The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-15
As Told the Committee lnves-
tigating the Maine.
CAPTAIN SIGSBEE'S TALE
Neither of These Doubts That
Spain is Guilty.

l
vestigation in the relation between the
United States and Cuba was made public
today. 1t constitutes a book of about $50
pages, and includes not only the testi-
mony taken since the disaster to the
| Maine, but also much that was taken be-
fore and running back a year or more
The statement which contains the
! greatest current interest is that made by
| Consul General Lee. on the 18th instant.
In iths statement General Lee said that
! he was informed on very good authority
! that the Spaniards had placed two rows
of torpedoes just at the mouth of Ha-
vana harbor by MORO Castle within the
past two months, or subsequent to the
! Maine disaster, and that the switchboard
is in a room in the castle. He said, how
ever that he had no information of the
| placing of any tOrpedoes bebfore the
Maine was destroyed, and none in re-
gard TO their purchase abroad by Span
ish authorities.
Have you any reason to suppose that
the harbor was mined at all before the
blowing up of the Maine?" asked Sena-
tor Frye.
THAT WEYLER LETTER
mo sir I had no reason to suspect
anything of that sort up to that time"
He then went on to say that Cen
eral Weyler's letter to Senior Guzman
had led him to believe that mines might
have been placed there previous to the
Maine incident, and he said that this
supposition was strengthened by a teie-
gram from General Weyler, of which he
had cognizance. Upon the whole, he
thought the Weyler letter (the Lame let
teri was a correct copy of the genuine
letter.
The telegram to which he referred was
addressed to Eva Camel, a noted Span
ish woman and an admirer of Weyler's,
and to Senior Guzman, and it read as fol-
lows:
Grave circumstances cause me to ask
you to destroy the last letter of Feb
ruary 18th"
General Lee said that this telegram
had never before been published, and he
found in it strong confirmation of the
Weyler letter.
EXPLOSION WAS OUTSIDE.
With reference to the responsibility for
the destruction of the Maine, General |
Lee said:
Il am satisfied the explosion was from |
the outside. I cabled the state depart
ment a few days after the board as
sembled that it was almost certain that |
the explosion was from the exterior.
BLANCO WAS WEEPING.
81 have always had an idea about the |
Maine that of course it was not blown
up by any private individual or by any
private citizen. but that it was blown up
by some of the officers who had charge
of the mines and electrical wires and tor
pedoes in the arsenal there. who thor
oughly understood their business, for it
was done remarkably well
Il do not think General Blanco. the
present captain general of the island of
Cuba, had anything to do with it. I do
not think he had any knowledge of it.
I saw him just shortly after the occur
ence. I was sitting in my room at the
hotel, and from the balcony of the hotel
could see it. heard the explosion and
saw a great column of fire go up in the
air. A few minutes after, ascertaining
hat it was the Maine, went right down
to the Palace and asked for General
Blanco He came in directly by him
self He had been crying: tears were
coming out of his eyes. He seemed to
'esret it as much as anybody l saw in
Havana, but l think it came from some
If the subaltern officers who had been
here under Weyler, and were probably ,
inti-Blanco anyhow, and who had fun .
OF the business"
HAD ORDERED WIRE.
General Lee said he had seen a cory /
# telegram from Admiral Msnterola, I
lated Havana, prior to the explosion of !
he Maine to the Spanish commission in /
-ondon, asking the commission to q
hurry IN the electrical cables" 5
Whether that referred to wire for |
mines or torpedoes l do not :
lnow." he continued. I tried to ascer- 5
ain if any OF the wire or electrical
ables had arrived there but they came
N Spanish ships and 1 could not find
nut"
General Lee said that this testimony
n regard TO Manterola, and also that -
With reference TO the Weyler telegram.
lad been furnished to the court of in =
uiry, which investigated the Maine dis ;
ster, but had not been sent to congress o
or published. because of q request Of
lis made To the state department nos -
o make them public. "as I was afraid !,
he Spanish papers there would re-
ublIsh it, and they would probably XIII h
he man that gave il TO me" II
Continuing his testimony. General Lee :,
aid that ten minutes after the explosion r.
e was at the Palace talking 10 General =,
'lanco. and that the latter save him an y
rder for boat TO take him out into n
NO LIGHTS WENT OUT. :
Senator Morgan asked If. when he got :
the waters edge he saw any lights h
arniuS. 3,
4 did not notice that" said General >
zee. but have made inquiries since. :
nj have ascertained that no electric ?,
ghts went out I sent for electric light o.
len and gas men. Some gas Jets went =
III IN one or TWO places. caused by the o
hook or something, but could not as Il
srtain from these men that single q
.eeiric light went cut. one Of the cleo Ii
'ic men whom ! called up IS a friend % 5
line. and he sent Tor the maup who had :
lrect charge OF the lights. who came n /.
~ office. This man said h. had not
card OF any such thing said I wan,ed b
know with certainty. The man taeu ID
lade an exploration OF an hour or two Il
no returned. saying that with the ex- ic
option Of an electric light near the hsr-
OF and one al another placs not very