Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-28

night, | swore to him, in the form of
oath that people of his province use,
that | would respect his confidence
and never repeat what he had said in
a way that might call down on him
the anger of those who We're still liv-
ing and who had been good to him.
rs it true, sir, he asked that the
Maine is at last buried"
| assured him that ii was.
And that they know beyond a doubt
that she was blown up from the out
side2"
Again | asscnted.
1T is as my friend the cigar seller
tells me-" he said with an air of con-
viction. AS for me | cannot read.
That is perhaps why | remember so
we'll what | hear. and why | was so
often trusted to carry messages that
no one should see, both before and
during the war. But they do not
know whether the Maine was blown
up by the ones in power or by the
rebels?"
No" l said, they do not. even
now"
There was nothing found to tell the
tale?a'
-''tiiihS. -Nol cue. NO one
| knows" And then / hazarded, "Un-
| less YOU know"
II do, he said gravely. | have al
ways known. as it was l who carried
most of the messages that made il
possible. Not that we did it,
| thought" he added hastily.
! Il am puzzled / said quite frank
~. Wont YOU tell me about it, now
that it is all over?"
Yes he answered reHectivel,. "You
ere the kind that | was used TO and
VIII understand. And now that the
Maine is buried and the men who We're
| killed are all buried. too, no harm can
| come OF IT, 1t was in this way:
I had been ON duty at the palace for
long time. Every one knew me and
| was daily with Gov.-Gen. Blanco. He
used 10 send me on errands for him all
over Havana at any hour of the day or
| night and often across the harbcr. I
knew all the soldiers in the forts and
the townspeople, too. because / had
been one Of them for years. / married
my wife there. She was a Cuban and
she is buried there with our child. The
governor general trusted me more than
any one because we We're born within
q stort distance of each other and he
Lad klown my father and brothers at
home in Spain.
The rebellion had been going on for
& long time Things We're not happen
ing at all rs we wanted them. The
rebels kept getting arms and aalmuni-
ton from Your country and information
from inside the city about our plans.
The governor general was afraid of
spies. He even distrusted the guard
at the palace sometimes, Consul Gen
efai Lee and your agents reported ev-
orNthing TO Your government. And
worse than that. all your newspaper
MEL who came down sent home stories
tbet made us appear cruel. barbarous-
Is cruel. We We're not. We We're set
I task to do by our government and
were doing it. That was all We We're
doing ii as fast as possible But You
made it hard for us. You threatened
70 make it impossible. When your
! newspapers came to the palace and we
got our dispatches from our agents in
Your country, Gev-Gen. Blanco would
be vers angry. | have often heard him
talk 70 his staff about it. And the col
oae,s who arrived from the country
the latest rumor and they would so out
and cross the plaza, swearing some
times until they had passed the church
with tne old tree and even beyond.
The governor general used to say
that Your government let us alone but
your people did not. They We're all
against us. all on account of our sugar
and tobacco. and that your govern
merit ought To restrain them; but it
either did not or could not. Every one
hated all of you except the plotting
rebels; and Consul-General Lee and the
rest of your people who We're in Ha-
vana did not have pleasant time, al
though we We're polite TO then.
And then that winter at last came
The news that your government WIS
sending down the blaine to anchor in
Cur harbor. Governor General Blanco
cid not seem to be angry. He was very
grave. I was there in the room when
he read The dispatch to the chief of ar
tillery. Fe was very angry and talked
4 great deal, but the governor general
sat very qnies and thought. He seemed
TO be thinking while he was busy in
his office that afternoon, and was I'M
|usrally quiet while he dressed for din
ner and ali the evening. although there
We're many officers at dinner and mill
tary men and civilians came and went
all the evening and far into the night.
THE next morning he had a larger
meeting of officers than usual, and
after they had gone he took his staff
into an inner room and told them ~
plan. | overheard it. | know what |
am taking about. and every word is
true. He said that an American ship
of war would be in the harbor in a few
days that your nation and ours were
ct peace and that she must be treated
with every courtesy and every one ae-
corded the utmost politeneSs, that
nothing must happen to the ship or to
any of your people under any circum
stances. that our government did not
want war and that we could not en-
gage in one with you and handle the
rebels too. He said it very earnestly
over and over again, but he said he
knew that when the ship had been
moored in the harbor, If anything hap
rened that angered your people or Of
Tended her captain it would so hard
with tho nity