Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-15

Washington, April 14-The testimony
taken before the Senate committee on
foreign relations in connection with the
investigation into the relations of the
United States and Cuba was made pub
lie to-day. 1t constitutes a book of
$50 pages, and includes not only the
the Maine, but also much that was
taken before and running back for a
year or more.
The statement which contains the
greatest current interest is that made
by Counsel General Lee, on the 12th
inst In this statement General Lee
said that he was informed on very good
authority that the Spaniards had placed
two rows Of torpedoes just at the
mouth Of the Havana harbor by MORO
Castle within the past two months, or
subsequent to the Maine disaster, and
that the switchboard is in a room in the
castle. He said, however, that he had
no information of the placing of any
torpedOes before the Maine was de-
stroyed, and none in regard to the pur-
chase abroad by the Spanish author
tiles.
Have you any reason to suppose that
the harbor was mined at all before the
blowing up of the Maine?" asked Sen
ator Frye.
mo, sir; I had no reason to suspect
anything of that sort up to that time
He then went on to say that General
Weyler's letter to Santos Guzman bad
have been placed there previous to the
Maine incident, and he said that this
supposition was strengthened by tele-
gram from General Weyler, Of which
he had cognizance. Upon the whole he
thought the WeyIer letter (the Lame
letter. was a correct
COPY OF A GENUINE LETTER.
The telegram to which he referred was
addressed to Eva Camel, noted Span
ish woman, and an admirer of Weyler's
and to Senior Guzman, and it read as
follows:
Grave circumstances cause me to ask
you to destroy the last letter, of Feb
ruary 18th
General Lee said that this telegram
had never before been published and
he found in 1t strong confirmatory evil
dence of the genuineness of the Weyler
letter
With reference to the responsibility
for the destruction of the Maine, Gen
eral Lee said:
II am satisfied the explosion was
from the outside. / cabled the State
Department a few days after the board
assembled that it was almost certain
terror.
Il have always had an idea about the
Maine that, of course, it was not blown
up by any private individual or by any
private citizen, but it was blown up by
some Of the officers who had charge of
the mines and electrical wires and tor
pedoes in the arsenal there, who thor
oughly understood their business, for it
was done remarkably well.
II do not think General Blanco. the
present Captain and Governor General
Of the Island of Cuba, had anything to
do with il. I do not think he had any
knowledge of it. ] saw him just short
ly after the occurrence. | was sitting
in my room at the hotel and heard the
explosion and saw a great column of
fire go up in the air. A few moments
after ascertaining that it was the
Maine. | went right down to the pal
ace and | asked for General Blanco.
He came in directly by himself He
had just heard it and was crying; tears
were coming out of his eyes.
HE SEEMED TO REGRET 1T
as much as anybody ! saw in Havana;
but | think it came from some of the
slbaltern officers who had been there
under Weyler and who were probably
anti-Blanco anyhow, and who had full
knowledge of the business"
General Lee said that he had seen
copy of a telegram from Admiral Man
tercla. dated in Havana, prior to tic
explosion of the Maine, 10 the Spanish
| commission in London. asking the COM
mission to Hurry up the electrical
cables Whether that referred to
| wire for submarine mines or topedoes
| I do not know" he continued
= tried to ascertain if any Of the
wire or electrical cables had arrived
| there but they came on Spanish ships
and | could not find out" General Lee
said that this testimony in regard to
Manterola, and also that with reference