The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-22
CUBANs WEAR MOURNING
For the Lost Sailors of the Maine but
the Spanish III Conceal
Satisfaction.

New York, Feb. 22-The Ward line
steamer Seguranca arrived at quaran-
tine today from Tampico and Havana.
The Seguranca arrived at Havana at
10 o'clock on the morning after the dis
aster to the Maine and passed close by
the wreck The Seguranca'S s paSSen-
gers said that great excitement pre-
vailed at Havana and at the time of
sailing the foreign population were gen
orally of the opinion that the Maine was
destroyed by design.
They cited among other things in
support of this theory the fact that the
Spanish man of war Alfonso XII which
was anchored near the Maine, changed
her moorings just previous to the dis
aster One of the passengers, William
L. Carbin, went SO far as to say that he
saw a boat go near the Maine a short
time previous to the explosion He
said he would go to Washington to
make a statement before the proper au-
thOrities.
G. P. Holcomb, of New Castle, Del,
general manager of the street railway
in Philadelphia, one of the passengers
on board the Seguranca was OutspOken
in his belief that the investigation at
Havana would reveal some startling
circumstances. Z went to Havana, -
said Mr. Holcomb, mot at all in SYM
pathy with the insurgents, but on We'd
nesday when we got to Havana, I be-
lieVe any of the Americans on board
was in a mood to commit murder. The
flags Of the Spanish warship were not
at half mast. The vessels of all other
nauonaIltieS had paid this slight trib-
ute to the dead.
The contrast between the bearing of
the Spaniards and Cubans is strong
At the funeral of the Names ~seanen
the Cuban women in the streets were
almost all dressed in mourning, while
the Spanish women wore cOlOrs. The
only American flags I saw in the whole
procession were two small ones about
) by inches. l went aboard the AL
phOnSO XII and was received DOlitelv
The only expression of regret I heard
there was an officer who complained
that the force of the Maine explosion
had broken his toilet bottles There can
pc no mlStak1ng the Indifference of the
Spaniards in Havana over the loss of
the warship and those on board On
Thursday While driving to the cemetery
with Two American friends, I was as
sailed with jeers and some one threw a
large stone at our carriage
+. W. Bobbett of this city, who was
with Mr. Holcomb, in the carriage said:
Ihat's practically true. In fact one
or two children yelled after US that
they had blown up the 'Amerieaneros
and that they were glad of it. I did not
hear a single expression or regret for
the terrible loss of life from any Span
lard during the time I was in Hava-
ma"
Frank Weinheimer of this city. an
eye witness of the explosion and a fell
low passenger of Mr.. HoIcomb, told the
following story:
"On Tuesday evening strolled down
to the river front for a breath of fresh
air. I was about 300 yards from the
Maine The first intimation I had of
an explosion was a crunching sound
Then there came a terrible roar I'm
mense pieces of debris flew sl1yward
from the Maine. Some of them must
have been thrown at least 300 feet. It
looked as though the whole inside of
the ship had been blown out Many
persons on the pier were nearly thrown
from their feet from the force of the