The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-15
TuE uOIrSE DESERTED.
LEES IMPORTANT TESTIMONY

LEES IMPORTANT TESTIMONY.
Switchboard to Mines Destroying the
Maine in MORO Castle.
Washington, d. c. April 1.-THE tes-
|timony taken before the Senate Com
nGttee on Foreign Relations in conncc-
ton with the investigation into the re-
lations between the United States and
Cuba. was made public to-day. The
statement which contains the grcatesr
current interest is that made by Consul
General Lee on the 10Th instant, III
which he said that he was Informed
on very good authority that the Span
iards had placed two rows of torpedOes
Just at the mouth of Havana harbor
by Morro Castle within the past two
months or subsequent to the Maine dis
Iaster and that the switchboard is iii
a room in the castle He said, however,
that he had no information of the placing
of any torpedoes before the Maine was
destroyed and none in regard TO the pur-
chase abroad by the Spanish authori-
ties. He also stated that he had no
reason to suspect that the harbor was
mined before the blowing up of the
Maine.
General Lee stated that he thought
the Weyler letter (the Laine letter, was
a correct copy of the GlIzman letter.
He had information OF Telegram from
General Weyler to Eva Camel, notea
| Spanish woman and an admirer of
Weyler's. and also to Senor Guzman,
which read: Grave circumstances
cause me to ask YOU to destroy the last
letter OF February 49,"
| General Lee said that this telegram
HAD never before been published, and
| he found in it strong c0nfirmatory evil
dence of the genuinenesS of the Weyler
letter With reference to the RESPONSE
| b;lity for the destruction of the Maine,
General Lee said be was satisfied that
the explosion was from the outside ana
that it was caused by some of the Off
GERS who had charge of the mines ana
electrical wires and torpedOes in the
arsenal He, did not think General
Blanc0 had anything to do with it.
General Lee said that he had seen a
copy of Il telegram from Admiral Man
terolla. dated in Havana prior to the
| explosion of the Maine, to the Spanish
commission in London, asking the com
mission to ''hurry up the electrical ca
| bles.''
"Wether that referred to wire for sub
marine mines or torpedoeS | do not
know" he continued Il tried to ascer-
| tain if any of the wire or electrical ca
bles had arrived here but they came on
| Spanish ships. and | could not find out.
General Lee said that this testimony
| in regard to Manterolla. and also that
with reference TO the Weyler telegram,
had been furnished to the Court of In
| quiry. which investigated the Maine
disaster, but had not been sent TO Con-
| gress, nor published, because of a re-
quest Of his made TO the State Depart
ment not to make them public, 'as /
| was afraid the Spanish papers there
| would republsh it and they would proba-
| bly, kill the man that gave it to me-
Continuing his testimony, General Lee
said that he had made inquiries and as
certained that none of the electric lights
of the city went out at the time of the
| explosion. He had also heard that some
of the Spanish officers celebrated the
| blowing up of the battleship by drinking
champagne.
In reply to question from Senator
Gray, General Lee stated that the Span
ish population rs not especially hostile
toward the United States. He said that
the condition of the reconcentrados was
inst as bad now as in General Weyler's
day.
LEES IMPORTANT TESTIMONY.
In regard to the cessation of hostilities
General Lee thought the armistice
amounted to practically nothing. He did
not think the insurgents would pay ans
attention to it.
General Lee stated that provisions were
scarce i'm Havana and he thought that IN
case of a blockade the town would sur
render in Il short while.
The insurgents also were living from
hand TO mouth. General Lee said that
he had expended all but about $1,000 oeI
thc $4,000 appropriated for the relief
Of American citizens in Cuba.
40 described the condition of the
Snanisb soldiers in the island as being
very bad and said that if Spain has
rooily appropriated 100000 for the sus-
ton.nce Of the reconcentrados, those pe0-
nln yyould get but very little of 1t but he
| ala not believe they had appropriated
ANYTHING of the kind. He did not think
tbat there was the slightest possibility
of Snain conquering the insurgents and
rl.storinr peace in the island. number
| af American citizens are still there. he
sad for whom active steps will have
~ ba taken as they are suffering ana
| .tn,ino General Lee said that the
sane conditions of things existed when
pros;dant Cleveland first sent him toI
iIarana and that he had so reported.
| Continuing, he said:
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