The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-06
FOUR FAKIRS OF HAVANA.
HERALD I'M dSsOCIATFD PRESS
CORRESPONDENCE ARE two.

| -
Their Partners In HnveutinE Defeats for Cubans
Are ConEssto and Fcrnapdez do Castro
Associated Press Correspondent Bctrn, ed
Betancourt 70 Torture ana Death.
sehor Ricardo Arnanto m we'll .knovn Ha.
yana Journalist. made Yesterday some very In.
t~erestinR statements nbout secret dealings with
| tho Spanish Government in Cuba by the Asso-
| ciated Press and the Ne,p York Herald.
Senior Arnanto edited in Havana the news
paper Ei Reconcentrado, in which he waged a
| herce campaign against the officers of the Span
ish army who committed the many barbaritics
that made the whole civilized world shiyer in the
time of Gen. weyler. He attacked also almost
daily in his Newspaper the Associated Press
and its correspondent in Havana, Mr.. F. Hill
guert, known there as Pancho ell 4teman, a for.
mer officer of the irregular Spanish euerrilIas.
The result was. according TO Senor Arnanto's
declarations, that the officers. instieated by the
Associated Press CORRESPONDENT among others.
raided the Office of Ell Rcconcentrado and
| caused the riots which, as already known TO
| readers of THE Sun. threw the city OF Havana
into disorder for several DAYS after the l2ta of
| last January. Senior Arnanto said:
"One of the most strikinp evidences of the
bad faith of the Spanish Government and its
| constant purpose of deceiyinp public opinion In
the United states with regard to Cuba is tho
bITAIko DHIlnoI6nlD an MI ut EeIN CITY
of Havana between DR.. Congosto, Secretary
General Of the Government, the Spanish Dep
uty Don Rafael Fernandez del Castro, and tho
correspondence of the Associated Press and the
.Netc FORK Herald.
What these gentlemen do daily Is to invent
for publication in the United States bombastic
reports Of Spanish victories and of the success
| Of autonomy. This game Is well kno IN down
there. as it is also known that Secretary Con-
gosto draws largely from the secret funds of
Governor-Gencral Blanco to reward the SER
vices of his partners.
what THE Sun has said about the Herald
and Spain and the Associated Press correspond
! cnt's position as a Spanish agent is all very
true. hut I know of more details that will
rouse the indignation not ONLY of friends of
Cuba. hut of lovers of humanity.
..Congosto, Fernandez dc Castro, and the
chief correspondent of the Herald and the AS.
| ISOLATED Press. are called in Havana the four
fdkirs, Their efforts TO helm the cause of Spain
and TO prevent the publication of the real
news in the United States have made them
hated by all sympathizers with the reyolu.
ton. Besides the unjust denunciation. which I
am positive he mado to Gen. Weyler of Senior
Eduardo Garcia, correspondent OF TIE Sun.
who WAS imprisoned more than three months
in Havana; besides his suggestion. to weyler.
which the bloodtbirsty CAPTAIN. General ac.
cepted. of Offering 81 600 reward for the cam
! sure of any person who should afford news about
Cuba to THE Sun, the Associated Press CORE
spondent is principally responsible for the sad
| end ON Dec. 90. 1897. of the Cuban patriot
Damian Betancourt yaldes.
This hapless man. hopinp to do Some good To
the cause of his country. gave TO the Associated
Press correspondent I'm Havana important news
from the Cuban CAMP. Mr.. Hileuert. az usual
| Castro. and the news was. of course. not sent
to New York in it's true shape, But Damian
B~etancourt was arrested ana cross-examined.
with DIR. Hilguert, at the office of tho Chief of
Police, and he had to confess his patriotic
crime, He was tortured, and died of the blows
he received on the head. Jose Marin varona,
one of my editors in FL Reconeentrado, who
has just arrived at Key West, escaping from
the persecution Of Gen. Blanco, knew Damian
Betancourt and is ready to testify with me
about his tragic death.
Mr.. Hilguert wears his Spanish uniform at
all times and proudly talks about bis military
deeds when be was a guerrillero. I know of all
his past record from the soldier fireman Julian
Berroa Muhoz. who served under my orders
when I was n Major of the battalion offremen
in Havana. The man who now represents in
Cuba the Associated Press and whose cable
despatches are reproduced by so MANY news
papers in this country was, In the first years of
the war which began in 1868, one of the Span.
ish Ruerrilleros operating around Manzanillo.
Every one acquainted with the history of Cuba's
struggles for freedom knows what that means.
American readers ought to receive with the
greatest distrust ANYTHING about Cuba that
comes from the Associated Press and the Her.
aid. Almost all is the work of Seniors Con.
gosto and Fernandez de Castro.
The latter publicly boasts of having hired
the man who killed in an ambush the insurpent
leader Manuel Garcia Every one in Havana
knows. also. that he plotted the deaths Of Gems
Castillo. Zayas and Aranguren. and that he has
failed In many ATTEMPTS against the lives NJ
Raoul Arrange. Emilio Collazo and other Cubap
leaders. He is n fanatic in his hate OF the revo-
luton. He and DIR. Coneosto. who ACTS as n
Spanish official. NAV find some excuse but
Amorican ,ross who are bein,,g tb.m,