The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-18
tVEYLER PLANTED HINES.
Boasts Of 1t in Letter to Spanish
Editor in Cuba.
HOPED SENDING OF WAR SHIP
WOULD BE TERRIBLY PUNISHED.

Havana Harbor Had Been Well Prepared
BY Him For Such an Emergency
Correspondent Laine Publishes a Re-
markabIe Letter in a New York Paper.
New York, March 1.-THE New York
Journal this afternoon prints statement
written by Honore T. Laine, the news
paper correspondent, recently arrested and
searched by Spanish officials in Cabanas
prison, Havana, and later expelled from
the Island This is the opening Of Lame S
statement;
"On January "a, at 10 o'clock at night
I met in the Cafe Ingleterra, the head
quarters in Havana, Francisco Dias, a
reporter of the rabid Spanish paper, La
Constitutional with whomsI frequently
exchanged news. %.ai
ION asking him if he had anything to
give me, he took from his pocket letter
and handed it to me, saying: 'Weyler
wrote this letter to Santos Cuzman. who
sent it to Novo, (the editor of the Union
ConstitutionaD, for him TO read and
write an article on the acceptance by
Weyler of the candidacy of deputy to the
Cortes for Havana. I took this copy,
which you can keep.
Laine says that no read tho letter and
pigeonholed 1t and when the Maine ar
rived, he called mt the office of the Union
Constitutional to see Diaz In an effort
to secure the original of the letter. Some
met Diaz, who asked him If he remeln-
bered the letter, and that its contents were
about an American warship. The Anne
rican correspondents replied that he did
and that he believed some one had fol-
lowed Weyler's advice.
Laine says that he has since found out
that Diaz informed the chief Of police
written by Weyler which might bring
trouble to the Spanish government, and
especially as he was an American corre-
spondent who was associated with Capt.
Sigsbee.
Paglieri, chief OF police of Havana. His
friends were informed OF his being I'M
prisoned by cabInan who knew him:
According to Laine Paglieri said to
him: ~
"Well, sir, we have you here secured,
and let me tell you that the secret that ]
know you possess will never be known
through you by Others, as no one will
ever know what becomes of you."
Laine replied:
stIf you think that you can murder me
as were ARIA and Peoass. the two young
killed in the Zorro you are mistaken"
The Colonel replied In a calm, but
"No, sir, am not mistaken.
lsYou may not be mistaken, said
Lame, "but I oan tell you that at this
moment the French as we'll as the Anne
rican consul has been notified that am
here
This changed the chiefs attitude some-
what, but he persisted In trying to secure
information from Laine. II know" he
said, tall about copy Of a letter of
Gen. Weyler which you have, and the
trouble you intend to cause with 1t, but
l do not care very much about that. What
I want to know now, and hope you will
answer me. in consideration of the good
1t may bring you, is, what information
YOU gave to the Consul, Lee, on the 21st
of February, about your suspicious of a
plot suggested by that letter and the plac-
ing of dynamite mines in the harbor, with
which fact you said you became ac-
ouainted during the period Of your in
generation in the time of Weylerp" {
Laine said that this surprised him.
~ had referred, he said, 1.-THE Incl.
spoken to him about what I had seen
during my imprisonment in the Cabanas
fortress. which lasted for more than a
year during the most bloody period of
the reign of Weyler.
II had noticed for several nights mys.
FERROUS works which were being done in
the fortress On inquiring from soldier
whom know whatit was. he Informed
me that they were carrying from the
magazines of the fortress large quanti-
ties of dynamite, which were being laid
in the harbor.
"My Investigation during my period
of Imprisonment were carried as far as q
political prisoner could do in Spanish
fortress, but it was sufficient for me to
ascertain with certainty that theiquantity
of dynamite placed in the harbor in
different places was two tons, and that
the wires of the mine were connected
with the Caaquas fortress and the Capt.
tar,ia de Puerto, or marine headquarters.
ION the Wednesday, the 9th, l was
put on the Olivette and sent toKey
West.
The following is the letter referred to
above:
"His Excellenoy, Don Francisco de Los
Santos Guzman, Havana:
"My distinguished, personal and politi-
cal friend:
WSince the latest events 1 have changed
nv views about the attitude which our
political party in Cuba ought to assume.
at / have thought before that it was
more dignified for US. to abstain from
the electoral contest, believe now that
it is PATRIOTS duty for us to go to'the
polls. Our success cannot bs doubted {;
neither can he our majority of voters,
nor that with a programme Of defence OF
the national honor we will have sido by
side. with us all those lukewar1n poll
sticians who, though Spaniards by eheart,
are deceived BY the, inside combinations
sof Moret and Sagasta, and take as scien-
stifio solutions ofsour colonial problems
which are really dishonorable humilia-
stions of our country before the United
States.
"Write your flag, the flag Of Spain,
Defence of national honor and 1 offer
you my name as your candidate.
AFTER having commanded during two
wears two hundred thousand Spanish he
roes in Cuba. the title I shall be more
proud OF is that Of deputy from Havana
at the Cortes of Spain.
"By the way, I have read these days
that the Americans are ponderlng about
sending one of their warships to that
city. During my command in Cuba they
L hon