The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-11
PEACE TREATY
WAS SIGNED
Negotiations at Paris Have Been
Concluded.
A THEATRICAL CONTRAST
Spaniards Were Attired in Som
Der Clothes and Sober Faces.
AMERICANS IN EVENING DRESS
Senor Rios Arose from Sick Bed to
Come to the Chamber.
ACRID COMMENT WAS CAUSED
BY the Fact That American Attaches
Scrambled for the Pens With
Which Document Was Sign
ed-An Historic Scene.
Scnor Rios Arose from Sick Bed to
Come to the Chamber.
ACRID COMMENT WAS CAUSED

Paris, December 10.--The treaty of peace
was signed at S:45 this evening.
The treaty as signed consists of seven
teen articles, it having been found ad-
visable to sub-divide two three of the
articles in the draft agreed upon at the
last meeting.
The commissioners of the two nations
wrote their signatures on two copies of the
treaty, one copy being for the archives.
The document was prepared by Secretary
Moore in behalf of the United States COM
mission and Senior Villarutia for Spain on
account of the continued illness of SScrc-
tary Ojeda of the Spanish commission.
Each copy contained the English and
Spanish texts of the treaty i'll parallel col
unns. The wording had been approved pre-
yiously by the commissions without joint
meeting, so that there was no controversy
on this subject.
The signing of the treaty tonight would
have afforded subject for a great histori-
cal painting. The group, gathered about
the table in the stately chamber of the
foreign office was impressive in itself, while
the fact that the sense of the momentous-
ness of the issue which the act decided WAS
deeply felt by all the participants gave an
impressive and solemn tone to the scene.
The Ten Arbiters
Around the great mahogany table sat the
ten arbitrators of the destinies of old
and young nation. Ranged, standing be-
hind them, were numerous attaches of the
American commission.
The jets from the crystal chandeliers
above the heads of those present magnified
the brilliant green and scarlet of the up
holsterings into gaudinass.
There was a theatrical contrast between
the black clothed actors and the scenery
To the Americans 1t was happy ending of
the epilogue of war; for the Spaniards 1t
was plainly bitter tragedy none the less
painful because long foreseen. They sat
silently as though almost crushed, and
none could withhold sympathy from Senior
Montero Rios, the president of the Span
ish commission, who, coming from his bed,
was bundled in a great overcoat though
logs were burning in the fire place near by.
The spirits of the two bodies were SYM
bolized by the clothes worn by the men,
bers of the commission, for the Americans
were attired in evening dress for the din
ner given them Immediately after the
meeting by the Due De Loubat. and the
Spaniards wore black frock coats.
Although the commissions met at $3.50
o'clock, expecting to finish their work in
half an hour, the engrossing of the treaty
on parchment was found to be SO trouble
some that 1t delayed the signing of the doc
ument until $40. Clerk Martin, of the
American commission, worked all day with
out even stopping to eat
The Treaty Read
When he came into the ch mber at T:3O
with the document ne found the commits
sioners waiting. The Spanish copy had ar
rived half hour earlier Mr.. Arthur Fer
guson then proceeded to read first the Eng
lish and after that the Spanish version Of
the treaty. This finished. two copies were
passed around the table, the commissioners
signing them In the order OF their rank, as
follows:
William r. Day Senator Cushman X.
Davis, Senator William p. Frye, Whitelaw
Reid and Senator George Gray; Senior
Montero Rios, Senior Abarazuza, Senior Gar
MICA, Senior Villarutia and General Cerero Y
6aons, each commission signing Its oppo-