The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-03-31
VILE HARB0R THIEVES
BLEW UP THE MAINE,
The Anonymous Letter Revealing the
Plotters and Those who Likely
Were Their Agents.

WASHINGTON, March 3O.-An inter
esting feature of the Maine testimony,
issued from the government printing
office, was the famous anonymous letter
mentioned III the testimony of Henry
Drain, the clerk of the American con.
sulate at Havana. The letter was re.
ceived by General Lee few days after
the Maine disaster. 1t was dated Feb
IS, 1888, and signed IAN Admirer." ItI
1t was III spanish, written apparently
by fairly well educated person. The
certified translation is as follows:
1t should be remembered that at dawn
OF The day Of tho terrible catastrophe az
Individual was killed in q small boat
together with another who Was found
wounded ana II prisoner, They were going
about the cruisers Maine and Alphouso
XII and as the said individuals are OF the
worst aAteCcdents AS harbor thieves, /
have Interested myself In Investigating
what connection this occurrence could
have had with the explosion Of the Maine,
and have discovered that those two men,
together with another, who Is called Pepe
Taco, had bought in a hardware store In
Mercaderes street, called La Marina, IA
hose, such AS Is used by divers, and thai
the three left hegla in small boat, which
they placed under the wharves of Santa
Catalina, and they were lettering about
more than an hour and half, while Pepe
| Taco who Is a COrker and diver, probably
| the best in these parts, did the work TO
| bring about the explosion of the Maine.
With the data | went to Regla and dis
! covered that the family Of the dead man,
| who lived in the utmost misery in "a house
| in Rodriguez Batista street, had moved TO
! well furnished one on Gelabert street.
| There learned that they had agreed with
| some merchants of Muralla street for the
work of blowing up the ship for the sum
of S60OO-S2, 900 in advance and the other
| $4,000 after seeing the result. But, as they
| having been attacked when they were re
| tring, the result of which was the death
of one, who left his teeth in the boat, and
| another one wounded, the third one has
not yet presented himself to collect the
rest of the money, and it could be proba
bly, secretly done that, by paying him the
rest that the others will not now pay him
he would declare the truth of all this. ThI
one whom l called the third Is the diver
Pepe Taco, who is unwounded, who l.
no doubt afraid to present himself to col
| leCt the rest.
In Muralla street they tell me was til,
place where the business was arranged
with Messrs. Garcia Corujedo, Villasuso
| MaribOna and others, whom do not ~
member. The man who is arrested !
being administered morphine cOnstantl
TO see If he willsdie and not give evidence
SO az not, as they express IL, to spoil tn
affair after It has come OF SO much I
their taste,
/ certify that the above Is a true copy.
(SignedJ A. MARK,
Lieutenant Commader u. 5. Navy an
Judge Advocate.
Drain, the consular clerk, stated
his evidence, that an effort was made +
ascertain the authenticity of this letter
although the consulate was hand
capped, having no secret service funt
Witness discovered, however, that th
name Pepe Taco must have been mi
take, as the man mentioned had died
! few days before the explosion TOO
! place. Witness thought the nam
! should have been Pepe Barquin, VIII
had died couple days after the ei
plosion.