The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1898-01-20
SAYS RIOT HAS BEEN QUELLED,
AND TELLS OF AWFUL SUFFER-
ING OF THE PEOPLE.
CEN. CONGOS1A'$ OFFICIAL REPORT
Movements in Naval Circles and
Among Uncle SANS Warships.
American Legation Guarded by
Spanish Seldiers-WiId Re-
ports Have Been Denied.

Washington, Jan. 13-United States
Consul General Lee has reported to the
state department from Havana under
date of yesterday the facts connected
with the rioting there yesterday. While
the state department officials do not di-
vulge the text of the dispatch, it is said
that they corroborate the news that has
been received on the subject. According
to Gen. Lee, the disturbance has been
quelled for the time, but he was appre-
hensive of another outbreak at some fu-
ture time. Gen. Lee did not ask to have
war ship sent to Havana and in the
opinion of the state department officials
that is sufficient reason for the as
sumption that there is no occasion for
sending one. The officials are evidently
not apprehensive of any trouble in the
fOrcible intervention of this government
The disquieting feature of the situation
is the horrible condition of the poor in
Cuba. According to Gen. Lees advices,
no less than 100000 people on the islands
are in the last stages of restitution and
are wholly dependent on charity. To
feed these people on a 1O-cent ratio per
day would cost $4,000 daily, which sum
is double the amount so far received in
contributions during the last ten days by
the state department. In the opinion Of
Gen. Lee, no less than 20 per cent of
these poor people are surely doomed to
death from starvation anu disease. In
such state of affairs the existence of
any form of organized government is
threatened and autonomy plans of the
Spanish government command little at
tention.
The naval authorities here maintain
their serenity, Notwithstanding rumors of
radical action. such as the dispatch of
inc, TO, lyn
Secretary Long was asked whether any
of the American ships had been ordered
to be ready to sail for Havana. He re-
piled that while he could not discuss the
matter, he would say that he had not
made any cir, nge in the battleship Maine,
now lying at Key West.
Inquiry developed the fact that the
Names last orders were to go out for
target practice and upon falling in with
the North Atlantic squadron to attach
herself. Although there is no informa-
ton at the navy department of any
trouble just now, still in case it should
occur the navy is more strongly repre-
scented in Florida waters than it has
been in the past ten years. At Key
West there is the second class battleship
Maine, at Jacksonville the dynamite
cruiser Nesuyius, at st. Kits is the An
napolis and at Guadalupe the Whining
ton. The Detroit is on the way from
Cape Hattcras to Key West, where she
is now due. The Marblehead is at Port
Tampa, Fla. She suffered the injury of
four men at target practice Monday.
She was wired to report at Key West.
Late this evening the first news of the
day came to the state department from
United States Consul General Lee, who
wired that everything was very quiet
in Havana today and that there was no
cause for apprehension of trouble. Or
ders have been sent to the Marblehead
to proceed to Navvasa to investigate the
laborers on the island. thus disposing of
rumors that she would be ordered to
Cuba.
The Spanish minister, Dupuy de LONE,
received a dispatch from Secretary Cen
eral Congosta this afternoon under date
of noon today at Havana. 1t said:
your exccllency can affirm that the
tumult of yesterday has had so little i'm
portance that not shot was fired and
there is no knowledge that anybody has
been wounded or hurt. The agitation
was confined to one quarter of the city,"
This was followed closely by another
official dispatch from the same authority,
fled at Havana about 8 o'clock this
morning. 1t said:
Complete calm; the city has recovered
its normal condition"
The Spanish minister has been kept
constantly advised of every development
within the last twenty-four hours at Ha-
vana and he summed up his advices this
afternoon by saying that they show the
uprising to have been a riot, pure and
simple. but order has been completely re-
stored and the authorities have an ample
force to afford every protection; that the
tumult was confined to Spanish and Gu
ban residents and that no indignity was
put upon any American interest or citi-
zen. public or private The official ad-
vices began arriving about midnight last
night and have come uninterruptedly
since then. The early dispatches were
in cipher and it took some hours to de-
cipher them.
They told the story of the disturbance
fully, and in the main corrOborated the
press dispatches. They made it clear. it
is said at the legation, that the demon
stration was an unorganized riot, the
participators being gathered up from the
streets without arms or ammunition. 1t
began when few army officers mobbed
the Reconcentrado newspaper establish
ment, that paper being so lukewarm
toward autonomy that it was SUSPECTED
of having insurgent tendencies. Later,
us the people were leaving the shops at
the close of the day S work and the
streets were filled with home-goers, the
demonstration was begun again by an
attack on the establishments of La Dis
cussion and niaro de la Marina.
The dispatches state that small
group raised a cry against autonomy,
some few gave vivas for Gen. Weyler
while some scattered shouts were di-
rected against Gen. Blanco. In the main.
however. the vivas were for Spain and
the army. The mounted police were
brought into use and dispersed the groups
so that order was restored and the city
was TRANQUIL by midnight. During the
excitement United States Consul Cen
eral Lee was in communication with the
Srorish authorities. Neither he nor the
officials anneared to have been apprehen-
sve. hut it WAS deemed the part of wis
dom TO guard against contingency nv
sending n guard of soldiers to the United
States LEGATION and to the private resi-
dnnne of Gen ZEE