The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-14
THE DE LONE LETTER
Philadelphia Press Makes the Whole
Matter Public.
1T WAS NOT STOLEN IN WASHINGTON
Employc OF the Embassy First Made
the Discovery.
WAS ABsTKAcTED IN HAVANA.
Three Arrcsts Made There ut tho
Time. but None or the suspects
Were Held.
IAS ABsTRAcTED IN HAVANA,

viii print tomorrow what IL asserts to be
the true version of the acquisition of the
letter from Senior Dupuv dc LONE to Senior
Canalejas The authority cited for its All
thenticity is "a Cuban OF the highest stand
ing in the councils OF his party, who re-
ceives bis information "from Headquarters
in New York"
The story proceeds to say;
'rhe letter was not stolen from the United
States mails. but Was secured bv m agent
of the Cuban junta in tho postofiicc at Ha-
vana. Don Jose Canaleias, TO whom the
letter was addressed, never saw the orlgi-
nal. He did not know until eight days
after the letter reached Havana that such
letter from Spain's representative i'll Wash
ington had been written him.
De LONE wrote the letter in his private
residence in Washington Instead OF at tho
Spanish legation. The paper. however. was
marked with the official tyne aud read In
the corner 'Legacion De Espana" The
same Inscription was upon the left land
upper corner OF this envelope
Senior De LONE did not mail the letter
from his house. In fact he had not Quite
completed 1t upon the morning 1t was writ
ten and carried 1t to the legation, where II
Was first seen and noticed by person
who is In the employ of the embassy. act
ing in semi-offcial capacity. The letter
lay upon the desk of the minister In his
inner Office. the outer Office being his
place of reception to visitors. During an
absence OF half an hour from the inner of
flcc of De Lone the clerk in question saw
the open letter and read some of I.
The next day this same person sent word
tn his Cuban associates in Washington to
the effect that he had seen letter from
De LONE to Cunalejas in which president
Mckinley was villified and autonomy called
a scheme Several OF the Cuban leaders
got together and asked The employe OF the
embassy to secure the letter They did not
believe implicitly IN his story. although lie
urged them to come into the public pint
and make charges against De Lone. so be-
cause thcy did not have the letter Ia their
possession the leaders refused to SAY any
thing about II. The employe of the iesa-
| ton was urged to use all means in his
power to secure the letter, although it was
considered probable that il was already IN
| the mails when the Cubans at The hotei
Raleigh were Informed OF its existence
| The clerk in the employ of De Lone
saw no more OF the letter. Ills msmory-
written abstracts were forwarded to New
York, aud IL was quickly agreed that could
possession of the letter be obtained, and
his statements proven TO be true the letter
would be of incalculaple value 20 the Cuban
cause as substantiating what Cuban cad
ers had maintained regarding autonomy and
the general Spanish policy In official circles
towards this country and its officers.
Immediately words of warning and Lrs
ings TO be on the alert were sent 10 every
Cuban who might be In position to OBJ
tain track OF or intercept the mnch sousn'-
for missive. The latter reached Havaiis
FIVE days after its postmark IN "isn'a
ton >.
| An agent of the Cuban party, Who ~
an employe OF the Spanish pos.oif c, Knew
| that the letter was on the way, ana Wneh
| n came into his hands IL was carried frvin
! the postoffice and n copy WAS iui1e OF ~
| Word TO this effect was seat TO the CUBAN
Header In Jacksonville. Fla, who nj once
asked the secret Cuban iun IN Havana
| 10 secure the original letter-ttat a ceps
yas NOT what was desired. The Havana
nostof(ice clerk was not willing To DO THIS
nj FIRST. hui afterwarG consented, as ne was
Obliged TO account for ! certain number OF
letters Ia other employees OF the depart
ment. Tho original was then faksh, sev-
rral blank sheets were Substituted IN inc
place OF The paper Oh when ne Lone hdu
written md the letter finally postnarked
In Inc Havana office and sent 10 Its rontire
way. - ~
| eight DAYS from its arrival in the ia
yana offioe the sealed envelope properly
Iadd,essed 10 Senior Canalcjas was deliY'
cred AZ IN Hotel lngiiatora. Senior Cam
aleias did not regard the matter seriouh'y
~ the time. although tho hotel boy whc
brought him the letter and the postofhce
e1nploye who last had charge was ART.
ed So was the hotel employe VINO vert
several times daily to the posto.'Iro i~
tta mail. All three were disehhiscu,
! sannr Canale1ns communicated aln.oft
i Immediately with Minister De LONE sac
FOR several weeks letters and cabiesrains
nassed between the two but no trace OF
tho letter could be obtained tanaie39s
shortly thereafter left Havana, aoing 20
Madrid.
! n Is not explained why tho 'ette: was
Kept by the Cubaus for several weeks De-
fore Il was given oui for publication. An
informant other than the peHon who gave
the foregoiDg, declares that the dc'ty was
occasioaed BY the desire on the part OF The
Iunta TO be assured absolutely that the
WRITING was that OF the Sranish minister
60 that he might not have any chancs 70
DENY Its authorship and cause reaction
whici, undoubfedv would have been the
result OF the propagation Of a fake
coxFLICTING VERSIONS.
49,. u.uort says sunSn Has Apollo.