The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-31
Gomez still Much Offended at Amer
leans, and lit Is Doubtful if He
VIII Disband His Army.
A RECALCITRANT SPANlARD
PRESIDENT OF THE BANCO EsPANOL
MAY BE SENT TO PRISON.
Not willing to Testify as to What Has
Been Done with Money Intrust-
cd to His Care.


HAVANA, Jan. 30.-President Mckinley
is understood to have empowered Robert
p Porter to arrange for the disbursement
of s., 900 900 among the Cuban soldiers. Mr..
Porter will probably go with senor Con
zales de Quesada to Remedies to meet Gen.
Maxine Gomez to persuade the Cuban COM
mander-in-chief to disband his forces and
to lend his influence to the United States
military administration. Mr.. Porter and
Senor Quesada conferred tonight with the
governor general.
DR.. Castillo who has returned from
Remedies after two days visit with Gen.
Gomez, says the latter is much hurt by
what he regards as American neglect of his
authority and rights and is determined not
to advise his soldiers to go home penniless'
Gomez purposes coming into the neighbor-
hood soon and will review the Cuban troops
at Marinas, although the date has not yet
been fixed There is some doubt whether he
and the other military chiefs will accept
the $30O0,000, no matter what other favor
able conditions may be offered. Mr.. Por-
ter who it is understood, will act as the
personal representative of President Nc
Kinley in the negotiations, has been dl-
rected to learn the best terms that can be
made and is empowered to propose what it
is hoped will be agreeable terms. Much is
expected of the assistance he will receive,
when approaching General Gomez from
Senior Jose Miguel Gomez and Senor
Quesada
Senior Galbis, president of the Banco Es-
panol, was notified to-day by the special
commission now investigating the finances
of the municipality that he must appear
before the commission tomorrow morning
at o'clock to answer interrogatOries or
must take the consequences of contempt,
the penalty for recalcitrancy in the mind
of the commissioners, being imprisonment
until he is willing to testify. Major General
Ludlow, governor of the department of
Havana has invested the committee with
the powers of a court and will sustain its
action in Furnishing refusal to testify. The
Banco EspanO is so intimately connected
with the finances of Havana, as a creditor
to the amount of $7,500,000, that the COM
mission deems it necessary to get a COM
plete accounting from the bank as to past
transactions and a statement of what it is
doing now with the city's market dues. The
commission requested Senior Galbis to pre-
sent himself for examination last Friday
and again on Saturday. but he sent word
that he was indisposed. He was then asked
to come before the commission at 8 this
morning, but to-day he sent message that
he was physically unable to comply in con-
sequence of the exhaustion due to his bank
labors This reply was regarded as unsat-
isfactory and the peremptory notice for to-
morrow was served upon him. If he now
refuses the only thing that can prevent an
arrest-so a member of the commission says
will be a medical certificate. Should this
oe produced the physicians who act for the
commission will be sent to make an exam
ination of Senior Galbis. OF course if he OBJ
stinately refuses to testify he will be dealt
with for contempt and made example.
The commission expects to have easy
work so far as the other officials, directors
and employees are concerned All will be
called upon to make full explanations. Mr..
c. w. Haskins, the expert accountant, and
his assistants will explore all the books
Of the bank accessible. Information has
reached the commission that some of the
books have strangely disappeared The COM
mission considers it a public necessity to
inquire as to the integrity of the first mort
gage $7.000O00 per cent. fifty-year bonds
taken by the bank at 80, in $780, and since
reduced by sinking fund to $6,721 900. The
questions are who got the proceeds, how
much was realized and whether the bonds
in their entirety are or ought to be charge
able to the city. Later the committee will
go into the So, 100000 Bank of Commerce
loan and also into the floating debts
amounting to $2,50OOOO. This inquiry will
either establish or negative the various
statements Of connivance and corruption
on the part of the Spanish government,
which deposited with the Banco Espanol
in silver an amount equal to one-thrd of
the $20,O00O00 note issue guaranteed bv the
bank. IT is not clear where the silver is
The officials of the bank assert that Spain
withdrew il, but some noteholders say the
silver is still held by the bank or contend
that if the bank allowed a withdrawal, it is
still responsible for the redemption of the
notes. AS the question is one of keen In
terest to the business community the COM
mission proposes to probe it carefully. The
BancO Espanol is capitalized at $1,000 ,000 |
The amount of deposits is not known to the
commission, but it is supposed to be at least
81 100000. The directors are wealthy On
tions on bank stock were held Il few DAYS |
ago by prominent Americans
There We're three cases last week Of the |
abuse of citizens on the part Of the Amer
lean soldiers. On two occasions soldiers |
took eatables from street vendors. refused |
TO pay for them and struck the vendors and |
citizens who took their part. On one Occa-
sion two drunken soldiers insisted on pene-
tTating into private houses. inSulted the |
women of the households and only desisted /
on the approach of patrol. The local COM
ment on these incidents is severe
Mistakes owing to the ignorance Of Amer I
leans or the language and also owing TO the I
TACT that very many OF the Spanlards and |
Cubans here do not speak English occur |
frequently. Last week patrol stopped the |
dancing in private house. supposng IL to |
be public hall and insisting wrongly that /
all dancing must stop at midnight. The |
explanations were not comprehended by the |
patrol. but the dancers realized that il was |
a mistake, and there was no III feeling.
Chief Surgeon Maus of the Seventh Army /
Corps has asked Gen. Fitzhugh Lee It's com |
mander to make the vaccination of every |
In the province of Havana compulsory. |
one hundred and slxty-one cases Of small !