Evening journal., 1898-02-14
STOLEN IN HAVANA.
De Lomes Epistle Intercepted
In the Postof1ce.
BLANK PAPER SENT TO CANiLEJAS.
whereat He Was Greatly Perturbed,
Caused Several Arrests, but Failed to
Prevent Publication Of His Friends
Ministerial Death warrant

Ministerial Death Warrant.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 1.-THE Press
prints today what Il asserts TO be the
true version Of the acquisition and pub
lication Of the letter from Spanish Min
lister de LONE to Senor Canalejas. The
authority cited for its authenticity Is
"a Cuban Of the highest standing In the
councils OF his party" who receives his
information from headquarters In New
York"
The story proceeds TO say;
"The letter was not stolen from the
United States mails. but was secured by
an agent OF the Cuban iunta in the post
Office at Havana. Don Jose Canalejas,
20 whom the letter was addressed, new
er saw the original. He did not know
until eight days after the letter reached
Havana that such letter from Spains
representative in Washington had been
written him.
"De LONE wrote the letter in his pri-
vatc residence In Washington instead
OF at the Spanish legation. The paper
however. was marked with the official
type and read in the csrner Legation
do Espana The same inscription was
upon the left hand upper corner Of the
envelope
"senor de LONE did not mail the let
ter from his house. In fact, he had not
quite completed IL upon the morning IT
was written and carried II to the lega-
tion, where It was first seen and no
ticed by n person who Is in the employ
OF the embassy. acting in q suboiiicial
capacity. The letter lay upon the desk
Of the minister in his inner office, the
outer Office being his place Of reception
for visitors. During an absence Of half
an hour from the inner Office Of De
LONE the clerk in question saw the
open letter and read some of IT,
"The next day the same person sent
word 20 his Cuban associates in Wash
ington to the effect that he had seen a
letter from De LONE to Canalejas in
which President Mckinley was vilihed
and autonomy called a scheme. Several
of the Cuban leaders got together and
asked the employee Of the embassy TO
secure the letter. They did not believe
implicitly I'm his story, although he
urged them to come into the public
prints and make charges against De
LONE Because they did not have the
letter in their possession the leaders
refused TO say anything about IL. The
employee OF the legation was urged to
use all means in his power TO secure
the letter although It was considered
probable that the letter was already In
the mails when the Cubans at the Hotel
Raleigh were informed Of It's existence.
THE clerk In the employ of Minister
de LONE saw no more Of the letter His
memorized abstracts were forwarded 10
New York, and it was quickly agreed
that could possession of the letter be
obtained and his statements proven TO
I.. ID Ia. ap 1..st
liable value TO the Cuban cause as sub
stantiating what Cuban leaders had
maintained regarding autonomy and
the general Spanish policy in official
circlesi toward this country and its ofi-
GERS sImuaediately words Of warning
and urgings 10 be on the alert were
sent TO every Cuban who might be In a
position to obtain track Of or intercept
the much sought for mssive.
"The letter reached Havana five days
after its postmark In Washington. An
agent of the Cuban party who is an em-
ployee Of the Spanish postoflice knew
that the letter was on the way. and
when it came into his hands it was car
ried from the postofice and a copy was
made OF Il. Word to this effect was
sent 20 the Cuban leader in Jackson
Vile, Fla. who at once asked the secret
Cuban junta IN Havana to secure the
original letter-that a copy was not
what was desired. The Havana post
ofnce clerk was not willing 20 do this at
first, but afterward consented, as he
was obliged TO account for a certain
number Of letters TO other employees OF
the department. The original was then
taken. several blank sheets were subs
stituted In place of the paper upon
which nran had ttr,.fffnn upI fha
letter finally postmarked In the Havana
Office and sent in it's routine way Eight
days from its arrival in the Havana Of
flee the sealed envelope. properly ad-
dressed 20 Senor Canalejas. was deliv.
cred at the Hotel Inglaterra. Senoi
Canalejas did not regard the matter Sc
riously at the time. although the hote
boy who brought him the letter and IN,
postohice employee who had last charg,
of IL We're arrested. So also was thu
hotel employee who went several time
daily to the postofiice for the malls. al
three We're discharged after an exam
nation.
"Senor Canalejas communicated al
most Immediately with Minister d
LONE. and for several weeks letters an
cablegrams passed between the two. bu
no trace Of the letter could be obtained
Canaleias shortly thereafter left Ha
vana. going to Madrid.
1T is not explained why the lette
was kept by the Cubans for severa
weeks before II was given out for pub
licauon.. An informant, other than tn
person who gave the foregoing but VIII
IS on the inside in Cuban official circle.
declared that the delay was occasione
by desire on the part OF the junta {
be assured absolutely that the writin
was that Of the Spanish minister. tha
he might not have any chance to den
its authorship and thus cause a reactio
which undoubtedly would have been II
result Of the propagation of fake"
Duke OF ARGOS Favored.
MADRID. Feb 14-Several mennbe,