The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-07

Havana, Nov. (via Key West, Nov.
6.)-Oelayed in transmission.)-Ge
Luque, Spanish minitary governor OF
the Holguin division, on leaving Gil
bara for Spain, wrote, it is understood,
to Captain General BlancO to the effect
that Gibara, prior to the American oc-
cupation, had been governed in an Or
binary fashion by the Cubans, who had
named municipal officers, whose sober
direction of affairs commanded the re-
spect of the Spanish. But when the
Americans entered the town, Colonel
Ray, according to the report Of General
Luque'S letter, tore the Cuban flags
from all the public buildings, trampled
on it, freely insulted the Cubans and
allowed his men to indulge in drunken
carousals. When the Spanish troops
were embarking, wrote General Luque,
some 1000 Cubans lined the road along
which the evacuating Spaniards, with
Luque at their head, marched to the
wharf. The Spaniards raised the cheer,
viva Espana," which was Justify an
swered by the Cubans, as a direct af-i
front to the Americans, after which
the Cubans retired to a. place called
Bujari. near Gibara, where they forti-s
fed themselves, "defying American au-
thority." This is generally reported as
the tenor of Luques' note.
Alfred Bettancourt, a British subject
born in Jamaica, was assaulted on
Tuesday last by a Spanish officer, who
struck him on the side Of the head for
wearing a gold scarfpin in the shape
Of a five-pointed star. The officer or
dered Bettancourt under arrest and
sent him before General Arolas, mill
tary governor of Havana, who ordered
him imprisoned. Mr.. Jerome, British
vice consul, on being notified of the
assault, presented himself at the cap
tain generals palace to protest against
an act of brutality and to demand the
instant release of Bettancourt. General
Blanco at first attempted to put Mr..
Jerome off, then he said it would be an
extremely difficult matter to release the
prisoner, as he had not been arrested
by the Orden publico, but by an army
officer, and had been sent to jail by
the military governor. But Mr.. Jerome
maintained a firm attitude, insisting
| that he would remain at the palace I'M
til Bettancourt was released. Finally,
after an interchange of messages be-
tween General Blanco and General Ar
olas, Mr.. Jerome all the while refusing
to bulge from the palace, Bettancourt
was released at a. late hour.
These are the bare facts Of an as
sault which, under other conditions,
might pass with slight notice, but
which is significant, coming on the
heels of a threat made by General Ar
olas to get even with Englishmen in
Havana because of a protest recently
made by Mr.. MacLean, manager of the
Marine railway, owned by an English
company, against the use to which the
railway stations have been put by
Spanish soldiers stationed to guard
them on Sundays and holidays. The
| conduct of the soldiers was grossly in
| decent, and excited the indignation Of
| everybody living in the vicinity of the
stations. When Mr.. MacLean lodged
| his complaint, General Arolas, who is
] extremely hostile to the English, as
we'll as to the Americans, declared that
he would get even with the Saxon
rabble."
Ell Diario de Ia Marina publishes
| fierce editorial attack upon the United
| States, declaring that the whole coun-
/ try is governed by rum and ignOr-
ance."
1t imputes to the American govern
/ ment "a breach of faith contrary to
the usages Of all civilized countries In,
sending war vessels to Puerto Rico af-
ter the protocol was signed and occu-
plying the Philippines before the cons
| ference at Paris has terminated"