The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-12-16
THE LAST SCENE
ENACTED.
The Commissioners of Both
Nations
SIGN THE TREATY OF PEACE.
To the Americans the Meeting was
Happy Ending of the EpilOgue of the
war; for the spaniard it was Plainly a
Bitter Tragedy.

PARIS, Dec. lU.-Ine treaty VI
peace was signed at $40 o'clock this
evening.
The two commissions met at 300
o. M, and at 5:l5 took a recess until
D. m. to await the engrossing of the
last article of the treaty.
Much interest was displayed in
the last session Of the eventful con-
ference. There was a great contest
among the families and friends of
the American commissioners for
possession Of the pens with which
the signatures to the treaty were
written. Some of the Americans
were provided with handsome pens
purchased for the purpose. The
Spaniards appeared to be unaffected
by the souvenir craze and contented
themselves with the ordinary gull
pens strewn on the table.
Arthur Ferguson, the interpreter
of the American Commission, re-
uuested Senior Montero Rios to give
him his pen, saying: Have you
any desire to preserve the pen with
which you will sign?'
Not in the slightest" said the
Spaniard with courtly bow.
Each copy contains the English
and Spanish text of the treaty in
parallel columns. The wording had
been approved previously by the
Commissions, so there was no con
troversy on this subject.
The signing Of the treaty tonight
would have afforded subject for
great historic painting. The group
gathered about the table in thu
stately chamber of the Foreign OF
fee, was impressive in itself, while
the fact that the sense of the mo
Nervousness of the issues which tn,
act decides was deeply felt by al
the participants gave an impressiv
and solemn tone to the scene.
Around the great mahogany tabl
sat the 10 arbiters of the destines o
an old and young nation. Ranged
standing behind them, were numer
Gus attaches of the American Com
mission. The Jets from the crysta
, chandeliers above the heads of thos
present magnified the brilliau
: green and scarlet of the uphols tel
ing.
) There was the attraction-a cot
5 trast between the black clothed az
tors and the scenery. TO the Amer
cans it was happy ending of tn
epiIogue OF war; tor the OpanlarC
il was plainly a bitter tragedy, non
b, the less painful because long for'
seen. They sat silently las though a
q most crushed, and none could Will
;. hold 81 mpathy for Senior MOntel
n Rios, the president of the SPANS
q Commission, who, coming from h
!. bed, sat in great overcoat, thong
a logs were burning in the tirepla(
# near by. The spirits of the two b
= dies were symbolized by the cloth
:. worn by the members of the cor
II sions, for the Americans were a
Il tired in evening dress for the dim
~ given them immediately after Il
e meeting by the Due de Loubat, al
"a the Spaniards wore black frot
a coats.
a Arthur Ferguson proceeded to re
a. first the English and after that q
If Spanish version of the treaty. TT
finished, two copies were pass
re around the table, the Commissiopt
n signing them in the order of the
70 rank: William R. Day, Senat
,e Cushman X. Davis, Senator Willie
"a P. FRYE, Whitelaw Reid and Senat
of George Gray, Senior Montero Ri
IN Senior Abarzuza, Senior Garniu
Ms Senior Villaurutia and General [
zero SaOns, each commission sig
of ing its opponents treaty. Both WI
ne tied with the Spanish and Americ
Sc colOro.
Attendants were then sent sour
r. ing for ribbons of the French tri-c
,ol or, with which the documents w
sealed as compliment to the Frer
ms hosts of the commission.
We Many officials interestedly wat
lal ed every detail of the proceed
,sa The last seal being impressed,
lin commissioners rose without forms
ks tv, each member shook the hands
&C all his antagonists and each g
no assurances of sincere personal
I'm TEEN. The Spaniards afterward cC
J. mehte0 acridly upon what t
termed the bad taste of the Am
cans in mastering a crowd of
taches to gloat over the consuml
ton of their downfall and to scri
BILE for relics.
The signing was finished at s
At that time the door Of the cham
igb opened aud Senior VIllaurutia
.ay, peared and exclaimed to grouI
the correspondents who were waitin
the corridor, "C'est f1ni." The OF
members of the Spanish Commits
followed Senior Villaurutia
te. passed silently through the vesti
to their waiting carriages.
The American Commission stro
out, chatting complacently, anc
lsic they descended the steps the Iii
- in the chamber were darkened.
- RELIEF IN SIX HOURS.
''' Distressing kidney and bladder
ease relieved in six hours by .
! ~