The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-11
IN A SPANISH DUNGEON.
LAINE TELLS OF MS ARREST AND
IMPRISONMENT IN HAYANl.

Piascd Opera Boune with 1t-ThouEht Hc
Hsnd Cnnturcd n Eicnd-Vvhen nc Found He
Bnun'i LAinc was Invited to Leave Cubn.
KEY WEST. Fla. March 1o.-Mr. Honor6
Francois Lame. n nov Spnpcr correspondent ana
q French citizen expelled from Cuba by Gen.
Blanco. arrived here yesterday on board the
utcamcr Olivcttc. from Havana. lie said with
regard to his experiences thcro that on
last Friday night, Mt IL o'clock. while no
was leaving the Hotel do Inglaterra In
Havana. he was arrested by Col. jose paRlicri.
Chief of Police of Havana, taken to tho "Jcfa-
tura,' or Police headquarters, searched, de-
privcd Of NIL his papers, and locked up in dirty
cell VIII ore he had to sleep on the floor. lie con-
tinued:
Next morning, at 3 o'clock, together with
ten other young mon whom l did not know and
had never seen before. with one exception, ana
guarded by twenty-five soldiers OF the battalion
of Orden Publico with drawn bayonets. we were
paraded through the streets OF Havana to tho
wharf of Cavclleria, taken across tho bay in a
Government boat. and finally landed In a dirty,
dingy, and damp dungeon OF the Caoahn FORT
Fets.
Yesterday, accompanied by a Spanish Cap
tain, / was taken on q Government boat to tho
steamship Olivctte. and hero I am In Key West.
II It had not been for my friends and tho French
Consul / would not know why l had beon de-
tanned, as the Spanish officials did not say a word
20 me about 1t. But l have been able to ascer'
tain that l have been accused Of heading n great
political plot which had for its purpose the
blowing up OF tho Vizcaya. the. killing Of Gen.
Blanco. Gen. Pando. and Consul.Gencral Lee.
All this may seem to many like a huge Joke, out
the spaniards really believe it all.
"when I was searched Mt the Police Head
quarters a cipher code was found on my person.
The Chief of Police read on 1t. Death Of Blanco.
Pando and Leo and some other possible events
of the kind that might occur; and IL the press
censor would not allow tho OF the
news 1 had my cipher code ready for writing to
some friend at Key West. Then the Chief took
the paper to the palace and showed it to the ter.
rihed Gen. Blanco and his staff officers. who
congratulated him upon mis- great coup In dis
covering a plot in which the lives OF so many i'm
portant persons were in danger. He will proba-
bly, be decorated for this great service.
81 had also in my pocket a notebook In which
Iwrote all tho important news OF the day to
cable 1t at night. Among the different items
were two lines that read: On board the Fern
they are cleaning sixty rifles which have boon
found Tho Chief OF Police, in his wild JOY over
the prospect OF capturing the sixty rifles which
no thought were intended for the insurgents, did
not stop long enough to read tho word Fern,
and mistook 1t for Teresa.
-Four officers were Immediately despatched
TO examine all tho boats in the bay named Teresa.
1t is needless to add that their search was fruit
less. The Chief Of Police. in order to make 1t
certain, took the note down on one OF his own
cards which, by mistake. he left inside of my
notebook. which he returned to me this morning
and which l intend to keep as n souvenir of the
and of Spanish stupidity.
&C the ten other young men who were taken
with mo | know only one by sight. n
man. They. being Cubans. were sub
to worse indignities than l was. Ono of
them, Manuel Pardo y Lopez was beaten. and
by Paglicri himself to compel him TO
the secret Of the plot. Jose Valdcs and
his son. 10 years old. have been incomunicndo
for ten days. The houses OF all have been
by tho police. and they do not know
yet of what they are accused or what will be
done with them.
During Weyler's reign of terror I had the
to go through similar. experiences.
with the difference that l WAS kept one year
one month six days and two hours locked in
The Cabanas fortress before the Spaniards found
they had no case against me. l must say to
Rlanco's credit that in that respect he is
quicker than Weyler.
"Weyler returned to Spain, leaving behind
an ocean of tears and insuperable mountains OF
hate in every Cuban heart. Spain. pretending
10 have repentcd of hor war of determination
against tho Cubans, sent Blanco, mild and
meek, to replace the ferocious Wcylcr. He
came offering the olive branch of peace.
with promises of n change in the policy
If persecution which Weylcr had publicly
,arried out. The Cubans were invited to return
rom abroad. and promises wero made to them
hat they should not again be molcsted. But
ike all tho promises of Spain. they were not
made in good faith. Only a few months have
,een sufficient to prove that. as my unfortunate
companions can testify.
ut Is true that Cubans are no longer publicly
'xecuted. with brass banGs playing lively Span
sh airs. as in the days of Weyler. but prisoners
Il war nre all executed on tho quiet.
Tho Cubans detained in cities are not
,araded through tho streets in tho day
lime handcufed and tied In long strings.
they are now seized in their homes in the
middle of the night and dragged to the Cabana
very early in the morning so as to not
Illow the news to spread and alarm the city; or
Use they mysteriously disappear from tho
as has been tho case with several who
ave been detained during these last ten days,
md whose families arc vainly searching for
hem.
1.-THE procedure of incomunicddo is still
on as In the palmy days of Weyler. and
he prisoners are subjected to the same fortunes
Luu luulkllllcs, as uuHue L Cun ItStlIN,
Who was beaten by the Chief Of Police in person
o make him Confess All these things arc
lone to-day. when the Spaniards are preaching
they are carrying out a poiiticd de atrac.
Ia policy of attraction. II that is to-day
vhen they still have in tho field 80. 900 armed
Iubans to attract, what would 1t be IL tho
Jubans were such fools as to believe their
promises and lay down their arms. AS long as
very Spaniard considers every Cuban nm
'nemy, and as long as every Cuban has only
grievances from every Spaniard in official place,
can there be peace In Cubai
'of autonomy 1t is useless to say a word. It
9 n great FARGO and means only that the Span
ards intend always to be masters in every way
the Cubans."
Scnor Laino added that the Havana Chief of
Senior PnGlleri. keeps a list OF 1900 Gu
'ans whom he will imprison very soon.
RECRUITS FOR THE KATA HDIN.
NIFTY Sent from the brooklyn Navy Ward Yes-
t"rdny ana 400 from BOSTON.