The age-herald., 1898-03-30
 MORE EVIDENCE OF A VILE PLOT Anonymous Letter Sent to Con- Sul-GeneraI Lee.
  SPANISH WHARF THIEVES Purchased Diving Material and Thought to Have Been the Tools to Fix the Mine-They Received Bribe for the
 Work Done.
SPANISH WHARF THIEVES

Washington, March 29.-An interesting feature of the published Maine testimony, issued from the government printing office today, was the famous anonymous letter in testimony of Henry Drain, the clerk of the American consulate at Havana The letter was received by Gen. Lee few days after the disaster. It was dated Feb. IS, 1898, and signed An Admirer." It was in Spanish written apparently by a fairly we'll educated person. A certified trans, ation is as follows:
 Ut should be remembered that at dawn of the day of the terrible catastrophe an individual was killed in a small boat, to- gether with another who was found wound ed and a prisoner. They were going about the cruisers Maine and Alphonso XII, and as the said individuals are known as har- bor thieves l have interested myself in Investigating what connection this occur renee could have had with the explosion of the Maine, and I have discovered that those two men. together with another, who is called Pope Taco, had bought in hard ware store in Mercaderes street, called La Masoa, a house such as is used by divers, and that the three left Regla in small boat, which they placed under the WharVeS of Santa Catalina, and they were lo1terlng about more than an hour and half, While Pope Taco, who is a corker and dlVer, probably the best in these parts, did the work to bring about the explosion on the Maine With the data I went to Regla and discovered that the family of the dead man, who lived in the utmost misery in house in Roderigues Balista street. mad moved to a well-furnished one on GelaberE street.
 Agreed With Merchants.
 ''There I learned they had agreed with some merchants of Muralla street for the work of blowing up of the ship for the sum of St, 6,OOO-$2 900, in advance and the other s4 1000 after seeing the result. But as they did not come out of the adventure very we'll having been attacked when they were retiring, the result of which was the death of one, who left his teeth in the boat and another wounded the third one has not yet presented himself to collect the rest of the money and 1t could be probably secretly done, that by paying him the rest that the others will not now pay him, he would de- clare the truth of all this. The one whom I called the third diver is the diver Pope Taco, who is unwounded, who is no doubt afraid to present himself to collect the rest.
 'In Muralla street they tell me was the place where the business was arranged with Messrs. Garcia Corujade, Vilasquoso, Maribona and others whom I do not re- member. The man who is arrested is be- ing administered morphine constantly to see if he will die and not give evidence soon as not, as they express 1t, to spoil the affair after it has come off so much to their taste.
 "I certify that the above Is true copy.
 (Signed.) "A MARIX, Lieutenant Commander U. s. N, and
 Judge Advocate"
 Drain, the consular clerk, stated in his evidence that an effort was made to ascer- tain the authenticity of the letter. although the consulate was handicapped, having no secret service fund. Witness discovered however, tht the name Pope Taco must have been a mistake as it was mentioned he died few days before the explosion took place. Witness thought the name should have been Pope Baraquin, who had died couple of days after the explosion.