The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-14

shock, no other electric lights went
Gen. Lee also said that he had not
hotel.
Have you heard since the explosion
OF the Maine any expression by Spanish
officers in relation to it, indicating
their pleasure at the fact?' asked SEN
ator Frye.
Gen. Lee responded: st heard two or
three days afterwards from various
persons who came in that there was a
good deal of rejoicing among some of
the officers. All reports I got said they
were drinking champagne, quite a thing
to do in honor of the event and in diff
ferent portions of the city, officers were
making merry. I attribute it to the fact
that what they considered almost an
enemy's battleship, had been blown up,
and it was that much in their favor"
He said that he had not heard any
threats, or illusions to the destruction
OF the Maine, previous to the explosion.
Senator Lodge asked if he had heard of
an attempt on the Montgomery
Il heard" responded Gen Lee, that
there was something of that sort one
evening, but I believe upon investiga-
tion,it was found that it did not amount
to anything"
The following colloquy between Sen
ator Foraker and Gen. Lee brought out
some further opinions of the general in
regard to the destruction of the Maine.
Senator Foraker-You think that no
novice could have destroyed the Maine?
Consul Gen. Lee-Oh, no sir: the man
who did that work was an officer thor
oughly acquainted with explosives of
All sorts, and who knew all about it.
1t was very well done.
Senator Foraker-A man who had ex-
pert knowledge, necessarily?
Consul Gen. Lee-Yes, sir.
Senator Clark-And you must have
had knowledge of the location of the
torpedo?
Consul General Lee-Yes. I never
have been certain that the submarine
explosive was placed there prior to the
entrance of the Maine into the harbor.
1t might have been done afterwards.
The Maine was anchored to a buoy by
a chain. A vessel swinging around that
way sometimes gets at various places
all around the circle. When she would
swing off that way, with the bow next
to the buoy and these boats plying
about the harbor all the time, any body
a dark night and drop one of these
submarine mines of 500 pounds. They
have fingers, and as the boat goes
around it would touch the finger, which
makes contact and exp1odes the mine.
That might have been done after the
Maine got in there and not be discov-
cred. One or two men rowing quietly
in a boat could drop it off the stern of
the boat on dark night. Though
Sigsbee had his patrols out, a boat
would not have been noticed, because
they go there always to a late hour of
the night. The harbor is full of these
little boats. A mine weighs about 500
pounds and suppose it would take two
or three men-one man to row and
probably three or four to handle the
mine.
In reply to a question from Senator
Gray, General Lee said that the Span
ish population is not especially hostile
towards the United States. The Span
ish portion are principally the mer-
chants, commission merchants, shop
keepers and all this agitation is affect
ing very much their business. A great
many of them whilst they give express
sion to great loyalty, are really an
nexationists, because they think it is
the only way out of the trouble and
they would much prefer annexation to
the United States to a Cuban republic.
AS to the Cuban part of the population,
they are generally all for free Cuba
The condition of the reconcentrodos
out in the country, is just as bad as in
Gen. Weyler's day. 1t has been re-
lieved a good deal by supplies from the
United States, but that has ceased now.
Gen. Blanco published a proclamation
resembling Gen. Weyler's bando,as they
call it there, but it has had no practi-
cal effect, for in the first place, these
people have no place to which to go;
the houses have been burned down;
there is nothing but the bare land there
and it takes them two months before
they can raise the first crOp.In the next
place, they are afraid to go out from the
lines of the towns, because the rowing
bands of Spanish guerillas, as they are
called would kill them. So they stick
right in at the edges of towns, just like
they did, with nothing to eat except
what they can get from charity. The
Spanish have nothing to give.
Senator Lodge asked: What does
this cessation of hostilities spoken of in
the last few days, amount top to
which Gen. Lee responded: Nothing,
practically nothing-the armistice
amounts to nothing"
In response to an inquiry from Sena-
tor Frye as to his reasons for saying
that the insurgents would pay no at
tention to the armistice, Gen. Lee said:
Because every attempt, so far, to
make terms, or to make peace, or to
buy the insurgents or their leaders, has
met with signal failure; and whatever
may be said about old Gen. Gomez, he
is, in my humble opinion, fighting that
war in the only way it can be done
scattering his troops out-because to
concentrate, would be to starve, hav-
ing no cOmmiSsary train and no way to
get supplies. They come in sometimes
for the purpose of making some little
raid where he thinks it will do some
thing; but he has given orders, so 1
have always been informed, not to fight,
not to become engaged, not to lose their
cartridges; and sometimes when he gets
into a fight, each man is ordered not to
fire more than two cartridges. When
Gen. Weyler was there he went out af-
ter him sometimes and they would move
up a column and fire, and sometimes
flank the column, and the Spanish SOL
diers would deploy and throw out
skirmishers, and the CubanS, like In
dians, would scatter out. Then the
Spanish troops would countermarch and
go back to town-three men killed and
ten or IL wounded"
Senator Mills-How much provisions
have they in store for the army? How
long can they maintain the forces there
without bringing in more provisions?
Gen. Lee-They are living there al
most from hand to mouth, the Span
iards and the citizens in the town of
Havana Also Everything that the town
of Havana has received in the last four
or five or six months, has been from the
United States.
Senator MilIs-Can they get no SUBJ