The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-03
JUSTICE BOUGHT AND SOLD.
TERRIBLE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN
THE CUBAN COURTS.


Gen. Brooke VIII Take the Matter
Up and Abolish the BarbarOus
Practice of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
mez Never Hoped Cor More Than
$4,000, OOO-MiIIiOnaires offered to
Lend Money to Pay the Army, But
He Would Not Accept 1t.
Havana, April 2.-Late this afternoon a
slight conflict occurred at La Machina
wharf between the police and some marines
and sailors of The Resolute. The appear
ance of Gen. Ludlow and the police re-
serves quelled the disturbance.
1t is asserted that the marines were
more or Sess intoxicated, that one of them
raised a row, that the police interfered.
and that, thereupon, the companions of
the intoxicated marines set upon the po-
lice.
Several shots were fired before the ar
rival of the military governor and the po-
lice reserves. under Chief Menocal. The
marines returned to the Resolute, and it
was reported at headquarters this evening
that one policeman was wounded in the
ARRAY
To-day, as under the Spanish regime,
bribery and fraud direct the Cuban courts
This is the firm conviction of the military
administration. Gov. Gen. Brooke is TAX
ing the matter up and intends to clean out
the corruption, to revise the judicial pro-
cedure to change the court personnel, and
to abolish the barbarous practice of in
a. i'm
prison for life person ignorant of the
accusation against him, and of the names
of his accusers.
1t is true that the statutes allow only
three days detention incommunicado; but
judge, under the practice that has grown
expiration of the third day, another at
the expiration of the sixth and so on with
out limit.
More than this, the evidence in criminal
causes is taken by clerks, who for a con-
sideraton write into the testimony things
never uttered, thus often making the best
friends of the accused appear to condemn
him. Apparently the whole criminal and
civil systems have been arranged so as to
make it to buy and sell justice.
Gomez and the Army.
Gen. Maxine Gomez, in long letter d.
rected to his wife in Santo Domingo, re-
views his differences with the so-called
military assembly. He begins by describ-
ing the situation as it was when Robert
p. Porter, as the special representative
of President Mckinley, visited Cuba, after
the assembly's representatives at WASH
ington had obtained promise of SO 0OO,-
OO0 from the President. The writer tells
of his conference with Gov. Gen. Brooke,
relates the particulars of his arraignment
by the assembly, and concludes:
Regarding the matters under consider
alton, l said l had no hope of obtaining
more than the 100000 from the United
States and disapproved asking charity
contending that the only method left was
to raise a loan, for which the assembly
lacked adequate authorization. Further
more, l pointed out that the soldiers could
not wait, that already they were too great
a burden upon the people of Cuba and that
longer delay appeared to me to be cruel.
Wanted to Lend the Money.
1.-THE conference ended without accom-
plishing anything. 1 saw l could not
make myself understood by the assembly
and decided not TO be mixed up in its do
ings, but to await developments. few
days later three men whom l did not
know visited me and said that several
millionaires stood ready to facilitate a loan
of many millions, but that the matter was
possible only with my cooperation. l an
swered that could not consider any prop
osition of the kind and regarded it as
strange that any one would be ready TO
lend money without a guarantee. NY Wis
itors replied that the City Council could
arrange a guarantee.
Then a committee of the assembly APP
preached me, asking me to support the
assembly's efforts to obtain a loan. To
this 1 replied that Cuba could not make
a loan, as she lacked the necessary au-
thorty. The next day the assembly de-
posed me. / consider that / have acted
honorably, and my strongest desire now is
to return home"