The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-29
MYSTERY AT HAVANA
Only a Portion of Columbus Re-
mains Were Found.
TOMB WAS DESIGNATED
COINS AND PRECIOUS STONES
HAVE BEEN STOLEN,
Removal of the Remains Conducted
With the Greatest Secrecy and No
Official Statement Made-Whole-
sale Pardoning of Criminals Caus-
ing Apprehension.

Havana, Sept. 2S.-Mystery and Sc
crecy surround all the official acts OF
the Spanish government. Especially
was this the case in exhuming the re-
mains OF Columbus, and this fact has
caused much unfavorable comment and
given rise to grave rumors, which.
| though unconfirmed, appear to have
| some foundation. as there has been no
attempt at denial from any source.
| The removal of the remains, which
should certainly have been public
! ceremony, was yelled in the deepest
mystery and was effected behind closed
doors of the cathedral, which was
guarded by an armed force.
Few of the authorities were present,
the names of those who were to be in
attendance being handed to the chief
of police the night before, in General
Blanco's own handwriting. The chief
of police suggested that comments
would be made by the press uDon the
secrecy of the proceedings and asked
whether - would not be advisable to
allow representatives of the newsDa-
DerS to be present. To this General
Blanco positively refused to accede,
telling the chief of police to limit him
self exclusively to the list of guests
that had been handed him.
No official account of the ceremony or
statement regarding the condition of
the remains have been made public.
but it has leaked out from an almost
authoritative source that they are not
in exactly the same condition as when
placed in the niche. When the remains
were placed in the mauSoleum, a small
casket was enclosed, containing coins,
gold and silver medals, precious stones
and rolls of parchment as was then
the custom upon the occasion of a
burial. 1t appears that this casket had
been tam9ered with and rifled of its
contents, and further rumorS say that
only portions of the remains are left.
Gossip of scandal and speculation are
rife, the truth of which the authorities
make no effort to affirm or contradict.
Quasi official explanation, however,
is to the effect that secrecy was given
to the ceremonies because a cable dis
patch received here reported that Cen
eral Toral had been murdered in Ma
drid the day before and fears were en-
tertained that disorders might occur If
the public and militia came together in
great numbers.
Some of the more radical Spaniards
go to the length of saying that the
whole ceremOney was a farce, the
Washington government not having
agreed to the removal of the remains,
and this government going through the
lie believe the remains, which are
really left here, were shipped to Spain.
DISTRESS AT MATANzAS.
The distress. disease, death. hunger
and starvation at MatanZas continue
undated. The daily average of deaths
upon the street corners exceeds 20, and
the condition of the poor in Havana is
not much better than in Matanzas. |
NT-N+l ~.
the shadows of skeleton children to
their breasts, beg food and fall by the |
wayside, but the government refuses !
to admit the gravity of the situation, I
and has closed the soup kitchens, pro- |
to the world that want and |
restitution no longer exist.
RELEASE OF CRIMINALS.
The colonial cabinet is making a rec
ord worthy of its Spanish predecessors.
The wholesale pardoning of life crimi-
nails lately by the colonial secretary has
caused a great sensation.
The case which caused the most re-
vulsion of popular sentiment is that of
Florentine Villa, who was serving a
life sentence at Ceuta for murder COM
mitted four years ago, which, at the
time, caused an immense sensation,
wing to the circumstances surrounding
the crime. His pardon came as d
bomb, causing such surprise here and
n Spain that the Madrid government
asst night cabled to the colonial cabi-
let demanding TO know the reasons
upon which the pardon was based. This
,ase was not the only fiaring irreg-
Ilarity. Criminals of the deepest dye,
sentenced for the most horrible and
nhuman crimes, are daily pardoned by
he colonial cabinet. This causes the
yravest fears in every rank of So
,iety, and distrust and apprehension
Is to the future more than any other
Lgency, and reacts in favor of annex
Ition by the United States, as the first
teps in the direction of autonomy
menace the preservation of law and
rider by turning loose criminals upon
he community.
General Blanco has signed a decree
all political prisoners con-
med in the fortresses of the island but
he edict has not yet been published.