The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-03
Corruption So Manifest that General
Brooke Has Determined tn Make
Radical Changes.
GENERAL GOMEZ TO HIS WIFE
LETTER REVIEWING HIS TROUBLE
WITH THE ASSEMBLY.
Mysterious Syndicate. of MiIIionaires-
Postmaster Thompson Installed
in His Havana Office.

---H--
HAVANA, April 2.To-day, as under The
| Spanish regime. bribery and fraud direct
the Cuban courts This is the firm convic-
tion Of the military administrations Gov
ernor General Brooke is taking the matter
up and intends to clean out the corruption.
to revise the judicial procedure, TO change
the court personnel and to abolish the bar
! barous practice of incommunicadC by which
a judge may imprson for life a person ig-
norant of the accusation against him and
of the names of his accusers. 1t is true the
statutes allow only three days detention
incommunicado. but judge, under the
| practice that has grown up, may make
new commitment at the expiration OF the
| third day, another at the expiration of the
| sixth and so on without limit More than
| this, the evidence In criminal causes is taken
| by clerks, who for a consideration write
/ into the testimony things never uttered
| thus often making the best friends of the
accused appear to condemn him. Appar-
emily the whole criminal and civil systems
have been arranged so as TO make ii easy
to buy and sell justice.
Gen. Maxmo Gomez, in a long letter di-
rected to his wife, in Santo Domingo
views his differences with the so-called Mill
| tary Assembly. He begins by describing the
situation as it was when Robert p. Porter,
az the special representative Of President
Mckinley. visited Cuba after the Assem-
bys representative at Washington had OBJ
tanned promise of 5000 OO0 from the Presi-
dent. The writer, proceeding, says: This
action on the part of the Assemblys COM
mittee L approved. 1t was then that Mr..
Porter appeared and asked me, as COM
mander-in-chief, to decide TO accept the
| s. 10000, to aid in it's distribution and in
the disarming of the army. and TO proceed
forthwith to Havana to assist the United
States military Governor, General Brooke.
L agreed. and on arriving at Havana /
conferred with General Brooke concerning
the payment and the disarmament. 1t was
| decided that General Brooke should request
Washington to ship to Cuba the S3.O0O,OO0
which had been obtained by the representa-
tives of the Assembly. i saw to the adjust
ment of all the questions that led up to the
termination of the ridiculous armed stua-
ton and began to entertain hopes of an
early return TO Santo Domingo.
COMETS CRIME.
"The Assembly then called upon me to
visit its president. saying that the object
sought was an unofficial exchange of ideas.
| But they placed me upon the bench OF the
| accused my crime being that was inclined
to accept the s3,000,0co, which the Assembly
| itself through its representatives, had in
duced President Mckinley TO promise,
matter as 10 which / had not been consulted.
| 1t appeared that ! mad broken off negotia-
tions for S13OO0.O coo. To all this L replied
that | bad acted in the best faith, but that
nothing had been lost, as would withdraw
the acceptance l had given. They then
4 tl,afr side in
order to give strength to their resolutions.
1 answered that had always done so and
would continue to do so except in cases
where the course of the Assembly was op
posed to my conscience. to my sense of jus
tice and 10 my idea OF the best interests of
Cuba.
Regarding the matters under considera-
tion. | said had no hope of obtaining more
than the s3.OoO0O0 from the United States
and disapproved asking charity, contending
that the only method left was 10 raise loan,
for which the Assembly lacked adequate
authorization. Furthermore, ! pointed out
that the soldiers could not wait; that al
ready they were too great a burden on the
people of Cuba and longer delay appeared
TO me TO be cruel.
The conference ended without accom-
plishng anything. 1 saw 1 could not make
cided not to be mixed up in its doings, but
to await developments. a few days later
three men whom did not know. visited me
and said that several miIlionaries stood
ready 10 facilitate loan Of many millions,
but that the matter was possible only with
my cooperation. | answered that / could
not consider any proposition of the kind and
regarded il strange that any one would
be ready 10 lend money without guaranty.
My visitors replied that the City Coun-
ell could arrange guaranty. Then
a committee OF the Assembly ap-
preached me. asking me to support
the Assembys efforts to obtain loan. TO
this l replied that Cuba could not make
a loan. as she lacked the necessary authority.
The next day the Assembly deposed me. |
consider that 1 have acted honorably and
my strongest desire now is to return home"
MARINES ATTACK POLICE
Late this afternoon a slight conflict oc-
Cured at la Machin wharf between the
police and some marines and sailors of the
Cured at La Machina wharf between the
low and tho police reserves quelled the dis
turbance. 1t is asserted that the marines
were more or less intoxicated, that one of
them raised a row. that the police inter
fered and that thereupon the companions of
the intoxicated marine set upon the police
Several shots were fired before the arrival
OF the Military Governor and the police re-
serves under Chief Menocal. The marines
returned To the Resolute and it was re-
ported at headquarters this evening that
one policeman was wounded i'm the affair.
The island government as administered
by the United States military authorities.
has yielded for the first quarter 900 As
customs receipts. OF this amount S25oe.oo0