The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-04-20
Testimony Of Lee Before
Foreign Relations Com
mittee.
Interesting Information Con-
cerning the Explosion.


moay taken before the Senate COM
mittee on foreign relations in connec
tion with the Investigation into the
relations between the United States
and Cuba was made public to day
The statement which contains the
greatest current interest is that
made BY Consul General Lee on the
s12ih instant, 10 which he said that
he was informed on very good au-.
shortly that the Spaniards had placed
stwo rows of torpedoes just .st the
mouth of Havana harbor. by MORO
sgastle. within the past two months.
sor subsequent TO the Maine disaster.
and that the switchboard is in q
room in the castle He said. how
ever. that he had no information of
the placing of any torpedoes before
The Maine was destroyed, and none
IN regard to the purchase of torpe.
does sbroad by the Spanish authori
ies He also stated that he had no
reason 60 suspect that the hatbor was
mined before the blowing up of the
Maine
General Lee stated that he thought
She VI Weyler letter (the Lame letter)
vas s correct copy Of the genuine
letter. He had information of 3 tel
ogram iron General Weyler to Eva
capel. noted Spanish woman and
50 af1msrer Of Weyler's, and also to
sSenos Guzman, which read "Grave
circumstances cause ne to ask you
ie destroy the last letter of Febru-
saEy lS
GeDeral Lee said that this telegram
had never before been publ;shed, and
be found in ito strong confrnafery
evidence Of the zenuineness OF the
Weyier letter.
THE MAINE DISASTER.
With reference 10 the responsible
IL for the destruction Of the Maine,
Gepersi Lee said he was satisfied that
The explosion was from the outside,
and that il was caused BY some of
lie officers who had charge Of the
mines and electrical wires and torpe-
does 10 the arsenal He did not
think General Blanco had anything to
dos with it
General Lee said that he had seen
s copy ofs telegram from Admiral
danserolla; dated in Havana prior TO
tie explosion Of the Maine, to the
Spanish commission in London, ask
iing the commission to s.hurry up the.
electrical cables. =
WI neither that referred to wire for
submarine mines OF torpedoes / do
not know he continued. 81 tried
to ascertain if any of the wire or
electrical cables had arrived here. but
they came on Spanish ships. and ]
could not find ONT ;,
General Lee said that this telegram
10 regard TO Manterolla, and also that
With reference to the Weyler tele-
gsaln, had been furnished to othe court
sof inquiry which investigated the
Maiae disaster, but had not been sent
% Congress nor published. because
OF request Of his made to the State
department not to make them public,
e.as / was sfraid the Spanish papers
there would repnbIish it and they
would probably kill the ,nan that gave
ito me "
ContinuiDg his testimony, General
Lee said that he had made inquiries
and ascersained that none of the
electric lights Of the city went out
as the time Of the explosion lie had
ssso heard that rome Of the Spanish
officers celebrated the blowing up Of
the battleship by drinking cham
psgne.
CONDITIONS IN CUBA.
In reply to question from Sena
tor Gray, General Lee stated that the
Spanish population is not especially
hostile toward the United States
He said that the condition of the re
concentrados was just as bad now
AZ in General Weyler's day.
In regard to the cessation of hos
silisies. General Lee thought thesar
nistice amounted to practically moth
ing He did not think the insur