Evening star., 1898-04-14

lieve they have appropriated anything Of
the kind. I see those things on paper al
ways" -
Senator Frye-"You would have no con-
fdence in ii and would not advise us to
have any confidence in it?'
Consul General Lee-"Not a particle"
General Lee said in response to a queA
ton from Senator Morgan, that there were
American citizens left on the island, for
whom there is no provision since he had
left. He thought there would have to be
active steps for their relief, as they are
suffering and starving thefe now every
day. He said he thought Miss Clara Bar
ton would have remained to take charge of
the distribution of supplies. but, very
much to my surprise, she turned around
and came out the same day did. bring
ing every Red Cross Miss Barton. had
said she thought there going to he
war, and that she had better get out. ''She
told me, coming back said Gen. Lee,
that the Red Cross policy was to go be-
hind the guns and not in front of them
Senator Frye asked: what, in your judg
ment, is the possibility of Spain conquer
ing the insurgents and restoring peace to
the island?"
Consul General Lee: Il do not think there
Is the slightest possibility Of their doing it
at all in any way.
Senator Cullom: Provided they do not
starve them all to death?'
His Report to Cleveland.
Consul &c neral Lee: 1.-The same condition
Of things existed when Mr.. Cleveland asked
me to go down there last June a year ago.
1 gave him a report three weeks after I
got there, in which l told him there was
no chance, in my opinion, of the Spaniards
hot
there any chance of the insurrectionists
expslling the Spanish soldiers from the
island. That report is in the State Depart
ment somewhere today, and, If had to
write it over. would not dot an ''f' or
cross a st." although 1 have been there
nearly two years since then"
In response to an inquiry from Senator
Lodge for his opinion Of the insurgent gov
ernment, Gen. Lee said: Il have never
thought that the insurgents had anything
except the skeleton form of a government
a movable capital 1 asked them one day
why they did not have some permanent
capital, and think they gave very good
reason. They said it would require large
force to protect it and defend 1t, and they
could lot afford to mass up their men
there; that the capital and the government
offices had to move where they could be
safest
General Lee said he did not know any OF
the officials connected with their civil gov
ernfnent. The armed force would number
probably 81 1000 or $1,000. The number has
been up probably as high as $4,000 or $1,000
men, well armed. The ammunition varies.
The Spanish force was possibly $500 or
$4,000, but not drilled, not organized, nor
officered well.
N<> tn nm ri
In response to questions from Senator
Daniel, General Lee said that an American
army of occupation could go into the island
with safety now. Il mean on account OF
climate and SO on" said Senator Daniel, to
which General Lee responded: ION ac-
count Of climate and on account Of every
thing else.''
General Lee said that when he left Ha-
vana the Spanish troops had not been paid
for about nine months. nor the Spanish
officers for about four months.
Senator Daniel asked: do you think
General Blanco was lacking in courtesy to
you on leaving the island?'
General Lee-'I went with the British
consul general. 1 saw DR.. Congosto. the
secretary to the general 1 told DIR. Con-
gosto that l had received Instructions to
leave the island and go to the United States
and I called to pay my final respects. and
would like to see General Blanco. He ask
ed me to sit down and said he would go
and let him know. He went Off and stayed
about fifteen minutes, and came back and
said the general said please excuse him,
he was not well and was lying down. L
told DIR. Congosto then to say goodbye to
him, and turned around and left
Senator Daniel-"Were there any demon
strations of ill-will toward you as you
left?"
Consul General Lee-"When we were
coming out on the steamer Saturday even
ing there was some hallooing, cat calling
and whistling, and some Spanish express
sions mean towards, running away anu
I think that was confined to the
lower order Of men, however"
Admiral Irwin's Testimony.
Admiral John Irwin, a torpedo expert,
appeared before the committee on the I'd
instant He said that he had been in the
Earbor of Havana a pilot hundreds of
times. and that he was .here a great deal
while he was employed in laying the West
India cable system, and was there much of
the time during the rebellion from 1868 to
1871. At that time the Spaniards were bit.
terly hostile toward the Americans, and
Is,
during that war, were fired on by the Span
iards in a cafe, u number Of persons being
killed and wounded.
Asked as to his opinion, he said it was
that the destruction of the Maine was
caused by the explosion of a submarine
mine. IT, he said, ''the mine had been
originally laid to communicate with a mag
az.ne on shore. and then they had changed
their minds and wished to use it for a
ship, 1t would have been a very simple op-
GRAFTON to detach the cable from the shore
magazine and convey the ends surrepti-
tiously to the ship. Any one versed in
handling. and knowing the ground, would
have no difficulty, or the cable might have
been tapped from: any ship and the
splice made. 1t could have been made
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