Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-06-10
SPY CARRANZA'S LETTER.
How the Famous Letter Was Obtained
in Montreal.

tenn has sustained a serious blow as
the result of the seizure by Secret
Service agents of the United States
of the famous Carranza letter.
Now that the letter has been made
public, the officials do not hesitate to
tell as to the manner in which it was
obtained.
Every day since the arrival of Du
Bose and Carranza in Montreal, Sc
,cret Service agents have been in their
home, either on the pretense of ex-
,amining the gas meter, attending to
the sewerage or inspecting the water
pipe.
One of these men saw CarranZa
writing on May %, a letter which he
surmised might contain highly in
,teresting information.
He reported his discovery to Chief
Wilkie, who instructed another agent
to call at the house the next morn
ing, and that officer, accompanied by
a companion, and a woman, was adj
mitted soon after eight o'clock and
examined the house with a view to
renting it. Lieutenant Carranza was
at breakfast at the time.
When inspecting the bedroom the
American officer discovered a sealed
envelope lying on the dresser. He
slipped it into his pocket and left the
house, mailing the communication to
a fellow detective, who forwarded it
to Washington.
On the outside of the envelope
were three Canadian stamps two
three-cent and one two-cent stamps.
The letter was written in a fine hand,
on paper bearing the seal of the
former legation in Washington, and
was addressed to Senior Gomez, APP
parently Carranza's uncle.
This is the text Of Lieutenant Car
ranza's letter, as officially made pub
lie here to-day:
Montreal, Goth of May, 1898,
Topper Street, ~.
"To His EXcellency Senior Don Jose
/ Gomez Imay:
+ "My Dear Don Jose:
at was my belief that they would
have appointed you to command the
Cadiz fleet, and it was my intention
to have sent you a telegram asking
that you take me with you to meet
you in the Antilles, or wherever you
might say.
THE election of Senior Camara, l
fear, will be fatal, although he may
have a good chief of staff. No one
could possibly suit him, because he is
very capricious, and, besides, is not
hard worker; on the contrary, he is
lazy and would pay no attention to
the advice of any one.
Il have been left mere to receive
and send kilograms and to look after
the spy service which | have organic
ed or, | had better say, am establish
ing here, because until very little
while ago l was not permitted to do
as | pleased.
I'VE have had bad luck because
they have captured our two best spies,
one in Washington. who hanged him
self-or else they did it for him-and
the other day before yesterday in
Tampa.
The Americans are showing the
most extraordinary vigilance.
Il am very much afraid lest they
attack Porto Rico by sea and land
and put off the attack on Havana.
They are not going to do more than
try to take the latter, and they think
then, if they destroy our meet, of tax
ing the war into Spain, with Havana
already in their power. They have no
confidence in tneir army, but they
have in their navy, and they are
afraid of our army and of yellow few
err, because if the men should begin
to die in Cuba there would be a ire
mendOus row, as they are not like our
people.
IF the Cadiz squadron is to come
to lombard Boston, Portland and
Long Island they can do it now, but
after a few months 1t will be too late.
Il think if we are to nave any sue
cess in this matter it will be through
treating for peace by yielding Cuba
and having them recognize the debt.
If we do not do this soon it will be
too late, and we shall lose Cuba and
Porto Rico and ali that This war has
cost u.s. and, in addition, we shall be
charged with the Cuban debt, for
which our treasury is responsible.
There is no doubt here that we can
not continue this war; in which we
have nothing to gain and may lose our
three colonies and be ruined for fifty
years.
In the matter of money, there is
no patriotism here. Proof is given by
the bank, which ought to have bought
gold. although at "A premium of one
hundred per cent, and issued notes
against it in the same or n slightly
,, greater quantity. With one hundred
|, and fifty millions it has made thirteen
, hunded million.
i This is the moment of the year at
; which, instead of returning twenty