The herald., 1898-03-18
LETTER FROM WEYLER
MAY FURNISH A CLUE TO THE
MAINE DISASTER
"A TERRIBLE punishment
Had Been Prepared for Any American
Warship Daring to Appear in
Havana Harbor
Associated Press Special Wire

York Journal this afternoon prints G
statement written by Honore F. Laine
the newspaper correspondent recently
arrested and searched by Spanish Off
cials in Cubanas prison, Havana, and
later expelled from the island. This i:
the opening Of LANES statement:
"On January oath, at 10 o'clock al
night. met, in the Cafe Inglaterra, the
headquarters Of the reporters in Ha-
vana. Francisco Diabe, a reporter Of the
rabid Spanish paper, La Union Con-
stitutional, with whom frequently ex'
changed news.
""On asking him if he had anything tC
give me, he took from his pocket let
ter and handed it to me, saying: 'Wey-
ler wrote this letter to Santos Guzman
who sent it to Move the editor Of the
Union ConstitutionaD for him to read
and write an article on the acceptance
by Weyler Of the candidacy of Deputy
to the Cortes for Havana. I took this
copy, which you can keep
| THE following is the alleged letter
referred to above:
His EXcellency, Don Francisco de los
Santos Guzman, Havana:
my distinguished personal and po-
| litical friend-Since the latest events
I have changed my views about the at
| titude which our political party in Cuba
| ought to assume. If 1 have thought be-
fore that it was more dignified for us to
abstain from the electoral contest, l
| believe now that it is a patriotic duty
for us to go to the polls Our success
cannot be doubted now. With the pro-
gram for the defense Of national honor.
we will have side by side all those luke
warm politicians who. though Span
iards by heart, are deceived by the in
side combinations of Moret and Sagasta
and take as scientific solutions of our
colonial problems what are really dis
honorable humiliations of our country
before the United States.
"'Write on your flag, the flag Of Spain,
Defense of National Honor" and I
offer you my name as your candidate.
"'After having commanded during
two years, 100000 Spanish heroes in
Cuba, with a high title, shall be more
proud of that Of Deputy from Havana at
the Cortes of Spain.
by the way, have read these days
that the Americans are pondering about
sending one of their warships 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.
81 had harbor we'll prepared for
such an emergency. 1 rapidly finished
the work that Martinez Campos care
lessly abandoned.
"If the insult is made 1 hope that
there will be a Spanish hand to punish
it as terribly as it deserves.
"'Romero is in better health than his
friends could have expected, and not
withstanding how morally sick I feel,
breathing this humiliatiEg atmosphere,
1 am physically well.
Your affectionate friend and serv-
ant,
(SigneO VALERIANO WEYLER.
Madrid. January s, $685."
LANES ARREST
Laine says that he read the
letter and afterwards pigeon-holed
it, When the Maine arrived he called at
the office of the Union Constitutional to
see Diaz, in an effort to secure the orig
inal of the letter. Some days after the
Maine explosion Laine met Diaz, who
asked him if he remembered the letter
and what it's contents We're about the
American warship. The American cor
respondent replied that he did and he
believed that some one had followed
Weylers advice. Laine says that he
has since found out that Diaz informed
the Chief Of Police that he (Laine) had
copy of letter written by Weyler
which might bring trouble to the Span
ish government, especially as he was an
American newspaper correspondent,
who was associating with Captain Sigs-
bee.
On March Laine was arrested by the
Chief of Police of Havana. His friends
were informed Of his being imprisoned
by cabman who knew him. Accord
ing to Laine, Chief Paglieri said to him:
well, sir. we have you here secure,
and let me tell you that the secret that
l know you possess will never be known
through you by others, as no one will
ever know what becomes of YOU"
Laine replied: eff you think you can
murder me as were Asia and Posas, the
two young men who were taken from
here and killed, you are mistaken"
The Colonel replied in a calm but
stern voice: "No. sir; I am not mis-
taken"
"You may not be mistaken" said
Laine, "but can tell you that at this
moment the French as well as the Amer
lean Consul has been notified that am
here
This changed the Chiefs attitude some
what. but he persisted in trying to Sc
cure information from Laine.
II know" he said, "all about copy Of
a letter Of General Weyler, which you
have, and the trouble you intend to cause
about that. What I want to know, and
what l hope you will tell me, is in con-
sideration of the good it may bring you
is what information you gave to Con-
sul-General Lee on the 21st of February
about plot suggested by the letter and
the placing Of dynamite in the harbor,
with which fact you said you became
acquainted during the period of your
incarceration in the time of Weyler."
This was really a surprise to me-"
LANES narrative continued. II had
spoken to Lee about what 1 had seen
during my Imprisonment in Cabanas.
which lasted for more than year, dur
ing the most bloody period of the reign
of Weyler I had noticed for several
nights mysterious works which were
being prepared in the fortress. On in
quiring from a soldier whom I knew
what it was, he informed me that they
were carrying from the magazine of the
fortress, large quantities of dynamite
which were being carried in the harbor.
My investigation during my period of