The herald., 1898-04-12
Lee HAS INFORMATION
WHICH MAY CLEAR UP THE
MAINE MYSTERY
HIS OWN PERSONAL OPINION
Indicated by Silent Toast to the
Sailors "Blown UP by Span
ish Mine"
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
NEW YORK, April ia dispatch to the
Tribune from Key West says: Consul Gen.
eral Lee went north via Tampa In the De-
lief that his presence was wanted In wash
ington to give information about the PROB
abilities in Cuba during the next fortnight
He did not receive instructions until he
reached Key West Vice-Consul SPRING
er and Consul Barker of Sagua are also In
structed to report at headquarters. rms
was construed as indicating the opinion IN
official quarters that an early reopening
of the American consulates In Cuba is not
probable.
General Lee may be able to add some
knowledge to what is already known re-
garding the plot by which the Maine was
blown up, though not. perhaps, to the ex-
tent of fixing the conspiracy officially on
the Spanish government. After the de-
parture of Captain Sampson and the Court
of Inquiry it was left 10 him to follow the
clues regarding consprators While the
board reported its inability to fix the re-
sponsiblity for the explosion on any person
or persons, 1t was well understood that the
suspicious of its members were definite.
| Had those received assurances that the
| Spanish authorities could be depended on
to cooperate in the investigation valuable
evidence might have been placed in the
hands Of the latter. But with Spain hold
ing to the theory Of accident the only effect
Of placing in their hands evidence as to the
probable identity of the conspiracy would
have been its destruction. So General Lee
continued his inquiries on independent
lines. The result was to show the fallacy
of some of the clues, but not Of all.
Perhaps General Lee would not feel JUS
titled in making stronger assertions OIL
| cially than could the board about the iden-
tity of the conspirators, yet he uncovered
enough to satisfy him that fanatic could
not have fixed the mine which blew up the
Maine In Havana harbor. or have hred It,
When Naval Attache Sobral gave out In
Washington an official statement that no
mines had been laid in Havana harbor, evil
dence that this was a mistake was quick
| ly accumulated at the consulate, before
the board had established that fact to Its
own satisfaction. Whether some or the
Junior officers who were stationed at the
arsenal under Weyler were directly impl!-
Gated In the plot may be matter OF In
dividual opinion rather than of demon
strated evidence
| On one point information is definite. Gen.
eral Lee believes the letter of January last,
attributed to General Weyler, in which
weyler speaks boastfully Of having pre-
parsd Havana harbor so that Yankee ships
| could be destroyed is genuine. Whether he
has seen the original is not known, but his
opinion that the latter was written byWey-
ler is clear. Since the Maine disaster is
| ha fno ttIr n
Cuban case instead of mere incident, the
Consul-Generaps presence in Washington
may be useful in supplementing with latei
details the information gathered by the
Court OF Inquiry. General Fees personal
opinion was indicated when the Fern was
| leaving Havana harbor Saturday night
and he pledged those on board with him a
silent toast to the memory Of the officers
and men of the Maine, "Blown up by a
snanish mine." His was the first eye tc
catch sight of a cannon on Spanish gun
boat which was leveled directly at the
Fern, and kept aimed for several minutes
If meant for Jest, 1t was an ill-timed jest
| indeed.
The number of persons who lined the
waters edge on either the city or the Ca
banas side did not exceed a few hundred
Nevertheless, their boots and whistles ani
| calls of "Fuera, Fuera," which is Spanish
for Get out" could not be construed as
Indicating healthy sentiment toward
Americans. General Lees only comment
| was to call the attention of his voyage
companions to the Spanish flag flying over
Moro Castle, and to tell them that when
they returned they would see another flag
floating there.
| Captain-General Blanco's refusal to sec
General Lee when the latter called at the
palace on Saturday to say goodbye was
an ostentatious affront Blanco was trans
acting business and seeing various persons
but sent word begging to be excused on tho
grounds Of illness. Secretary General Con.
gosto was openly insulting.
In the harbor, when the vessels Evelyr
| and Olivette went out loaded with Amerl
cans, there were some evidences of Ill
feeling, which were stronger when the
| coast survey steamer Bache followed r
their wake. But the crowning exhibition
was when the Fern, with General Lee ant
his party left. The cat calls and boots and
whistles did not come alone from the popu.
lace lining the shore; they also came from
the Spanish gunboats and from the SOL
diers at La Fuerza fort and at Cabanas
The Spanish authorities have suspicion
| that Lee is going to Washington with tho
original Of Weyler's letter about the min es
in the harbor, as well as a full plan of tn,
mines.
| Havana itself, for some time to come
promises to be the most isolated commun
ity in the world. Probably, if there is M
outbreak, and mono is probable at present
a very little news of what is happening
may be transmitted to the outside world
Nothing is permitted to be known of wha
is going on in either Madrid or Washington
till General Blanco is ready to have i
known. The contents of President Nc
Kinleys message and the subsequent &C
ton Of Congress will probably be withheld
for a week. The authorities have alread.
reached the point, not only of indicatin;
what the papers shall not publish, but ais,
of furnishing copy for them.
The effort to break the effect of Genera
Lees absence by a false statement tha
it is OF temporary nature and due to per
sonal and family reasons will not be cred
tied. BY this time everybody in Havan
knows that the American flag is down from
the Consulate, that Lee and the othe
consular officials have left, their affair
are in charge of the British Consul an,
there has been an exodus of Americans.
Next they will learn that all financia
houses having connections with houses il
the United States will do no further busi
ness while the present strained interna
tional relations continue, and the vessel
plying between American and Cuban port
!, | have auSDended their vovageS The effec