The herald., 1898-02-14
Of the Theft of De L0me's
Famous Letter
AGENTS OF THE CUBAN JUNTA
WE'RE WARNED BY A CLERK AT
THE LEGATION
The Missive Abstracted at Havana
and Blank Paper Substituted.
Offender Not Suspected
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
PHILADELPHIA. Feb. 13.-The Press
will print tomorrow what it asserts to
be the true version of the acquisition
and publication of the letter of Minis
ter de LONE to Senor Canalejas. The
authority cited for it's authenticity Is
"a Cuban of the highest standing in
the councils Of his party, who received
his information from headquarters in
New York"
The story proceeds to say: "The letter
was not stolen from the United States
mails, but was secured by an agent OF
the Cuban junta in the postoffice at
Havana. Don Jose Canalejas, to whom
the letter was addressed. never saw the
original He did not know until eight
days after the letter reached Havana
that such a letter from Spain's repre-
sentative at Washington had been writ.
ten to him.
"DeLome wrote the letter in his private
residence in Washington, instead of at
the Spanish legation. The paper, how
ever was marked with the official type,
and read in the corner. Legation de
Espana.' The same inscription was upon
the left hand upper corner of the en-
velope.
"Senor de LONE did not mail the letter
from his house. In fact, he had not quite
completed it upon the morning 1t was
written and carried it to the legation,
where it was first seen and noticed by
a person who is in the employ Of the
embassy, acting in sub-off1cial ca
pacity. The letter lay upon the desk
of the minister in his inner office, the
outer office being his place of reception
to visitors. During the absence of half
an hour from the inner office OF De
LONE, the clerk in question saw the
| open letter and read some of it.
1.-THE next day this same person sent
word to his Cuban associates in WASH
ington to the effect that he had seen
letter from De LONE to Canalejas, in
which President Mckinley was vilif1ed
and autonomy called scheme Several
of the Cuban patriots got together and
asked the employe of the embassy to
secure the letter. They did not belive
implicitly in his story, although he urged
them to come into the public prints and
make charges against De LONE. Because
they did not have the letter in their pos
session, the leaders refused to say any,
thing about it. The employe of the lega-
tion was urged to use all means In his
power to secure the letter, although It
was considered probable that the letter
was already in the mails when the Gu
bans at the Hotel Raleigh were informed
of it's existence.
'The clerk in the employ of Minister
de LONE saw no more of the letter. His
memory written extracts were forward
ed to New York, and it was quickly
agreed that could possession of the let
ter be obtained and his statements
proven true it would be of incalculable
value to the Cuban cause, as substan-
tiating what Cuban leaders had MAIN
tained regarding autonomy and the gem
eral Spanish policy in official circles
toward this country and its officers.
Immediately word Of warning and urg-
ings to be on the alert were sent to every
Cuban who might be in position to
obtain track of or intercept the much
sought-for missive.
"The letter reached Havana five days
after it's postmark in Washington.
"An agent of the Cuban party who Ia
an employe of the Spanish postoffice,
knew that the letter was on the way,
and when it came into his hands 1t was
carried from the postoffice and copy
was made of it. Word to this effect was
sent to the Cuban leaders in Jackson
vile, who at once asked the secret Gu
ban junta In Havana to secure the orig
inal letter-that copy was not what
was desired. The Havana poStoff1ce clerk
was not willing to do this at first as he
was obliged to account for it to the other
employees of the department, but after
wards consented. The original was then
taken, blank sheets were substituted in
place of the paper upon which De LONE
had written, and the letter was finally
postmarked in the Havana office and
sent on it's routine way. Eight days
from it's arrival in the Havana office
the sealed envelope, properly addressed
to Senior Canalejas, was delivered at the
Hotel Ingleterre. Senor Canalejas did
not regard the matter seriously at the
time, although the hotel boy who brought
him the letter and the postoffice en-
ploye who had last had charge of it
were both arrested. So, also, was the
hotel employee who went several times
daily to the postoffice for the mails. All
three were discharged after examina-
tion."
Senior Canalejas communicated al
most Immediately with Minister de
LONE and for several weeks letters and
cablegrams passed between the two.
but no trace of the letter could be
found. Canalejas shortly afterward left
Havana, going to Madrid.
1t is not explained why the letter was
kept by the Cubans for several weeks
before it was given out for publication.
An informant, other than the person
who gave the foregoing, but inside the
Cuban official circles, declares that the
delay was at first occasioned by desire
on the part of the junta to be assured abb
solutely that the writing was that OF
the Spanish minister, SO that he might
not have chance to deny its author
ship and thus cause reaction. which un-