Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-03-31
MAINE BLOWN UP
THROUGH BLUNDER
STATEMENT OF RossEAu, CON-
vIcTED OF SENDING ExpLo-
s1vEs TO NEW YORK DOCK.
SAYS HE MADE BOMB
THAT DESTROYED SHIP
Tells How Death Dealing Machine
Was Taken to Cuba by Filibukters
-Fastened to Hull Of American
Vessel BY Kistake.

New York, March 29.-That the bat
tleship Maine through an error was
destroyed by bomb of his manufac.
ture was the statement made by
Gesslsr Rosseau in the Tombs prison
Tuesday. Rosseau was convicted Mon
day Of having sent explosives to the
Cunsrd line pier, this city, in May.
1903 He made the following state
mont Tuesday:
For several years. while the Cuban
patriots were struggling against Wey-
Ter, watched the contest with deep
interest and sympathy. 1 decided to
go to Jacksonville and do what /
could to assist the revolutionists. l
started from st. Louis, where l had
been living during the early part of
1897. Before taking train for the
south I got together the material for
the construction of two exploding
machines of tremendous power, so ar
ranged that they could be wound up
and left in selected place, with the
certainty that they would go off with
terrible destruction within a. few
hours.
'At New Orleans 1 rented a room
and put the boxes together, after
which I went on to Jacksonville.
There became acquainted with a par
ty Of Cuban leaders who were plan
ming filibustering expedition. They
had engaged the Destroyer. small
vessel, to take them to Cuba along
with a number of American and Euro
pean adventurers who were anxious to
strike = blow for Cuban freedom.
Refuses to Melton Names.
Several Of the leaders of the party
are men now we'll known, and 1 will
not mention their names, although ]
have among my papers list Of them
all. suggested to them that they use
my machines to destroy Spanish war
ships In the harbor OF Havana and in
other ports on the coast Of the island
They readily seized upon the idea, and
when the Destroyer sailed with the
fllibusters, they took my two machines
with them. 1t was my intention to
go along with the party so as to di-
rect the work Of sinking the Spanish
ships, but they dissuaded me, urging
that could be Of greater use in jack
sonville preparing other machines II
the first proved successful.
at was planned to have some mem
bers OF the revolutionary party Join
the Spanish navy so as to get the
machines aboard. II that failed 1t was
decided to fasten one Of the boxes to
the hull of ship under the water
line. for had constructed my ma
chimes SO they could be exploded un-
der 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
to 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 mistake had been
made.
Blows Up Wrong Ship.
THE man who had been intrusted
with the task Of destroying Spanish
vessel attempted to fasten box dur
ing the night to one of Alfonsos war.
ships and Numbered into blowing ur
the Maine. l was told that the man
Immediately after learning OF the
error he had made, committed sui
eide"
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 king