El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-19
Spirltua1ism.
in MADRID
When The Maine Was Blown In,

| "hOh lu0 moIhS HoS b1OWn I'd.
81. K. Ayers, formerly representing
Frazer, Chalmers and Co. in this city.
came in on the Santa Fe yesterday
morning accompanied by his wife.
Mr.. Ayers had been in poor health
for long time early in this year and
decided to take d trip to Europe. He
with his wife and son Enos sailed for
Europe and spent quite q while in Eng
land and from there they went to the
continent.
While in Spain Mr.. Ayers said he
| became acquainted with Don Carlos.
the Dretender to the Spanish throne.
de, speaking Spanish very fuently,
was admitted to nearly every place and
was able to converse without an inter-
prefer and could understand every
thing which was being said around
him.
Mr.. Ayers said that he was in Madrid
at the time of the blowing up of the
Maine and he really believes that there
must have been some mistake as they
felt very much hurt over the way the
Americans we're 80 ready to blame
them and charge them with treschery.
All OF them looked upon the affair as
most deplorable thing, and those in
power seemed to be very sincere in the
expression of their sympathy over the
loss OF the battleship; good many
accused OF having perpetrated the
dastardly act.
Mr.. Ayers said that after the blow.
ing up of the Maine he and his family
left Madrid and went on tour through
southern Europe and over to Alex
andr1a, then up through the holy land
over the same ground which the Ger
man emperor is now taking. On their
way back they went through the north
of Italy and then on to Paris.
1T was while in Paris that Dewey
won his Manila victory, and the news
was 80 good that we could hardly be-
lteve it. Up to that time no one in
Europe thought that there was going
to be any fighting, but they laid that
thought aside when we heard of the
Dewey fight.
I'VE had all gone to the opera that
right At the Louvre and were enjoying
t at there must have been fully fifty
Americans in the theater. Between
The second and third acts the announce
ment of the victory was made from
the stage. At first it was made in
French, then in English. There was q
death like silence for q second then
every American In the house got on
sive yells. That yell is more like the
rebel yell during our war than any
thing ] can think of.
81 don't believe that there was an
American in Paris who stopped GEL
ebrating with that yell. We all went
out sod celebrated right. There were
some Iknow who didn't finish cele-
brating for two or three days
''Three or four days after the Dewey
victory, I and my Family were down in
the city walking and doing some shop
ping. Right ahead of US were two
Americans and both of them, as we
we're doing, were wearing small
United States flags on their coats. Up
stepped Frenchman and with q
sneering remsrk tore off one of the
daes and threw it down on the side
walk and put his feet on it and ground
it around. The American never said
; word but the punch in the face he
lid give that Frenchman was
,ne of the kind you read about. It
'ent him sprawling in the gu ter, and
before the fellow could give him any
more the gendarmes ran up and there
Vss big crowd around US. The fell
ow was never tried and the matter was
lushed up, but it was the talk of the
American club and the fellow was en-
ertained. Two or three of us cabled
hat incident home to our frienda