The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-14
(HE DE- LONE LETTER.
How the Insulting Missive Game to
- Be Published. .a......
STOLEN AT HAVANA's POsT0FFIOE
An Agent of tho Cuban Party There
Employed Secured the Original Let
ter ana Sent the Envelope to Senor
Canelajas Stuffed With Blank Paper.

ter and Sent the Envelope to Senor
Canelajas Stuffed With Blank Paper.
Philadelphia, Feb IA. - The Press
prints what it asserts to be a true ver-
sion Of the acquisition and publication
of the letter from Spanish Minister De
LONE to Senor Canelajas. The author
fty cited for its authenticity is "a Gu
ban of the highest standing I'm the
councils of his party" who receives his
Information from headquarters in New
York"
The story proceeds to say: "The let
Ter was not stolen from the United
States mails, but was secured by an
agent of the Cuban junta in the post
Office at Havana. Don Jose Canelajas.
to whom the letter was addressed. new
er saw the original. He did not know
until eight days after the letter reached
Havana that such a letter from Spain's
representative In Washington had been
written him.
"De LONE wrote the letter In his prl-
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 lefthand upper corner of the
envelope.
'Senor DE LONE did not mail the let
ter from his house. In fact. he had not
quite completed 1t upon the morning it
was written. and carried 1t to the lega-
. ton. where 1t was first seen and no.
ticed by person who Is in the employ
Of the embassy, acting in a sub-ofIicial
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.
1.-THE next day this same person sent
word to his Cuban associates in Wash
lngton to the effect that he had seen
q letter from De LONE to Canelajas in
which President Mckinley was villified
md autonomy called scheme. Sew
eral of the Cuban leaders got together
md asked the employe Of the embassy
to secure the letter. They did not be-
lieye implicitly in his story, although
he urged them to come into public print
and make charges against De LONE.
Because they did not have the letter in
their possession the leaders refused to
say anything about it. The employe of
the legation was urged to use all means
In his power to secure the letter, al
though 1t was considered probable that
the letter was already in the mails
when the Cubans at the Hotel Raleigh
were informed of its existence.
ola IL To-, La - t-to
DE LONE saw no more Of the letter. His
memory written abstracts were for
warded to New York. and 1t was quick
" agreed that could possession of the
letter be obtained and his statements
proven to be true the letter would be
of incalculable value to the Cuban
cause as substantiating what Cuban
leaders had maintained regarding au-
tonOmy and the general Spanish policy,
In official circles, toward this country
and its officers. Immediately words Of
. warning and urgings TO be on the alert
were sent to every Cuban who might
be In a position to obtain track of or
intercept 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
.Amploye of the Spanish postoffice, knew
that The letter was on its way, and
when 1t came into his hands it was car
ried from the postofi1ce and a copy was
made, of it. Word to this effect was
sent tosthe Cuban leader In Jackson
ville Fla who at once asked the secret
Cuban junta in Havana to secure the
original letter--thot copy was not
phnf To
Office clerk was not willing to do this
at first, but afterWard consented. The
original was taken, several blank sheets
were substituted in place of the paper
upon which De LONE had written, and
the letter finally postmarked In the
Havana office and sent in It's routine
way. Eight days from its arrival in the
Havana office the sealed envelope,
properly addressed to Senior CanelaiaS,
was delivered at the Hotel Ingiaterra.
Eenor Canelajas did not regard the mat
ter seriously at the time. although the
hotel boy who brought him the letter
snd the postofiice employe who had last
charge of it were arrested. So, also,
was the hotel employe who went sew
eral times daily to the postoflice for
the mails. All three we're discharged
after the examination.
"Senor Canelaias communicated al
most Immediately with Minister De
LONE, and for several weeks letters and
cRblcgrams passed between the two
but no trace Of the letter could be OBJ
lstned. Canelajas shortly thereafter
left Havana, going to Madrid.
at is not explained why the letter
Was kept by the Cubans for several
weeks before it was given out for pub
iication. An informant, other than the
person who gave the foregoing, but who
Is on the inside in Cuban official circles,
declares that the delay was occasoned
by desire on the part of the junta to
DO assured absolutely that the writing
was that of the Spanish minister, so
that he might not have any chance to
deny Its authorship, and thus cause a
reaction, which would undoubtedly |
have been the result Of the propagation
N fake"