The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1905-03-29
CONVICTED BOMB MAKER SAYS
HAVANA DISASTER WAS DUE
TO A MISTAKE.
STRANGE TALE OF GESStER ROSSEAU
DECLARES HE MANUFACTURED
MACHINE THAT DESTROYED
BATTLESHiP.

New York, March 29.-That the bat
tleship Maine, through an error, was
destroyed by a bomb of his manufac-
ture was the statement made by Cess
Ter Rosseau in the Tombs prison dur
ing the day. Rosseau has just been
convicted of having sent explosives
to the Cunard line pier, this city, In
May, 1903 He made the following
statement:
For several years, while the Gu
ban patriots were struggling against
Weyler, watched the contest with
deep interest and sympathy. | decid-
ed to go to Jacksonville and do what
could to assist the revolutionists.
Before leaving St. Louis for the
South | got together the material for
the construction of two exploding ma
chimes of tremendous power, so ar
ranged that they could be wound up
and left in a selected place, with the
certainty that they would go of with
terrible destruction within a few
hours.
"At New Orleans | rented room
and put the boxes together, after
which went on to Jacksonville. There
| became acquainted with a party OF
Cuban leaders, who were planning
filibustering expedition. They mad
engaged the Destroyer, a small vessel,
to take them to Cuba along with a
number of American and European
adyenturers who were anxious TO
strike a blow for Cuban freedom.
Several of the leaders of the party
are men now we'll known and ! Will
not mention their names, although
have among my papers a list OF them
all.
IL suggested to them that they use
nv machines to destroy Spanish war
ships in the harbor of Havana and in
other ports on the coast of the ISL
and. They readily seized upon the
idea and when the Destroyer sailed
with the filibusterers they took nay
two machines with them.
Rosseau Remained in Florida.
at was my intention to go along
with the party so as to direct the
work of sinking the Spanish SHIPS,
but they dissuaded me, urging that
could be of greater use IN Jackson
vile preparing other machines II tne
first proved successful.
"It was planned to have some mem
hers of the revolutionary party join
the Spanish navy so as TO get the
machines aboard. Ii that falled 1t
was decided to fasten one or the
boxes to the hull Of a ship under the
water line, for | had constructed my
machines so they could be exploded
under the water.
"That was late in the fall of 1897.
The next spring the Maine was de-
stroyed.
"Only one of the men in the secret
of the machines ever returned 10
America. | saw him some time after
the war with Spain had begun.
"He told me he had nothing to do
with the boxes after reaching Cuba,
but had been told a mistake had been
made.
"The men who had been intrusted
with the task of destroying a Span
ish vessel attempted to fasten box
during the night to one of Alfonso's
warships and blundered into blowing
up the Maine.
Il was told that the man, imme-
diately after learning of the error he
had made, committed suicide"
Rosseau said he had attempted to
blow up the statue of Frederick the
Great in Washington because he did
not wish to see the statue OF a king
in America He added that he was
not an anarchist or a nihilist and that
he had made no effort to supply ex-
ploding machines to the Russians.