The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-05-31

BLEW UP"
THE MAINE
Prisoner Condemned to Die G0t
Freedom BY Destroying
Washlp, Says Soy
special to the Daily Lender.

'f3eNtf,t"f " tAA aAfA4ll 4<tAuCt.
New York May IL The United
states government, SO II became
known today, has Investigated re-.
mort 70 the effect that the Maine was
elown up in Havana harhor BY an
American who had been condemned
70 die BY the Spanish, but won lis
freedom by destroying the American
ship, The spy who turned the story
IN To the secret service bureau Iii
Washington asserted that George ID.
Lcynton, the soldier OF fortune, who
.c'ea recently, was the man who actu-
ally blew up the Maine.
The spaniards,1 said the inform.
amt to Chief Wilkie OF the secret
service, were entirely unprepared
tor the visit Of the Maine, which was
scnt 70 Havana suddenly and without
warning. Consequently, there was
no mine attached to the buoy al
which She was moorea, though it
vas stated that one would have been
placed there ii it had been so mucn
as suspected that she was coming
Once In the harbor, she had the city
and it's defenses al her mercy, for all
of the modern guns In the surround
ing Notifications faced the sea and
none could be brought to bear on her.
Hlsnco Decides to Blow up ship
Captain General Blanco and his
stan did rot relish having a hostile
varship iii such an advantageous p0-
siIiun in the event of war with the
United States, which they then re-
galded as at least a possibility, and
1t was decided TO blow her up, mn
der such conditions as might make
II appear sho had been destroyed by
an accidental explosion of her own
magazines. 4 large boiler from the
navy yard was taken TO the arsenal
ana filled with powder ii was pro.
Nsded with a mechanism BY which it
could be exploded by electricity and
vas then hermetically sealed
'fne boiler was lashed III sling
hinder lighter, which was towed
across the bow of the Maine at night,
When the lighter was directly in
front OF the battleship the lines
which held the boiler were cut and
II dropped into the mud, The wire
by which the mine was to be ex-
rioded was led to the end of the
Maehlna wharf, and 1t was then a
Question of waiting until shift In
the tide brought the warship over
The boiler and Of selecting some one
I'D throw the switch that would set
The mine off at the proper time.
Condemned American Fires Mine
"The Snaniards then fixed on
Roynton as the person to set on the
mine He had been captured short.
" before while conducting a filibust-
ering expedition for the Cubans
whom he had aided during the ten
Years war, and was then imprison
ed in Cubanas fortress According to
the story he was tried and sentenc
ed to death, but was offered life and
liberty II he would press the button
that was TO destroy the Maine and
swear never 10 reveal the secret.
He accepted these terms and on
the night Of February H. 1898, when
the Maine swung around until her
bow was directly over the mine. with
ter keel only three or four feet above
II, he was taken To the Machina
wharf, where he threw the switch
that caused the explosion Then he
was set free and left Cuba"
Such was the story the spy told
the secret service Chief Wilkie and
bis sleuths worked on it long time,
but were unable 10 establish Boyn-
TONS connection with the explosion.
What else Wilkie found in his IN
yestigation Is not known,
Bioarapher Dlscredits Story
Horace Smith, bipgrapher Of Boyn-
ion, said to reporter today: rit Isl
true the secret service Investigated al
tap that Boynton blew up the Maine,
But he didn't, and can w5ve it'll
He was In Venezuela at the sime,
found ont All about the Wilkie iuyes-
tigation when was looking up Doyn
tons career
Smith says that Boynton's right
name VAS George Boynton Stone Ael
was the son OF Dr, Joel Stone, q New
York physician, who died In Char
lotte, VT,