The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-01-04
Capt. Gen. Castellanos Formally
Transfers the Island to the
United States.
His Address and Response by Gen. Brooke
DE- Weeps as He Leaves
the Palace.
Perfect Order In Maintained I'm City
OF Havana During the Cere-
monies. which Were simple.


Cuba passed from Spain TO the United
States at noon Sunday. The form of
the transfer was simple, consisting
only of an exchange of speeches in the
salon of the palace, the hauling down
of the Spanish flag and the raising in
its stead of the flag of the United
States on the flagstaff on the palace
roof. Statutes were fired from the
heavy guns of the forts and the war
ships before and after the change of
flags. The raising of the stars and
stripes was greeted with cheers by the
people who covered the roofs Of the
buildings around the palace and the
plaza
No Crowds Permitted.
No crowd was permitted TO gather in
the streets in the vicinity of the palace
10 witness the epoch aking function.
At nine o'clock guard composed of the
Second battalion Of the Tenth infantry
marched into the Plaza de Armas, un-
der command Of Capt. Van Vliet and
formed around the square. Capt. Gen.
Castellanos watched them with inter
est from the balcony of his apartments
stationed at all the streets approaching
the plaza. No one was allowed 10 enter
without a pass and all the doors of the
palace facing the square were ordered
TO be closed.
The PreIiminaries.
Brig. Gen. Glous, the master of cere-
monies of the day, at l0:30 issued in.
structions 10 the officers who were to
take charge of the various departments
\ of the government a. ~ o'clock
AT 1l:iO Maj. Gen. Wade and Mai
Gen. Butler, of the American evacua-
tion commission, arrived from FL Va
dado, on horseback. accompanied by
their STATS. They were met by Brig
Gen. Clous and Maj. T Bentley Mott,
Gen. Ludlow and staff At the same
moment Lucien j. jerome British vice
consul, arrived. He was warmly
greeted by the American officers. Mai
Gen. John r. Brooke. governor of Cuba
and Maj. Gen. Ludlow. governor of the
city Havana. accompanied by their
staffs, arrived al half past eleven in
carriages.
l AS the carriages drove up, the sec
ond company of the Thirty-eighth
Spanish infantry, under command of
Col. Don Rafael Salamanca, presented
arms, and the American band started
up with The Stars and Stripes For
ever" the Spanish colonel saluting.
Americans Enter the Palace.
At 11:45, Maj. Gen. Lee, military gov
ernor of the province of Havana, with
his staff, joined Gen. Brooke. The lat
ter then crossed the street to the palace,
Gen. Lee on one side of him and Gen.
Chaffee on the other, followed by the
other American generals and the
Cuban officers. The Cubans wore
dark blue uniforms, brown felt hats
and gray gloves and they carried
machetes. A flourish of trumpets
greeted the procession and the Spanish
troops presented arms as the Ameri-
cans entered the palace.
On entering the palace, the American
generals went 10 the salon facing the
plaza, which is on the second floor. 1t
is lofty chamber, decorated with mir
rors of deep gilt frames, while satin
, draperies and the scarlet arms of Spain
over each door and window.
Captain General Appears.
Capt Gen. Castellanos was at this
time in a private room off til throne
room. He had given a farewell break
fast at ten o'clock to the members of
his staff and had spent the rest Of the
morning virtually alone, looking at the
Americans from the balcony The
Americans now grouped themselves
near a large mirror between the two
central windows, the Spanish staff be-
fling on the right, while on the left were
he American stats, the Cuban gen.
rals and the correspondents. Sudden
" Capt. Gen. Castellanos entered the
Plon without ceremony, from the left,
nd greeted Gen. Brooke and Others.
A Pleasant Incident.
n After shaking hands Gen. Brooke sat
q pom a sofa while Gen. Castellanos
loved towards the group of Cuban
nerals. British Vice Consul jerome.
Introduced him 10 Gen. Rodriguez
taking both the hands of the Cl
beer, in the usual Spanish fl
IN. Castellanos said:
. 1--WE have been enemies but
Tou for your correct atti1
inions, 1 have pleasure
bur hand"
Gen. Rodriguez replied
II thank yov, general
or the Spanish arm -
endsd the banner IL