The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-18
HAD MINES IN HAVANA HARBoR
ALLEGED LETTER FROM wEYLER
MADE PUBLIC.

In 1t the Former Captain General
Writes That He Had Prepared to
Punish the Sending of an Ameri-
can Warship to Havana in "A Terri
leans Did Not Dare Dream of Send
ing n Ship While He Was I'm Com
mand.
New York, March 1.-THE Journal this
afternoon prints a statement written by
Honore f. Lalne. the newspaper CORE
spondent recently arrested and searched
by Spanish officials in Cabanas prison, Ha-
vana, and later expelled from the island.
This is the opening of Laine's statement:
ION Jan. "a, at 1 o'clock at night, met
In the Cafe Inglaterra, the headquarters
of the reporters In Havana, Francisco
Diaz. reporter of the rabid Spanish pa
per La Union Constitutional, with whom /
frequently exchanged news.
ION asking him II he had anything to
give me, he took from his pocket let
ter and handed 1t TO me, saying: 'Weyler
wrote this letter to Santos Guzman, who
sent It to Move (the editor of the La Union
ConstitutlonaD, for him to read and write
an article on the acceptance by Weyler of
the candidacy of deputy to the Cortes for
Havana. / took this copy, which you
can keep"
The following is the alleged letter re-
ferred to above:
"IIis Excellency. Don Francisco de Los
Santos Guzman, Havana:
my Distinguished Personal and Politi-
cal Friend: Since the latest events I have
changed my views about the attitude
which our political party in Cuba ought
to assume.
"If / have thought before that 1t was
more dignified for us to abstain from the
electoral contest. 1 believe now that 1t
is a patriots duty for us to go to the
polls. Our success cannot be doubted;
neither can our majority OF voters. nor
that with a programme of defense of the
national honor we will have side by side
with us all those lukewarm politicians
who, though Spaniards at heart, are deceiv-
ed by the inside combination or Moret and
Sagasta and take as scientific solutions of
our colonial problems what are really dis
honorable humiliations of our country be-
fore the United States.
write on your flag. the flag of Spain,
Defense of National Honor and offer
YOU my name as your candidate.
''After having commanded during two
years the two hundred thousand Spanish
heroes in Cuba. the title shall be most
proud of is that OF deputy from Havana at
the Cortes of Spain.
"By the way, have read these days
that these Americans are pondering about
sending one of their warshlps to that city.
During my command in Cuba they did not
even dare to dream about It, They knew
the terrible punishment that awaited
them.
II had Havana harbor well prepared for
such an emergency. I rapidly finished the
work that Martinez. Campos carelessly
abandoned.
'If the insult is made I hope there win
be a Spanish hand to punish 1t as terri
bly, as 1t deserves.
Romero Is in better health than his
friends could have expected, and notwith-
standing how morally sick / feel breath
ing this humiliating atmosphere, is well,
also your affectionate friend and servant.
Veieriano Weyler.
Madrid, Jan. 8, 1898.
I.aine said he read the letter and pigeon
holed II. When the Maine arrived, he
called at the Office of the Union Consti-
tucional to see Diaz in an effort to Sc
cure the original of the letter. Some days
after the Maine explosion Laine met Diaz,
who asked him II he remembered the let
ter and what its contents were about an
American warship. The American corre-
spondent replied that he did and that he
believed some one had followed Weyler's
advice Laine says that he has since
found out that Diaz informed the chief
of police that he Oaine) had copy of
letter written by Weyler, which might
bring trouble to the Spanish government,
especially as he was an American news
paper correspondent, who was associating
with Capt. Sigsbee. Hence his arrest on
March 4.
Continuing his narrative Lalne says:
IT had noticed for several nights myste-
rious work which was being done in the
fortress. on inquiring from a soldier
whom knew, what 1t was, he informed
me that they were carrying from the
magazine OF the fortress large quantities
of dynamite, which were being laid in the
harbor.
my Investigations during my period
of Imprisonment were carried as far as a
political prisoner could do In a Spanish
fortress, but II was sufficient for me TO
ascertain with certainty that the quantity
of dynamite placed In the harbor In diff
ferent n1acos was tvvo tons and that the
the Cabanas fortress and the Capitania
de Puerto. or marine headquarters"
BATTERIES FROM FORT MONROE.