The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-09
AFFECTS AMERICAN RESIDENTS
Special corr-cs So

Special Correspondence. ~
HAVANA, Cuba, March ?1.-Return-
Ing 10 Havana from q three hundred
Z mile quest OF information concerning
Tho culture OF sugar cane. I find an om-
inous quiet broodlng over tho capital.
It Is the stillress that presages a storm
Las when a West India cyclone is at
hand. beasts and birds fee to their GOV.
er,s and all nature seems in a swoon,
60 unnatural is the silence. One alarm
ing fact Is the sudden cessation OF IN.
suits 10 Americans. The hated race arc
no longer foutcd in public places and
the familiar shouts OF "Mueron los
+ Amerlcanol" is no more heard. The
Spanish residents, from the highest Of.
fcials OF the government TO the newest
appropriations from SpalE--nt oil times
pollteness pergonItlcd-ure now almost
onsequlous in their department toward
the sclons OF Uncle Sam. Not that they
love us any better; oh, no! The true
SpaIiard Is most dangerous when most
polite. So Is the duelIst when he gives,
or accepts, challenge: go was WcyiGr
IN his bloodicst humor., The Spanish
brlgand says ,"Pardones. me, Senor,"
with utmost courtesy while thrustirg
n dagger between your ribs, and the
courtly Hidalgo, like. Shasespeare's he-l
70. may smile when he murders and
murder when he smiles. X.
RumorS are aiioat In Havana that,
Congress Is making ibis mind for.
President Mckinley in the line of doing
something at last for suffering CUBA.
and that history stands with uplitted
pen, about TO record happenings Of
Sravest consequence; but We really
know little OF what Is going on In the
outside world, and least OF oil in ,Wash-
ington. OF course, the local papers,un-l
der the present rigid censorship. publish;
nothing adverse to Spain. II Is no lon-i
ger possible to get United States jour-
nails IN the regular way, through the
postoftice; they. are simply destroyed In
the lump, or dumped into the bay, and
that is the last OF them, so far as their
Cuban subscribers are concerned. Our!
only chance of seeing American news
papers at all is through private means;
such as an occasional copy. brought!
by some seamea and given to friends;
ashore. to be secretly circulated from
house to house and from hand to hand,
as precious, but dangerous possession:
I fancy hear one explain, DO you
mean to say that 1t Is actually dangers
Gus to have a newspaper in the house 2.
Indeed do! a copy OF the IntellIgen-,
Ger, for example, with the war-llke
matters In It which the last Issue saw
contained,if found lying to-day on ones
table in Havana, would be sufficient to-
send the whole family to prison, II not
TO 4 darker fate. = ~
Spanish spies are, everywhere. in all
manners ot7guises, from the servant in
thezkitchen, the besgar at the window,
the huckster at the door, to the priest
In the confessional, and the proiessed
bosom friend. Now days the most talk :
alive people have little to say on, any:
subject. Families discuss their plans
in secret, behind locked doors. and ad !.
nit no outsiders TO the smallest, conf:
dence. The Royal 2 Spanish mail!
steamship on her last trip to the moth.
+ er country carried nine hapless "pris.
oners OF state" designed for that terri
bic fortress In Barcelona, which has
been made Infamous In recent years by
the crueltes committed within its wallis;
In Weyler's time that same Royal!
Mail seldom made q trip without con.
Veylng Cubans TO perpetual Impcison-
msnt in the penal settlements OF Afri-
ca, or condemned TO chains for life In,
Spanish prisons. The cause OF their de.
portatioa was the alleged crime OF re-
oellion, but most OF them were at least
put through farcIcal trial. The vIc-;
TINS OF the other Gay-under the new
regime OF autonomy, with its promise
that the rights OF oil persons should be
sacredly Tespected-had not even the
sorm OF trial. Without a word OF
warning, or chance to arrange their q r
fairs, o. say farewell to theIr families
they were dragged from their homes or
places OF business. hurried aboard shin
and away TO some mysterious punish.
ment. People snudder at the mention
OF the Barcelona military prison. Blood.
chilling tales are whispered OF tortures
that would shame the inqulslt!on or the
lash. the branding iron and slow star
Sation: OF dungeon cells which are
Hooded with water at regular intervals.
when the wretched prisoner Is COMPEL.
ca 10 swim FOR. his lie and cling to pro-
1ections In the Shiny walls until the tide
[eceoes: anu al last, worn out with suf-
aefinS. MS strength deserts him and he
crowns IKE q, rat In hole. The instlr-
gent general, Ruiz RIVERA, 4 gentleman
OF culture ana once or wealth, was sent
20 that fortress Few months ago, after
his refusal to- accept freedom from
Blanco on conditions OF his supporiino
= autonomy. and thpre ho 10 49,, 10 -.
alive, undergoing what horrors. who
can say? Within the last fortnirh,
more than thirty persons within M
own knowledge have been arrested ior
the indefinite charge OF "conspiracyn
They were respectable, law-abldInc iii.
fzens-most OF them OF means and pdsl.
tlon-but all were Cubaas, suspected al
favoring the cause OF their countryme,
in the field. Just where they are uoty
Nobody knows. Not a, word has beer
heard OF the evidence against them q,
OF their defense. Some unknown state.
ment OF the police to the authorities LEI
TO thei- arrest; and on this showing
with no opportunity offered OF defend
ing themselves. they may be deported-
God knows where, or to meet what i1or.
rlble fate. This Is no fancy picture. bu
absolute facts. The deportations ar,
made In the name OF the new autono
mist cabinet and under Its authority
Do you wonder that the Cubans decl!n,
TO trust In Its tender mercles or to fp!i
their faith on any moro Spanish pro
mlses? Sls0l
Tho Hpeeches OF Senator's Proctor
Thurs.on. .GallInger and others In tn