Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-01-06
SPAIN LEAVES.
AND UNGl SAM TAKES oSSESsIoN
THE STAR sPANGLED BANNER
WAVES OVER CVBA.


ia sing Flags and all was over.
Havana. Jan l. be sovereignty of
Cuba passed from Spain TO the United
States at noon today
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
n" raising in its stead of the ilng of the
United States on the flagstaff of The
palace roof. Statutes were fired from
the heavy guns Of the forts and the
warships 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 crowd Was permitted to gather n
the streets in the vicinity of the palac,
t" W tness the epoch-makng function
At . o'clock a guard composed of tn,
second battalion Of the Tenth infantry
marched into the plaza de Armas. un-
der command of Capt. Van Vliet. and
f rmed around the square. Capt. Gen
Castellauos watched them with inter
rst from the balcony of his apartments
IS they eotered the square and Were
stationed AT all the streets approaching
he plaza y one was allowed to en-
ter without pass aud all the doors OF
he palace facing the square were or
Tered To be closed. Only those who
could get on the roofs and balconies e
The houses in the neigh bolhood saw
what was going on before the palace
WITH the guard was the band of the
second Illinois regiment, which had
heen selected for the occasion as the
best band in the Seventh Army corps
With the band were the bnglers of the
Eighth aud Tenth infantry.
The weather was warm, the sun
bursting at intervals through the lighr
clouds and the o'diers in blue who
were forced to stand in the sun found
the heat oppressive. The troops were
formed in extended order around the
square, three PAGES apart, and the band
vas massed in front of the palace en-
trance "cross the street at the edge of
the prrk.
Brig Gen. Clous, the master of cere-
monies of the day. at 1870 O'Clock IS
sued instructions To the officers who
were to take charge of the various de
partments of the government at y
o'clock. Col. Dudley. Maj. l.. w. V.
Kennon, Capt. Frank b. Hanna, as
sistant adiutant general to the depart.
ment of public instruction. and Col
Dunwoody of the Signal corps, to the
public WORKS department.
Each of thee officers was instructed
thus:
son the firing of the last gun of the
hrst twenty. at noon, you are 10 90
to the place assigned you and demand
possession IF TIE Office in the name of
the United States"
These orders were given under the
arcade of the palace. Each officer had
with HIM Cuban interpreter, a group
of whom stood by clad in dark clothes
and wearing silk hats. In a carriage
near by were the American flags,
which were to be raised at various
points.
At 1O:l0 Mai. Gen. Wade and Mai
Gen Butler of the American evdcua
ton commission arrived from Fl Va
dada on horseback, accompanied by
their stalls. They were met by Brig
Gen Clous and Mai. +, Bentley Mott,
Gen Ludlow and staff. At the same
moment Lucien j. Jerome, British
vice consul, arrived. He was warmly
greeted 10y the American officers.
Mai. Gen. John Il. Brooke, COVER
nor of Cuba. and Maj. Gen. Ludlow,
governor of the city of Havana, ac-
companied by their stats, arrived at
1l:30 in carriages, Gen Brooke and
Gen. Adna K. Chailee, Gen. Brooke's
chIet of staff, in the first carriage. In
each of the other carriages rode "a
Cuban general with American officers.
The Cubans were Gems. Lacret, Mario
Menocal, Mayia Rodriguez, Serefn
Sanchez, Jose Miguel Gomez, Nodarte,
Rafael de Cardenas, Agramente and
Vidal. and Col. Vsliente. As the car