The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-23
Written Before Maine Was
Sent to Habana.

York journal this afternoon prints a
statement written by Hopore E. Laioe,
the newspaper correspondent recently
arrested aud searched by Spanish Of
fcials IN Cabanas prison. Habaca, and
later expelled from the island This
is the opening Of LANES statement:
.On Jau. "a, at 10 o'clock at night
I met in the Cafe Ingleterra. the bead
quarters Of the reporters in Habana,
Fraeoisco Diaz, reporter Of the rabid
Spanish paper La Union Consti'u-
cional, with whom I frequently ex-
changed news
"On asking him if he had aoythipg
to give me, be took from his pocket 2
letter and handed it to me, saying.
'Wegler wrote this letter to Santos
Guzmau, who sent it to Move CHE edi-
tor of La Ueico Coostitucional) for
hin to read and write an Article 90
the acceptance 5y Weyler Of the can
didacy of deputy to the cortes for Ha-
5ana. I took this copy, which you
cao keep ,"
The following is the alleged letter
referred to above
"His Excsllency, Don Francisco de los
Santos Guzman. Habaua:
"My Distinguished Personal aud Po-
litical Friend: Since the latest events
| have changed my views about the
attitude which our political party ID
Cuba ought to assume.
..If have thought before that it wes
more digni6ed for us to abstain from
the electoral contest, [ believe now that
it is patriots duty for US to 60 to the
polls. Our success cannot be doubted ;
neither can cur majority Of voters. nor
that with programme of defense OF
The national honor We will have side
By side with Us oil those lukewarm
politicians. who, though Spaniards at
heart, are deceived by the inside COM
bination of Moret and Sagasta, and
taEe as scientific soiutiors Of our colo
pial problems shat ere really dishoo-
orab!e humiliations of our country be-
fore the UDited States.
Write on yoa- fag, the flag Of
Spaio, Defense Of National Honor,
aod I cgsr you m3 name as your can
d;da,e
After having conmecded during
two years 200, 900 Spanish heroes la
Cuba tie title shall De more proud
Of is that of deputy ffcm Habana at
the corses Of Spain.
"By the way, / have read these days
that the Americans are pooderiDg
about aending one of their warships to
that city During uy command 10
Cuba they did not even dare toesssm
about it. They knew the terrible
punishment that awaited them. | had
Habapa harbor we'll prepared for such
an emergency. rapidly finished the
work that Martinez Campos carelessly
abandoned
..If the insult is made I hope thu,
there will be Spanish hand to punish
it as terribly as it deserves.
..Romero is in better health than bis
friends could have expected, and not
withstanding how morally siok I feel
breathing this humiliasing atmosphere.
is we'll; also your afectiouase friend
and servant. Valeriano Weyler
"Madrid. January 8, 1882
Lame says that he read the letter
aod pigeon -holed it When the Maine
arrived he called at the Office Of the
Unioo Constitutional to zee Diaz. in az
effort to secure the original Of the letter
Some days after the Maine explosion
Laiue met Diaz, who asked him if he
remembered the letter sDd what it's con
tents were about an American wsrship.
The American correspondent replied
thas be did and that be believed some
Que had followed Weyler's advice.
Lame says that he has since found out
that Diaz informed toe chief of police
that be (Laiue) bad a copy of letter
wrissen by Weyler which nigh; bring
trouble to tie Spanish government,
especially as be vas au American pews
paper correspondent who was associat-
log With Captain Sigsbee, hence his
arrest On March 4
Continuing his narrative, Lsiae says :
81 had noticed for several nights nys-
teriors work which vas being doue in
the fortress On inquiriog from sol
der whom | knew, what it was, be in-
formed me that they we're carrying
from the magazine of the fortress large
quantities of dynamite, which we're be-
iug laid in tho hsEbcr.
my Investigations during my period
of imprisonment we're carried as far as
political prisoner could do iu Span
ish fortress, but it was sufficient for me
to ascertain with certainty that the
quantity of dynamite placed iu the har-