The times., 1898-09-17
4 MARTYR TO PRINCIPLE
The Ordeal of the British Con-
sui General at Havana.
HIS WIFE SPAIN'S VICTIM
Because of the Earnestness and FL
deity to America of Lucien j.
Jerome, He Was Refused Food for
His III HeIpmeet, and Her Life
Went Out as a Result.

Havana, Sept. 1.-THE inner history of
the blockade of Havana, so far as it will
ever be written, can have no more valu-
able surviving witness than the British
consul general Lucien J. jerome.
When the blockade began the British
consul general and Mrs. Jerome were
living in suburb of Havana called VII
dado. He had had the foresight to lay
in supply of flour, SO that he and his
wife could have bread-which speedily
became the rarest article of food in the
City. But his English servant soon be-
came so i'll as to be useless and his two
negro servants proved absolutely incapa-
pabie of doing anything in this emer-
gency. Mrs. Jerome did the cooking until
she also fell i'll. Mr.. Jerome tried to buy
various articles of food that his i'll wife
needed But shop after shop in Havana
refused TO sell him anything on the
ground that he was the representative
of American interests and moreover that
he was the British consul general and
his government sympathized with the
United States.
As consequence of this treatment Mrs
Jerome grew rapidly worse and died.
Her death was a direct result of the
blockade, and was a crowning evidence
or the earnestness and fidelity which
have characterized the devotion OF the
British consul general to American in
terests
On the morning after Gen. Lees depar-
ture, sixty citizens of the United States
presented themselves at the British con-
sulate. In short time the British con-
sui had on his list claiming his protection
and assistance l35 destitute families OF
American citizens.
One Of the first things that Mr. Jerome
did was TO go to Capt. Gen. Blanco and
obtain from him the promise that no vio-
lence should be allowed toward American
citizens. for ominous threats of lynching
were already heard. This promise, TO the
honor of Gen. Blanco, was strictly kept
The Spanish authorities vigorously pre-
vented violence throughout the blockade
For the relief OF the destitute, Mr. Jer-
ONE was authorized to expend s. 600. The
sum for the period of the blockade was
wholly insuffica nt The daily throng at
the consulate became 50 great and so
importunate that it became necessary to
erect a special barrier TO prevent the in
ner office from being mobbed.
The worst of the suffering was invisi-
bic. In many and many a family too
proud to beg. too poor to buy food at the
eXorbitant prices there were deaths from
famine. One of Mr.. Jerome's most diff
cult tasks in addition 10 his daily toll al
the consulate was TO seek out such cases.
One native American citizen whom the
consul could not get out Of the island
fell into such a state of despair that he
/ killed himself. He was an old man. So
/ far as is known this was the only in
/ stance of suicide among the American
/ colony. To aid him in finding these pri-
vate cases of deprivation the British con-
sui employed an American lady, and she.
though destitute herself, gave to the poor
all that she was paid for her services
The English, French, German. Italian,
Russian and Chinese consuls remained in
Havana during the blockade Ali the 9TH
er consuls, including the representatives
OF Austria and of all the South American
republics, decamped