The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1898-02-18
De LONE Was Careless.

|
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 14.-The
Press prints today what it asserts to
be the true version of the acquisition
and publication of the letter from Mr.
de LONE to Senior Canalejas. The au-
thority cited for it's authenticity is
"a Cuban of the highest standing in
the councils of his party" who re-
ceives his information from headguar-
ters in New York" The story pro-
ceeds to say:
The letter was not stolen from the
United States mails, but was secured
by an agent of the Cuban junta in the
! postoffice at Havana Don Jose Canal
| ejas, to whom the letter was ad-
| dressed, never saw the original. He
| did not know until eight days after
| the letter reached Havana that such a
letter from Spains representative at
Washington had been written him.
'De Lone wrote the letter in his
private residence at Washington, in
stead of at the Spanish legation The
paper, however. was marked with the
official type and read in the corner
Legation Espana.' The same inscrip-
ton was upon the left hand upper
corner of the envelope.
''Senor de LONE did not mail the
letter from his house. In fact he had
not quite completed it upon the morn
ing it was written, and carried it to
the legation, where it was first seen
and noticed by a person who is in the
employ of the embassy, acting in
sub-official capacity The letter lay
on the desk of the minister in his in
ner office, the outer Office being his
place of reception to visitors. During
an absence of half an hour from the
inner Office of De LONE the clerk in
question saw the open letter and read
some of it,
The next day this same person sent
word to his Cuban associates in Wash
ington to the effect that he had seen
letter from De Lone to Canalejas
in which President Mckinley was vii
ified and autonomy called scheme.
Several of the Cuban leaders got to-
gether and asked the employe of the
embassy to secure the letter. They
did not believe his story, although he
urged them to come into the public
print and make charges against De
LONE. Because they did not have the
letter in their possession the leaders
refused to say anything about it. The
employe of the legation was urged to
use all means in his power to secure
the letter, although it was considered
probable that the letter was already
in the mails when the Cubans at the
Hotel Raleigh were informed of it's ex-
istence.
'The clerk in the employ of Minis
ter de LONE saw no more of the letter.
His memory-written abstracts were
sent to New York, and it was urged
that could possession of the letter be
obtained and his statements proven to
be true the letter would be of meal
culable value to the Cubans as sub
stantiating what Cuban leaders had
maintained regarding autonomy and
the general Spanish policy in official
circles TOWARD this country and it's Of
fcers. Immediately words of warning
and urgings to be on the alert was sent
to every Cuban who might be in
position to obtain track of or inter-
cept the much sought for missive
"The letter reached Havana five
days after is postmak in Washington.
An agent Of the Cuban party who is an
employe of the Spanish postoffice knew
that the letter was on the way and
when it came into his hands il was
carried from the postof1ice and a CODY
was made of it.
Word to this effect was sent to the |
Cuban leader in Jacksonville. Fla. |
who at once asked the secret Cuban |
junta in Havana to secure the original |
letter-that copy was not what he |
desired
'The Havana postoffice clerk was |
not willing to do this, but afterward |
consented, as he was Obliged to ac- |
count for certain number of letters. |
The original was then taken, several |
blank sheets substituted in place of |
the paper on which De Lone had writ
ten and the letter finally postmarked |
in the Havana postoffice and sent on
its routine way.
Eight days after it's arrival in the |
Havana Office the sealed envelope.
properly addressed to Senor Canaleias,
was delivered at the Hotel Inglatterra.
Senor Canalejas did not regard the
matter seriously at the time. although |
the hotel boy who brought him the let
ter and the postolice empioye who had
charge of it were arrested. So also
was the hotel employe who went sew
eral times daily to the postoftice for
the mails. The three were DISCHARGED
after an examination.
Senor Canalejas communicated al
most immediately with Minister do
LONE, and for several weeks letters
and cablegrams passed between the
two, but no trace of the letter could be
obtained. Canalejas shortly thereafter
left Havana, going to Madrid