The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-18
THEY HATE AMERICANS
CONSUL GENERAL LEES LIFE WAS
THREATENED BY SPANIARDS.
Policy of Concentration Proposed by
Ier-Ncw Theory as TO the Maine.
New York correspondence Philadelphia

from Cuba is the representative of one of
the foremost of American corporations, a
man who has had charge of all the interests
of that corporation in the West Indies with
headquarters at Havana. he arrived in
New York on Sunday, and is here because
he received warnings from intimate friends
that his name was upon a list which
tanned also the names of many other Amer
leans. who were, the instant hostilities be-
gan, to be assassinated. He had earlier
been told that his life would be in danger
If he remained in Havana but paid no heed
to the warning.
On Wednesday of last week a Spaniard
who is Z business man in Havana, and who
is under great obligations to this American
representative, came to him and said, Il
implore you to go away as soon as possible
after you have heard what l say. You
among those marked out for assassination
in case war begins. If worst comes to
worst. and war comes before you can get
away, come Immediately to my house and
l will hide you, although it will be danger
Gus for me to do that
Another warning coming from a source
which this man was bound to heed sat
sfad him that he would be in deadly peril
if he remained i'll Cuba, and he therefore
departed on Thursday and is now in this
city. He. is man of Spanish descent, al
though born in Porto Rico. He was educated
in the United States, became an American
citizen and has for some years represented
one of the greatest of New York's CONNER
cial institutions in the West Indies.
This morning he met some of those who
are interested in the company he represents
and some other business men of national
his own experiences, which as a business
man having connections all over the Island
of Cuba. have been extensive, what he
thought of the condition, its causes and its
determination.
LEE WAS IN DANGER
He said in the first place that the accusa-
ton made by the Havana newspapers that
General Lee had fled from Havana because
he lacked courage was far apart from the
truth. On the contrary. there has not been
q day for the past month when Lees life
was not in danger, and the consul general
has been aware of that. AS proof of this
assertion, this man said that about two
weeks ago he was dining with prominent
Spanish naval officer. and in the course
of conversation this officer said lone of
these days General Lees life Will be taken.
il will be done by an clement in Havana
and the plans are already arranged
In reply the American said that he did
not, believe that any Spaniard could be
found in Havana SO low and SO foolish
us to assasSinate the American consul gem
eral; low because assassination is the
work of william: foolish, because the as
sassinatiOn of Lee would by followed by
such vengeance as might leave scarcely II
Vestige OF Havana Nevertheless the naval
already been prepared. A day or two later
this American was conversing with q Span
lard with whom he had had close business
relations, when suddenly this Spaniard
pointed to two men, saying: IF General
Lee is killed you see two of the men now
who will have part in that act
On the following day the American saw
one of these two men lurking around the
American consulate. He thereupon called
upon General Lee and said that he felt it
to be his duty to warn the general that he
might be in danger and to give the reasons
for that apprehension
General Lee replied that this was only
one of a number of friendly warnings
he had received, some of them contain
ing such detailed information that he
for believing that such a plot had been
arranged. But" he said. Il cannot do
anything other than 1 am now doing; Il
must stay here until my government tells
me to go away and | must take my chances
of life or DEATH Other things which this
American business man learned satisfied
him that there were several times when
General Lee life depended upon a mere
chance or happy accident. and that II is
marvel that he got away from Havana
alive.
In his own case the warning came from
those whom he had served and who had
special reasons, partly of business nature,
for wishing that his life be preserved He
had been. with others. selected for assas-
sinatiOn because 1t was believed that al
though he was nominally civilian and
a business man not personally interested in
the conflict, nevertheless he had secretly
given advice and encouragement to the Gu
ban leaders. Besides 1T was known that
lie had once or twice sought General Lee
other than consular business. He saw
partial list of American citizens who had
been marked for assassination, and, while
some of them have now departed from the
island, others are still there, perhaps ig-
norant of the intention of the conspirators.
If hostilities break out and citizens are
called from their houses to the streets and
shot. this man believes that the names of
some of them will be found to be identical
with some of the names on the partial list
which he saw.
In Havana, he says, the vndictive and
General Lee. who is believed to be chiefly
responsible for the attitude OF the Amert-
can nation. Next TO this, luminosity in
fierceness and intensity is that entertained
for the American newspaper correspondents,
and after that the feeling of bitter resent
ment and of ugly hatred for the entire
American people is very strong.
THE FREEDOM OF CUBA.
Every one of intelligence in Cuba the
Spanish soldiers the army and navy Of
fcerS and the business men, knows that
Spain has lost Cuba. There is no expecta-
tons that Spain can ever conquer the in
surgents. Since the LIST of April, when the
proclamation requiring every man capable
of bearing arms who is between the ages
of nineteen and fifty to register, hundreds
of Cubans who had before that time taken
no part in the troubles have gone to the
interior to join the insurgents, and the Gu
pan pan army Is now rapidly increasing in num-
Ders Tor that reason. But the freedom of
CuDa, In this mans opinion. cannot be Sc
cured without contest of arms.
one decisive victory over the Spanish
forces or its navy would probably COW
demorallzation in it's military and naval
forces Inc Spanish army in Cuba is made
up, TINS man says, OF men of two widely
dlnerent qualities. A part of the army
consists OF men who are generous, sympa-
thetlc and who at heart believe that the
cuban cause should succeed and will; the
other part is made up of men who seem al
most destitute of moral or humane instincts,
and these are the men who are relied upon
TO do the work of cruelty.
some OF those who heard the extremely
interesting and graphic descriptions given
the polcy OF concentration as viewed from
the business mars point of view.
he said that the policy was first proposed
Dy captain General CampoS and as mill
tary act. 1t, however, had no other purpose
than the weakening of the insurSent army.
ccmbatants on the island should be brought
to the cities and that upon the cities should
be deVOlVed the responsibility for feeding
and sheltering them Immediately there
came to Campos delegations from the diff
ferent cities 10 inform him that IL would
he iY0oT1 10 m pad ~ ha