Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-03
COURT OF INQUIRY.
It's Findings In the Maine Disaster
Cannot Be Known for Weeka
SPECULATION IN CUBAN BONDS.
Flnanciers Quietly Getting Rid Of spanish
Securities In the Belief That Cuba
WIZ Soon he Fres-Gsn. Miles
Going to California.

lowing terms: Court Of inquiry will
commence session at Key West to-day.
They must resume session at Havana
TO obtain evidence OF divers after fur.
ther work upon the wreck" The i'm
portant feature OF this communication
Is the declaration that the court will
return TO Havana. 1t sets at rest
rumors that have been current for
some days past that the court was not
to return to Havana, for the reason
that it had discovered that the cause
OF the sinking Of the Maine was not
an accident, and that they had conse.
quently no further business in Havana.
One important deduction to be drawn
from the message was that the report
of the board Of inquiry can scarcely
be expected for several weeks to come.
The court will be occupied at Key
West for some days at least in taking
the testimony Of the survivors there.
Then, upon the return to Havana, 1t is
expected that good deal Of time must
elapse before the divers can get
through the mud which now encom-
passes the lower part Of the wreck of
the Maine and examine the bottom.
After this is done, the court must de-
liberate in order to secure an agree.
ment upon their findings.
A Cuban mail was received during
the day and with the candor which
has so far characterized all his deal
ings with the public in this matter,
Secretary Long caused it to be given
to the newspaper reporters as soon as
he had read it to himself. 1t was
made up of one letter from Capt. Samp-
son, dated at Havana, February %,
and, although it is simply statement
of events that had already been report
ed by telegraph, one fact is significant,
viz: The statement that the testimony
of certain civilian witnesses before
the court would be OF no Importance.
The attention Of Secretary Gage was
called to the published statement that
he was making preparations for a
bond issue and that the bureau Of en-
craving was preparing the plates. The
secretary pronounced the statement
unqualifedly false. No such action
has ever been considered, he said
Lieut.. II. II. Whittlesey, Of the bu-
reau of navigation, who has charge Of
all kilograms received after depart
ment closing hours, stated at Il late
hour last night that nothing had been
received from Capt. Sigsbee at Havana
nor the court Of inquiry at Key West.
SPECULATION IN CUBAN BONDS.
WASHINGTON, March Whatever
may come of the Maine incident it is
now generally believed that Cubas in
dependence is assured. Actual war
would, Of course, mean independence
almost at once, but the belief is that
even II war is averted SPANS actual
hold on the island will be terminated
before many months have passed.
There Is strange story to this effect
floating about the cloak rooms OF the
senate, where 1t is asserted positively
that certain great financial interests
have become convinced that the
island will soon be free. There
are even rumors that certain SEN
ators have been informed Of the
fact and have been urged to delay
action for purely speculative reasons
1T is said that the Belmonts, repre-.
senting the Rothschilds' interests
have gradually disposed Of their large
holdings of Spanish bonds, having un-
loaded them quickly but persistently
during the period when talk of au-
tonomy led unthinking politicians to
believe that the revolution would fall
of its own weight under the pressure
of public opinion. Thereupon, so the
story goes, the Belmont interests
quietly gathered in all the Cuban
bonds obtainable, which are still at
merely nominal figures. Back of all
this talk is the evident conviction that
Cuba's independence is now assured,
and that the Maine catastrophe, II IT
does not provoke war, will surely in
duce the president to act in a way to
drive the Spaniards from the island.
THE COURT AT KEY WEST.
KEY WEST, Fla, March 1.-The
United States court of inquiry into the
loss Of the battleship Maine began its
sessions here yesterday morning. Those
officers and civilians here who believed
Fl, the reports from Havana saying that
the court had already decided that the
loss of the Maine was due to treacLery
have apparently changed their minds,
for now the universal question is,
what has the court found out?'
while before one heard all around,
when will war be declaredp" Brought
face to face with the court, men realize
for the first time how unlikely it will
be for the court to allow any inkling
of its conclusions to be known out Of
due season.
GEN. MILES GOING TO CALIFORNIA.
PlrrsBuReH, Pa, March lien.
Nelson A. Miles, Of the United States
army, accompanied by Rear Admiral
Phelps Of the Pacific coast squadron,
U, s. N, passed through Pittsburgh
en- route TO San Francisco from Wash
ington. 1t Is reported that both off
Gals are on the way to San Francisco
to look into the preparations being
made TO defend that mort In case al