The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-15

Inc following colloquy between senator
Foraker and General 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 General Leon, no. sir; the man
who did that work was an officer thoroughly
acquainted with explosives OF all sorts and
who knew ali about it. 1t was very well
done
Senator Foraker-A man who had expert
knowledge necessarily?
General Lee-Yes, sir.
Senator Clark-And who must have had
knowledge of the location of the torpedo?
Consul General Lee-Ies, ! never have
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 some little chain. A vessel
swinging around that way sometimes gets
at various places all around the circle.
WI When she would swing or that way with
plying about the harbor all the time, any
body could get pretty well in front of her
on a dark night and drop one of the sub
marine mines of 500 pounds. They have
fingers, as it were, and as the boat goes
around 1t would touch the finger. which
might have been done after the Maine got
in there and not be discovered One or two
men rowing quietly in boat could drop 1t
off the stern of the boat a dark night,
though Sigsbee had his patrols out A boat
would not have been noticed because boats
go there always to a late hour of the night
-
mine weighs about 800 pounds and 1 sup
pose it would take two or three men-one
man to row and probably three or four to
handle the mine.
SENTIMENT OF THE PEOPLE.
In reply to Senator Gray, General Lee
said the Spanish population is not especial
ly hostile towards the United States. The
Spanish portion are principally the mer-
chants, commission merchants, shop
k66narS nd oil OFF tod
by business relations. great many
of them, while they give expression to great
loyalty, are really annexationists, because
they think it is the only way out of trouble,
and they would much prefer annexation to
the United States to Cuban republic. AS
to the Cuban part of the population, they
are generally all for free Cuba.
The condition of the reconcentrados out
IN the country is just as bad as in General
Weyler'S day. 1t has been relieved a good
deal by supplies from the United States.
Dut that has ceased now. General Blanco's s
published proclamation resembling General
WeyIer's bando, as they call it, has had
no practical effect, tor 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 two months before they can raise the
drst crop. In the next place, they are
AFRAID to go out from the lines of the towns
because the rowing bands of Spanish guer-
rillas as they are called, would kill them.
30 they stick right at the edges of the
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
few days amount to-"
General Lee responded: Nothing; prac-
tcallly nothing-the armistice amounts to
In response to an inquiry from Senator
Frye as to his reasons for saying that the
insurgents would pay no attention to the
Dor r-n
every attempt so far to make terms or to
make peace or to buy the insurgents or
their leaders has met with signal failure
Gomez he is, in my humble opinion, fight
ing that war in the only way it can be
done-scattering his troops out because to
concentrate would be to starve, having no
commissary train and no way to get sup
plies He comes in some times for the
purpose of making some little raids where
he thinks it would do something but he has
given orders, so l have always been in
formed, not to fight, not to become en-
gagged, 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 Weyler went out after
him sometimes, and they would move up
column and fire. and sometimes hank the
column, and the Spanish soldiers would de-
ploy and throw out SkirmiSherS, the Gu
bans. like Indians, would scatter out. Then
the Spanish troops would countermarch and
go back to town, reporting three men killed
and ten or twelve wounded"
HAVE NO PROVISIONS.
Senator Mills-How much provision have
they in store for the army? How song can
they maintain their forces there without
bringing in more provisions?
General Lee-They are living there almost
from hand to mouth, the Spaniards, and the
citizens of the town of Havana also. Ev-
erything that the town of Havana has re-
ceived in the last four or five or six months
has been from the United States.
Senator Mills-Can they get no subsist-
ence from the island?
Consul General Lee-Nothing more than
from this floor Cndicating) The way the
insurgents do is this: They have little
patches of sweet potatoes-everything
time-and Irish potatoes and fruits. They
drive their pigs and cattle into the valleys
and hillsides, and they use those and scat
ter cut. That is the reason they scatter
out. The insurgents plant crops in many
parts of the island. Speaking about an
armistice, the insurgents have not been in
terfered with much since General Blanco
went to the island. With the exception of
the campaign of General Pando in the east
ern part of Cuba, there have been very few
military operations inaugurated by the
Spanish. So 1t has been practically a sort
of a truce for some time-the insurgents
/ because they did not want to fight and be-
cause it was against orders to fight.
Suppose Havana was blockaded," said
Senator Mills, 80 that no provisions could
go in, would the people there have any way
to get any?"
None whatever" responded General
Lee: THE town would surrender in a short
while.
General Lee said that all but about
800 600 Spaniards of the population of Cuba,
which is about 100000, were Cubans. He
also said that he had expended all but about
5000 of the $4,000 appropriated fer the re-
lief of American citizens in Cuba.
Senator Morgan asked if it was a matter
of actual necessity to feed them to which
General Lee replied: They were practically
in the condition of all the other inhabitants
of the island They had very little to work
at. There were not many sugar plantations
in operation, nor tobacco places. and they
were suffering like everybody else"
Senator Cullom asked if the Spanish army
got any of the supplies sent by the United
States.
mo. sir" said General Lee. Occasion
ally they might have got little here and
there"
CONDITION CT SOLDIERS BAD.
Senator Frye asked various questions in
regard to the physical condition of the
Spanish soldiers, and the method of provid-
ing for them, to which General Lee replied
is very bad. They are badly clothed and
very badly fed; not well organized not
drilled.
Senator Frye-If Spain has really appro-
priated 100000 for the sustenance of the re-
concentrates, as it is stated, do you believe
that it will he given TO those people and
that their own soldiers will be left to
starve?
Consul General Lee-Oh no. sir
Senator Foraker-What will become OF II =?
Consul General Lee-They will divide il IN
here and there-a piece taken off here and
piece taken off there. / do not believe
Ia t..H 1fr,er Dr