Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-02-14
TIE TRUE STORY
Of How De Lome's lie ter VilIifying
the President
Was Secured by Representatives
Of the Cuban Junta-A Copy OF
the Letter Was First Taken, and
Later the Original Was Secured
end Forwarded to the Junta III
New York City.

e"iAo L Vi w dTdO0 10 Uii0 JuDGd LII
New York City.
Philadelphia, Pa, February 13.-The
Press Will print tomorrow what it as
serts to be the true version Of the ac-
QUESTION and publication of the letter
from Mr.. De Lone 10 Senior Canalejas.
The authority cited for its authentic
ity is "a Cuban OF the highest stand
ing in the councils of his party" who
receives his information from head
quarters 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 junta in the
postoffice at Havana. Don Jose Can
alejas, to whom the letter was adj
dressed never saw the original. He
did not know until eight days after the
letter reached Havana that such a
letter from SPANS representative in
Washington had been written him.
De Lone wrote the letter in his pri-
vate residence in Washington instead
Of at the Spanish legation. The paper,
however, was marked with the official
type and read in the corner Legation
de Espana'
THE SAME INSCRIPTION
was upon the left hand upper corner
of the envelope.
'Senor De Lone did not mail the
letter from his house. In fact he had
not quite completed it upon the morn
ing it was written and carried it to
the legation, where it was first seen
and noticed by a person who is in the
employ of the embassy, acting in a
sub official 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 office of De LONE the clerk in
question saw the open letter and read
some of it, The next day this same
person sent word to his Cuban asso-
ciates in Washington TO the effect that
he had seen a letter froIa De LONE to
Canaielas in which President Mckin-
ley
WAS VILLIFIED
and autonomy called a scheme. Sew
eral Of the Cuban leaders got together
and asked the employee of the en-
bassy to secure the letter. They did
not believe implicitly in his story, al
though he urged them to come into
the public print and make charges
against De Lone. Because they did
not have the letter in their possess
sion. the leaders refused to say any
thing about it. The employe of the
legation was urged to use all means
in his power to secure the letter, al
though 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.
1.-THE clerk in the employ Of Minis
ter De LONE saw no more Of the let
ter His memory-written abstracts
were forwarded to New York, and i
was quickly agreed that could posses
sion OF the latter be obtained and his
statements proven to be true, the let-
ter would be
Or INCALCULABLE VALUE
to the Cuban cause as substantiating
what Cuban leaders had maintained
regarding autonomy and the general
Spanish policy in official circles to-
wards this country and its officers.
Immediately words of warnings and
urgings to be on the alert were sent
to every Cuban who might be in a
position to obtain track Of or inter-
cept the much-sought-for missive.
THE letter reached Havana five days
after its postmark in Washington. An
agent of the Cuban party, who is an
employe Of the Spanish postoffice,
knew that the letter was on hand, and
when it came to his hands, it was car
ried from the postoffice and a copy
was made of it. Word to this effect
was sent to the Cuban leader in jack
s0nville. Fla, who at once asked The
secret Cuban iunta in Havana to secure
the original letter-that a copy was
NOT WHAT WAS DESIRED.
The Havana postoffice clerk was not
willing to do this at first, but after
ward 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 substituted IL place
OF the papes upon which DeLome had
written and the letter finally post
marked in the Havana office and sent
in its routine way Eight days from
it's arrival in the Havana Office the
sealed envelope, properly addressed TO
Senior Canaleias, was delivered at the
Hotel Inglaterra. Senior Canalejas did
not regard the matter seriously at the
time although the hotel boy VINO
brought him the letter and the post
Office employe who had last charge o<
II were arrested. SO also, was the
hotel employe who went several times
daily TO the postoffice for the mails.
Xii three were discharged after an ex-
animation.
"Seror Canalejas communicated al
most Immediately with Minister Pc
Lone. and for several weeks letters
and cableerams passed between the
two, but
No TRACE OF THE LETTER
could be obtained. Canalejas shortly
thereafter left Havana, going to Mad
rid
III Is not explained why the letter
was kent By the Cubans for several
weeks before ID was given out for pub
lfcation. An informant other than the
fo4-oo0iro h1lt