Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-02
CUBAN BLEW UP THE
MAINE, SAYS COL. BRADY
Declares This Theory,Was Re-
ported to Mckinley as the
Most Probable.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, November p
Jose Zavaldo, a Cuban, was the man who
blew up the Maine, according to Col.
Jasper Ewing Brady, one of the four
officers sent by the government to in
vestigate the destruction of the battle
ship Maine in Havana harbor February
Is. 1898. Zavaldo was afterward shot
by Gen. Blanco's order.
Lecturing at st. Georges Church last
night. Col. Brady declared the mine
which destroyed the battleship was
placed by the Cubans in order to bring
war with Spain and the deliverance of
Cuba. He further asserted that the in
formation had been sent to the President
and the Secretary Of War.
Three Theories Investigated.
When 1 went to investigate the disas-
ter with three other officers" Col. Brady
said, there were three theories concern
ing the origin of the disaster-that the
explosion was caused from the outside
by agents of Spain: that it was caused
from the inside and that the Maine was
anchored over mine prepared by the
Cubans. We were able to inform the
President and the Secretary of War that
the last theory was the most consistent
with the facts. This leads to the con-
clusion that the Maine was blown up by
the Cubans in order to bring on war
with Spain and the deliverance of Cuba"
Accuses Zavaldo.
Continuing, he said: Now, I will tell
you for the first time the name Of the
man who blew up the Maine. He is. or
was, Jose Zavaldo. He was electrician
at Moro Castle. 1t was he who threw
the switch which set off the powerful
mine that destroyed the ship and sent
207 lives into eternity in flash Zavaldo
was afterward shot by the order of Gen.
Blanco. We even got a piece Of the cable
that led from the mine to the room in
Moro Castle. That piece of cable is
now in the Navy Department at Wash
ington.''
Col. Brady resigned from the army in
1899. Asked this morning why the report
given the President and the Secretary
of War had not been made public, he
said:
well, I'm sure / don't know"
Col. Brady is brother of the Rev.
Cyrus Townsend Brady. the author, who
is pastor of st. Georges Church. where
the lecture was delivered
Brady's Military Service.
Jasper E Brady, who is credited with
the assertion that the battleship Maine
was blown up by a Cuban for the pur-
pose or bringing about war with Spain,
has not been attached to the army since
September. 1880, and SO far as the records
show was never member of any gov
eminent board charged with the investi-
CATION Of the destruction of the Maine.
He Is from Pennsylvania and served in
the ranks of the army as a private. cor
poral, sergeant and sergeant major of the
10th United States Infantry from Septem-
Der. 1883, to August, 1891. In the follow
ing July he was appointed second lieu
tenant Of the 10Th Infantry and In April
1885, was promoted to the grade Of first
lieutenant. At the outbreak of the Span
ish war In 1893 he was appointed captain
in the Signal Corps of the volunteer army
and was hOnOrably discharged from the
volunteer army in March, 1899. In the
following September he resigned his COM
mission in the regular establishment and
since then has been engaged in private
pursuits.
Gen. James Allen. chief signal officer.
said today that he knew that Brady had
been a telegraph operator, and that he
had written q number Of magazine ar
ticles. He did not know, however, that
he had been on any board charged with
the investigation of the destruction of
the Maine.
No Army Board Of Inquiry.