The evening times., 1898-11-15
4 CLAIM AGAINST THE
SPANISH GOVERNMENT
CASE OF VICTOR HoHENsTEIN
The Complainant Says He Was Tn
lawfully Imprisoned in Cuba and
Suffered Inhumau Torture.

Victor Hohenstein, German by birth,
bur VINO claims to be a naturalized citizen
of the United States. today registered
a claim at the State Department against
! the Spanish government, alleging that
he was unlawfully imprisoned by the
! Spaniards in Cuba. and in consequence
suffered inhuman torture.
Hohenstein's story sayors of the days
of the Inquisition, and illustrates that
the traditional cruelty of the Spaniards
is yet one of their strongest characteris-
tics.
The German is thirty-one years of age
He says he was formerly a lieutenant in
the army of the Emperor. This commits
sion he resigned eight years ago and came
TO the United States. He states that he
is an ardent admirer of America and the
institutions of this Government, and it
was this that led him to become natur-
allied citizen.
He says his liberal and democratic ideas
have completely alienated him from his
family.
Hohenstein states that he went to Gu
ba to engage in work with the Society of
the Red Cross in January last and par
ticularly TO act in the capacity Of inter-
prefer, as he has an excellent knowledge
arrival he was arrested on the charge of
being a spy his instruments, medicines,
etc, valued at $50, were confiscated and
he was thrown into dungeon with sew
enty-five other prisoners, who represented
the lowest types of criminals.
The officer who had charge of the guard
told the convicts that Hohenstein was
an American, which the latter says sim
ply indicated that the other prisoners We're
expected to put him out of the way.
This they tried to do setting upon him,
tearing his clothes from his body and
beating him almost into insensibility. He
was afterward transferred to another
cell, yeritable relic of the Inquisition.
The apartment, the unfortunate man
states, was a torture chamber of inhu-
man invention. There were scores of
pointed instruments ON the floor and
walls, so that in whatever position, stand
ing, sitting or reclining, his body would
be gouged by these. stationary knives.
He suffered terribie,topiure. His body was
lacerated and to this day is SCARED as
result of his Imprisonment. He was al
lowed two cups of warm water and bis
cult day. Eight days after the blowing
up of the Maine he was put in cell with
a number of insuEgent prisoners, all of
whom were sick and dying.
Hohenstein says the dungeon was too
horrible for description. The men who
died were not removed for eighteen or
twenty hours This prison was in Caban-
as Castle.
On April q last captain and two
lieutenants came to him and demanded
that he kiss the Spanish flag and ''hurrah
for SPAIN This he declined to do, and
the lieutenant struck him a blow back of
the right ear with his machete The bone
was fractured and an ugly scar marks
the place where the blow fell.
Hohenstein tells of numerous occasions
when he was poked with bayonets
through his prison bars, and in fact suf-
Tered in every manner that suggested it
self to the mind of the guard placed over
him.
He states that he accused the Spaniards
of blowing up the Maine when told of the
disaster to the ship and they punished
him for his assertion. The prisoner was
finally transferred to q hospital at Sam
Ambrosi and 1t was here that he succeed
ed In interesting one of the physicians.
DR.. Conta, IN his case. Eight weeks