The herald., 1897-01-07
PROCEEDINGS N
SENATE IND HOUSE
Senator Call Speaks on
Cuban Affairs
CASES OF IMPRISONED AMERICANS
Graphically Portrayed by Trust.
worthy Citizens
GREAT INTEREST IS EXCITED
But the Cuban Resolutions Will Not Be
Pressed
Long Debate on Free HON steads Produces
No Result
The House After Two DaYS Dehate ana
GREAT INTEREST is EXCITED
But the Cuban Resolutions Will Not Be
Pressed
Long Debate on Free HON steads Produces
No Result
The House. After Two Days Debate ana
Bitter Opposition, Passes the Loud
Bill to Amend United States
Postal Laws.
Associated Press Special Wire

AssOCldteu fress special wire
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-The Speech
of Senator Call of Florida on Cuba today
served as a medium of communicating
to the public a letter giving a graphic
description Of the Cabanas fortress at
Havana and the surroundings of the
American citizens imprisoned there.
The circumstances surrounding the let
ter attracted marked interest to it, az
Mr.. Call said 1t came from public man
of high standing in the United States,
who would shortly occupy place in the
legislative branch of the government.
The letter dealt with the immediate
present and described a visit made by
the writer and Gen. Lee to Cabanas
fortress only seven days ago. viz, on the
morning of December 30. 1t told of the
pitiful condition of the prisoners, some
of them Americans, including Julio San
gully and young man who was the
companion of Charles Gown, the Amer
lean newspaper correspondent killed
in Cuba The recital of these prisoners
was in full. The writer gave the partie-
uiars Of another arrest. he said that
while at Gen. Lees office or the Monday
previous December 2S) he saw a son OF
DR.. Betancourt, an American citizen,
who had been practicing dentistry in
Havana for the last year. The son. also
an American citizen, stated that his
father had mysteriously disappeared on
Saturday night. He was traced to the
Cabanas fortress, where the son, on pay
ing so cents to Spanish official, was al
lowed to send in fooN, and later, on pay
ing $1.5O to the official, was allowed to
send a cot to his father. Mr.. Call re-
ferred also to letters received from the
wife of one of the sailors of the ship
Competitor, now imprisoned in Havana.
During the day the senate passed
house bills amending the law relating to
timber culture and authorizing breveto
to acting or retired officers of the army
or navy.
The joint resolution requesting the
British government to pardon Mrs. May
brick vas indefinitely postponed. The
bill exempting settlers on public lands
from paying the original government
price fixed on lands was debated. Mr..
Pettigrew of South Dakota and Mr.. Car
ter of Montana spoke in Its favor. but
the final vote was not reached.
Less than q score of senators were In
the senate chamber when the session
convened. Senator Hale of Maine Sc
cured the adoption of resolution direct
ing the secretary of state to send to the
senate a statement as to the action OF
the president or secretary of state touch.
ing the recognition of any foreign people
or power as an independent governments
and corresponding action by other
branches of the United States govern
ment.
Senator Pettigrew of South Dakota
secured an agreement to a resolution
calling on the secretary of the interior
for a statement of the amount Of subsi-
dies paid by the Union and.Central Pa
cific railroads to the Pacific Mail steam
ship line.
Ser ator Call Of Florida spoke on his
Cuban resolutions introduced yesterday
concerning the condemnation of Julie
Sanguilly at Havana. Call said the re.
port from the state department as to
the killing of Charles Gown omitted
many important features which would
have disclosed that Consul General Lee
believed GOWN to have been tied to Q
tree and chopped to pieces. To show the
facts Call read letter from gentleman
in Havana whose name was withheld.
1t gave graphic description of q trip
to Cabanas fortress at Havana. in COM
pany with Consul General Lee. Access
to the fortress was secured with difficult
ty. it being open to outsiders only on
Wednesdays and then after twenty-fouY
hours notice. The writer said he and
General Lee were escorted within the
prison, where eight or ten persons, some
OF them Americans, were brought out
In circle about them were arranged
500 Spanish soldiers. heavily armed. One
of the prisoners was a man who had
been with Charles Gown at the time Of
his capture. The prisoner stated that
the Spaniards tied him and Gown to-
gether. GOWN attempted to show hts
United States citizenship papers and his
credentials as an American newspaper
correspondent, but the Spanish COM
mander struck them from his hand and
turned Gown over to the cavalry, while
the other prisoner was sent to the Ca
ban&s fortress.
The writer stated also that from other
reliable sources it was established that
Gown subsequently had been tied to q
tree and chopped to pieces.
Julio Sanguilly was another of the
prisoners seen during this visit to the
fortress The writer described him as
ar old man whose hair had turned gray
and who appeared to be over so years
Old Sanguilly told a pathetic story to
the visitors as to the injustice of his tri-
al and conviction and begged that the
United States investigate the case with
a view of stabishng that he was pros
ecuted for what he might have done
and not what he had done. Mr.. Call
again stated that this letter came from
d prominent man of the United States.
q northern man and Republican, who
had been highly honored in this country
and would soon return to high public