.
!" ! did not walt to be told twice. and managed
time = me to ore reach ,ct, the street all right; ! jum po
ONCE. Hardly had we gone a block when the
explosion took place. y sounded as though
my coachman so that he jumped OF
The box and rushed down the street crying out
t6 nse tine PeSe rs t TsrG p Slomi1 a. .rmos where e..
pected, to find a mass of ruins. What my dismay
was when ] saw that only part Of the wcst, wal!
my life in an attempt that had failed,
. ! never have had courage 10 try il again, and
I / don't ion think i lea can now be done; The b, yisilsnGo
such materials"