Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-04-21
HOLDS SPAIN RESPONSIBLE.
Gen. Lees Testimony on the Maine
Disaster before the Senate Com
mfttee on Foreign Relations.

Washington, April Is. - The testi-
mony taken before the senate commit
tee on foreign relations. in connection
with the investigation into the rela-
tions between the United States and
Cuba, was made public Thursday. 1t
constitutes book of about ESQ pages,
md includes not only the testimony
taken since the disaster to the Maine,
but also much that was taken before,
and running back for year OF more.
The statement which contains the great
est current interest is that made by Con-
sul-General Lee on the 18th inst. In this
! statement Gen. Lee said that he was in
formed on very good authority that the
Spa hiards had placed two rows of torpe-
does just at the mouth of the Havana har-
Der. by Moro castle, within the past two
months, or subsequent to the Maine disas-
| ter, and that the switchboard is in 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 purchase abroad
by the Spanish authorities.
Have you any reason to suppose that
the harbor was mined at all, before the
blowing up of the Manner" asked Senator
| Frye.
mo, sir; had no reason to suspect any
thing Of that sort up to that time.' He
then went on to say that Gen. Weyler's
letter to Santos Guzman had led him to
believe that mines might have been placed
there previous to the Maine incident, and
he said that this supposition was strength
ened by telegram from Gen. Weyler of
which he had cogniZance. Upon the whole
he thought the Weyler letter the Lame
letter. was correct copy of the genuine
letter.
The telegram to which he referred was
addressed to Eva Camel, a noted Spanish
woman, and an admirer of Weyler's and
to Senior Guznan, and it read as follows:
Grave circumstances cause me to ask
you to destroy the last letter of February
Gen. Lee said that this telegram had
never before been published, and he found
In 1t strong confrmatory evidence of the
genuineness of the Weyler letter.
With reference to the responsibility for
the destruction of the Maine, Gen. Lee said:
Il am satisfied the explosion was from
the outside. 1 cabled the state department
few days after the board assembled that
it was almost certain that the explosion
was from the exterior.
II have always had an idea about the
Maine that, of course, it was not blown up
by any private individual or by any pri-
vate citizen, but it was blown up by some
OF the officers who had charge of the
mines and electrical wires and torpedoes in
the arsenal there who thoroughly under
stood their business, for it was done re-
markedly well.
Il do not think Gen. Blanco, the present
captain general of the island of Cuba had
anything to do with it. 1 do not think he
had any knowledge of it. / saw him just
shortly after the occurrence. / was sitting
in my room at the hotel, and from the bal
cony of the hotel / could hear this.
heard the explosion and saw a great col
unn of fire go up in the air. A few mo-
ments after ascertaining that it was the
Maine l went right down to the palace and
I asked for Gen. Blanco. He came in d.
rectly by himself. He had just heard it,
and was crying; tears were coming out Of
his eyes. He seemed to regret it as much
as anybody I saw in Havana, but think
1t came from some Of the subaltern officers
who had been there under Weyler, and
who were probably anti-Blanco anyhow,
and who had full knowledge of the bust
ness"
''Have you heard since the explosion Of
the Maine any expression by Spanish Off
GERS In relation to it, indicating their pleas
ure at the fact?" asked Senator Frye.
Gen. Lee responded: II heard two or
three days afterwards from various per-
sons who came in that there was a good
deal of rejoicing among some of the Off
GERS. All reports l got said they were
drinking champagne, quite a thing to do
In honor of the event, and in different por-
tons of the city officers were making mer-
ry. / attributed it to the fact that what
they considered almost an enemy's bat
tleshfp had been blown up, and IL was
that much in their favor" He said that
he had not heard any threats of or allu-
sions to the destruction of the Maine previ-
Gus to the explosion. Senator Lodge asked
If he had heard of an attempt on the Mont
gomery.
II heard" responded Gen. Lee, chat
there was something of that sort one
evening, but / believe upon investigation
1t was found that it did not amount to
anything
Senator Lodge asked: -'What does this
cessation of hostilities spoken of in the
last few days amount to-" to which Gen.
Lee responded: Nothing; practically
nothing-the armistice amounts to moth
ing"
In response to an inquiry from Senator
Frye, as to his reasons for saying that the
insurgents would pay no attention to the
ar1nstice, Gen. Lee said:
Because every attempt so far to make
terms or to make peace, to buy the in
Sirgents or their leaders, has met with sig
nal failure; and whatever may be said
about old Gen. Gomez, he is, in my hum BILE
opinion, fighting that war in the only way
1T can be done-Scattering his troops out
because to concentrate would be to starve,
having no commissary train and no way
TO get supplies.
Suppose Havana was blockaded," said
Senator Mills, $50 that no provisions could
go in. would the people there have any way
to get any?"
None whatever" responded Gen. Lee
''The town would surrender in a short
while"
Gen. Lee said that all but about 100000
Spaniards of the population of Cuba, which
is about 100000, were Cubans
Senator Frye asked: what in your
Judgment is the possibility of Spain con-
Quering the insurgents and restoring peace
to the island?"
Consul-General Lee-I do not think there
is the slightest possibility of their doing
1t at all in any way. There is no chance
in my opinion of the Spaniards ever sup
pressing that instruction, nor Is there any
chance of the insurrectionists expelling the
Spanish soldiers from the island.
In response to an inquiry from Senator
Lodge, for his opinion of the fnsurgent gov
eminent, Gen. Lee said: 81 have never
thought that the insurgents had anything
except the skeleton form of government
"a movable capital. Iasked them one day
why they did not have some permanent
capital, and / think they gave q very good
reason. Thew sa i'd II would reulIire a large