Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-14
DE LOME'S LETTER
Said to Have Been Stolen From
Mails in Havana.
A Clerk in the Minister'S Office Gave
Notice To the Junta Of the
Letters Existence.

Phladelphia, Feb. 13.-The Press will
print tomorrow what it asserts to be the
true version of the acquisition and pub
lication of the letter from Spanish
Minister de LONE to Senor Canalejas
The authority cited for its authenticity is
a Cuban of the highest standing in the
councils of his party" who receives his
information from headquarters in New
York
The stony goes on to say 1.-THE letter
was not stolen from the United States
mails, but was secured by an agent of
the Cuban junta in the post office at
Havana. Don Jose Canalejas, to whom
the letter was addressed, never saw the
original. He did not know until eight
! days after the letter reached Havana
that such a letter from Spain's represen-
tative in Washington had been written
to him."
De LONE wrote the letter in his pri-
vate residence in Washington, instead of
at the Spanish legation. The paper,
| however was marked with the official
| type.
Senior de LONE did not mail the letter
from his house. In fact, he had not
quite completed it upon the morning it
was written, and carried it to the lega-
tion where it was first seen and noticed
| by a person who is in the employ of the
/ embassy, acting in a sub-official capac-
ity. The letter lay upon the desk of the
minister in his inner office, the outer
office being his place of reception to Wis
itors.
During the absence of Senior de LONE
for half an hour from the inner office,
the clerk in question saw the open letter
and read some of it. The next day
the same person sent word to his Cuban
associates in Washington to the effect
that he had seen a letter from De LONE
to Canslejas, in which President McKin-
ley was villified, and autonomy called a
scheme. Several of the Cuban leaders
got together and asked the employee of
the embassy to secure the letter. They
did not believe implicitly in his story
although he urged them to come into kne
public print and make charges against
De LONE. Because they did not have
the letter in their possession the lead
ers refused to say anything about it.
The employee of the legation was
urged to use all means in his power to
secure the letter, although it was con-
! sidered probable that the letter was al
ready in the mails when the Cubans at
| the Hotel Raleigh were informed of its
| existence.
1.-THE clerk in the employ of Minister
Il.
memory written abstracts were forward
| ed to New York, and 1t was quickly
| agreed that could possession of the let
! ter be obtained, and his statements
proven true, the letter would be of in
! calculable value to the Cuban cause, as
I substantiating what Cuban leaders had
| maintained regarding autonomy and the
| general Spanish policy in official circles
| toward this country and its officers, I'm
mediately words of warning and urg-
! ings to be on the lookout were sent to
| every Cuban who might be in a position
| to obtain track of or intercept the much
| sought for missive.
| "The letter reached Havana days
after it's postmark in Washington. An
agent of the Cuban party who is an en-
ployee Of the Spanish postoffice knew
that the letter was on the way, and
when it came into his hands it was car
| ried from the postoffice and copy was
made Of it. Word to this effect was sent
to the Cuban leader in Jacksonville,
Fla, who at once asked the secret
Cuban junta in Havana to secure the
original letter-that a copy was not
what was desired. The Havana post
Office clerk was not willing to do this at
first as he was obliged to account for
certain number Of letters to other en-
ployees of the department He after
! wards consented and took the original.
+ several DldQk SuGGlS NSl0
in place of the paper upon which De
LONE had written, and the letter finally
postmarked in the Havana office and
sent in it's routine way. Eight days from
its arrival in the Havana office the
sealed envelope, properly addressed to
Senior Caneljas, was delivered at the
Hotel Inglaterra.
"Senor Canalejas did not regard the
matter seriously at the time, although
the hotel boy who brought him the let
ter and the post office employee who
had last charge of it, were arrested.
So, also; was the hotel employee who
went several times daily to the post
office for the mails All three were dis
charged after an examination.
"senor Canalejas communicated al
most Immediately with Minister de
LONE, and for several weeks letters and
cablegrams passed between the two, but
| no trace Of the letter could be obtained.
| Canalejas shortly thereafter left Hava-
ma, going to Madrid
'It is not explained why the letter
was kept by the Cubans for several
weeks before it was given out for pub
lcation. An informant other than the
person who gave the foregoing, but who
is on the inside in Cuban official circles, !
! declared that the delay was occaSioned
| by a desire on the part of the junta to
be assured absolutely that the writing
was that of the Spanish minister, that
he might not have any chance to deny
its authorship and thus cause a reaction, |
which undoubtedly would have been the
result of the propagation Of a fake"