Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-04-15
GEN. LEES STORY.
Continued from page ID

on spanish SnlpS and l cOulu not mn
out"
Gen. Lee said that his testimony in
regard to Manterolla and also that with
reference to the Weyler telegram had
been furnished to the court of inquiry
which investigated the Maine disaster.
but had not been sent to Congress MOI
| published because of a request of his
| made to the state department not =
| make them public. as | was afraid the
| Spanish newspapers there would re-
publish it and they would probably XIII
| the man that gave it to me.
Continuing this testimony. Gen. Lee
| said that 10 minutes after the explosion
| he was at the palace to Cen Blanco ana
| that the latter gave him an order for a
boat to take him out into the harbor.
| Senator Morgan asked if, when he got
| to the waters edge he saw any lights
| burning.
| II aid not notice that" said Gen. Lee
| but ! have made INQUIRIES since and
| have ascertained that no electric lights
| went out. | sent for electric light men
and gas men. Some gas jets went ont
| in one on two places. caused by the shock
or something, but / could not ascertain
| from these men that Il single electric light
! went out.
Gen. Ice also said that he had not felt
| the shock of the explosion at his hotel
| of the Maine any expression by Spanish
officers in relation to it, indicating their
| pleasure 1T the act?' asked Senator Frye.
Gen. Lee responded: II heard two or
| three days afterWard from various per
sons who came in that there WAS Y good
| deal OF rvl"lcin@ among some OF tn" Of
| ticcrS. All reports | got Sail they We're
| drinking champagne. quite a thing 10 do
| in honor of the event. and in different
| portions of the city officers were making
! merry | attributed it to the fact that
I what they considered almost an cnemys
| battirShip had been blown up. and ii was
| that much in their favor He said he
had not heard any threats or alluSions
| TO the destruction of the Maine previous
| to the explosion.
senator Lodge asked if he had heard
| of an attempt on the Montgomcry.
81 heard. responded G,n Lee, that
there Was something ~ that sort one
! evening. bat believe. upon investigation
it was found that it did not amount /"
| any thing.
The following colloQuy between Srna-
| tor Foraker and Gen. Lee brought out
1 some further opinions Of The general in
regard Ia the destruction of TIA" Maine:
Senator I'oraker-"You think that no
no>iCc could have destroyed the Maine
Consul General I.ec--"oh, II" sir. Tht
man who did that work was an officer
thoro. .2h y acquainted with explosives ot
Ill sorts and knew AL about II. II was
very well done.
Mir Furaker-'A man who has expert
knowledge necessarily"
Gen. l.tt-''I.S sir
senator Clark--"Anl who must have
| had kn"Wledg" of the location Of tn" tor
prdU?
Ccn. Lce-"Ycs. never have been Ger
tain that the submarine. explosive was
placed there prior to the "ntfanr" Of thu
Maine into thc harhor. IL might have
been done. afterwards The Iainp was
anchored to a buoy to some little chain,
\ vessel swinging around that way gets
ut NaIiuuS places all around the circle.
When Sho would swing oil that way. with
the hoW next to The buoy those boats
plying about the harbor all tht time any
body could go pretty We'll in front Of her
on a dark night and drop one of these
submarine mines Of ~ pounds. They
! have fingers. MS it were. ana as tho boat
/ goes around it woull touch the fingers.
/ which makes contact and explodes III"
/ mine That might have been done with
/ ont difii' ulty after the Maine got in there.
/ one or tWO men rowing quietly III bot
( could drop it of the stern Of the boat in
: Il dark night. though Sifsbee Had his pa
/ tr"ls out. y boat would not havv been
! noticed because boats go there always 4"
/ n late hour Of tn" night. The harbor is
full of those little boats. min" weighs
! about so pounds. and | suppose it would
/ take Two or three men-on" man 10 row
and probably three ar four 1" handle the
/ mine.
IN f'i,tN ~ Il Hu"SttHi from SENATOR
'"tN' zen ~ Stt" t,,tt III. 8i,dlia9"
p"!'ali'ioh e, IS i'"' tSle'iai'A ""St'l' |" 'h'
I l!t'' 7'|.'H- r,., ,...
/ senator ! dlt"fl~ ~ Hi' - wv t"HH''''H
I "l me fEt"hothtfdtoS OUT III IN" '"dH-
/ uN
Gen. Lee JHSt as h'td aS IN '''herii !
/ N'El'r : GAY ~ HdS ht't' i'lt' =" - S''N
1 u'fl ny Hupl'l'S sent from 'tt' hltf"
, states nut that mas V1aSeu f""
ne rhtfmih-f HOW a"oui IN" span
| lardS:
Gen. Lce-"Gcn. BlanCo published Il pro-
/ cl1Iuatiun resembling General Weyler's :
| bumdo. as they call il there. but il has
| had no practical effect. for in th" first
place those people have no place to which
to go; the houses have been burned down.
there is nothing bat the bare land there
AMI il takes them two months to rAiS.
the first crop.
Senator Lodge aSied-'What Goes this
| cessation of hOStilitieS spoken of in the
| last few days amount to-
Cen Lee replied: Nothing"
Senator Dauiol-"Do you know the con-
| ditions of it,
! Gtn Icc-'I saw Gen. Rlanco's pr0cla -
| nation which said the Queen Regent, at
the request of His Holiness. the Pope,
had ISSUED an armistiee hut that is not
worth the paper it is written on. because
a truce or an armistce between two con-
tending forces requires the consent Of
both before It can he Of any practical cf-
Cect and il will not have, the consent of
the INSURGENTS
ca',.an ,I,,r. ..v-,,. aefa. dia ~.
49,. w. ,b., ;nS1,r,.nts%"
Cen - Wv ..,rhi,. ,rnrrad inst obout tho
,in,,, i"f, ,,d dnn,t tnntr