The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-04-12

SHIPS naQ prODaDly swept II over
board, but there was a chance that
Cheney would find out. The Ward
line steamer City of Washington was
there the night of the explosion, and
was still in the harbor Cheney
boarded this ship and found not one
piece of this cement but a dozen,
some of them as large as a mans
head.
One piece he took with him. In his
own mind he was satisfied; but he
wanted proof beyond peradventure.
If the Maine had been torpedoed
her keel would be bent up; If, how
ever, the explosion of one of her own
magazines caused the harvest of
death and destruction the keel would
be bent downwards. Cheney secured
crew and. putting on a diving suit,
went down to see. 1t was new ex-
perience to him, but he was equal to
it. Sigsbee had carefully explained
to him the location of magazines, etc.,
of the vessel and went with him to
the ship. The waters of Havana har
Dor are black as night and the bottom
is soft mud. All one afternoon Che
ney worked around this sepulcher of
the American sailors. He came up
only when he had to, and on his last
ascent he brought up piece of elec-
trio cable. That night he sat down
and drew a diagram of what he had
discovered. The keel was bent up
the explosion had come from the
outside. Spain was responsible The
true story of the blowing up of the
Maine has never been told, but it is
known, and some day in the future
the country will know how it hap
pened-and who touched off the tor
pedo.
Cheney returned to Washington,
made his report and from then on was
actively in the government service.
In April, when the volunteer army
was authorized he was commissioned
colonel and given charge of the Sc
cret service. Here his splendid men
tally and energy came into play. His
sedentary, abstemious life rendered
him physically fit for anything. His
headquarters were with the army in
the field but he operated solely under
the direct orders of the president
His command over his department
was absolute, and he ran things with
an iron hand Among his other duties
he was required to take charge of and
entertain all the foreign military at.
taches who joined the army to wit
ness its maneuvers. They came from
every quarter of the globe, and were
given the best of everything. Padget,
of the Royal British navy, and Lee,
of the British artillery; Won Goetzen,
of Germany; Enyer Pasha, of Tur.
key; Shiba, of Japan, all were there
and one morning Cheney heard a ia.
miliar voice say:
Il am looking for Col. Cheney"
CHANGING up he beheld his Russian
friend, Count Yarmoleff
II am Col. Cheney, Count. How do
you do?'
Observation-Disclosures" said
the count, slowly. "Why-the last
time I saw you was at Yarvahar Rms.
sia-and your name was Bradley"
Eyes, count, that's all true. But I
was then busily engaged trying to
keep out of the way of your Third
Section"
"You succeeded, I see," replied the
count.
Yes, but it was close shave
Cheney and Yarmoleff thus resumed
their very pleasant friendship.
Information was wanted by Spain
as to just what the American army
was going to do, and numbers of
spies were turned loose in Tampa and
other points of concentration. It was
Cheneys duty to prevent this, and
ne and his men were kept busy. His
organization was perfect, and not a
man or woman arrived in Tampa that
Cheney did not know about. Many
arrests were made and the prisoners
sent to Fort Mcpherson, Atlanta, for
safe keeping. Tomas Estrada Palma.
afterwards president of Cuba, report
ed to Cheney and assisted him in his
work. Many other Cubans reported
but they were generally all title and
no work.
One night Cheney heard of the ex-
istence of Spanish club at Ybon
City and, taking one man with him
went over and broke it up There
were about 40 Spaniards in the clnb
when Cheney and his man broke in
the door. Quick as flash Cheney
covered them with his six-shooter
His man did likewise and they drove
the Spaniards into corner and held
them there. With one hand holding
a revolver po.nte at the crowd, Che.
ney 'phoned to Gen. Eppinger for
troops. In Is minutes company of
regular infantry arrived and marched
the prisoners of to Jail. Some of
Tampa's most prominent citizens
were caught in that raid.
The war board in Washington was
playing hattledore and shuttlecock
with the $fmy. One day it was going
to Havana, the next to Porto Rico,
Santiago or Cienfuegos. or where not.
Cevera was at large on the high seas,
and until he was coralled the army
couldn't go any place. And this war
board wanted information about all
these places, and Cheney was told to
get it. With these multitudinous de-
tails piling on his shoulders his time
was occupied for about 20 hours out
of each "a.
In his own mind he was convinced
that the army movement would be
either against Havana or Santiago.
OF the latter place the government
had a good deal of information, but
of Havana they were a bit shy. In a