Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18
BROTHERS. OF CUBAN
PRESIDENT SEIZED
MenocaIs May Be Held Until
Satisfactory Settlement Is
Made WITH Liberals.
BAR GOVERNMENT SHIPS

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, February IL
When liberal forces took possession of
the sugar mill at Palma Soriano owned
by President Menocal today, they cap
tured two brothers of the president
The Menocal brothers will be brought
here for safekeeping.
The mill was abandoned by govern
ment forces and is now in control of
liberal troops, who have given guaran-
tees that it will not be damaged. 1t is
intimated that the Menocal brothers
may be held until President Menocal
offers a satisfactory settlement of the
present political differences.
The agreement signed yesterday by
Commander Knox of the United States
gunboat Petrol and Maj. Loret de Mola
was not ratified by the commander of
the United States fleet, and the mill
tary governor will take measures to
prevent the entrance of government
vessels into the harbor here. The en-
trance to the harbor will be mined and
other means will be taken TO keep out
government ships.
The Cuban gunboat Enrique Villuen-
das, which approached the harbor here
late yesterday, is being detained by
the United States gunboat Petrol in
by the commander of the Petrol and
Mai. Loret de Mola, the military gov
ernor of the province The commander
of the Enrique Villuendas, not know
ing the situation here, came ashore and
was arrested. Later he was surren-
dered to the custody of Commander
Knox of the Petrol, who returned him
to his ship.
The steamship Pastores of the Unit
ed Fruit Company entered the harbor
here this morning from Havana and all
the passengers came ashore to visit the
city.
official Statement.
An official statement issued at 10
o'clock tonight at the palace says:
The situation in Pinar del Rio, Ha-
vana, Matanzas and Santa Clara is nor
NAL. In the last named province there
are still at large several groups of in
surgents, who continue to be closely
pursued.
'Camaguey will be in the same condi-
ton within two or three days, and then
that portion of Oriente at present iso-
lated from the rest of the island be-
cause of the lack of communications
will be cleared. Reports from this
province indicate that the disturbance
is confined to very limited section in
the southwestern and extreme eastern
parts
NO mills have yet been reported as
having stopped grinding"
q. s. Would Give Free Hand.
A close watch on the situation
created in Cuba by the instruction of
the liberals was continued by the State
Department yesterday. but no further
steps were decided on and official re-
ports indicated no radical development
either in the plans of the rebels or
those of the government.
The rebels still hold Santiago and
Camaguey and minor successes in small
towns and in the country nearby were
reported. The government troops, it
was said. were moving steadily toward
the occupied districts and reports from
Havana indicated President Menocars
call for volunteers was being answered
by many of the better class.
Gathering Information.
Both the State Department and the
navy are using every facility to gather
Information from which a close analysis
of the facts may be made. Orders were
sent yesterday to Minister Gonzales,
the twelve American consular officers
in Cuba and the commanders of the
American naval vessels at Havana,
Santiago and Guantanamo to make a
thorough investigation not only of the
military phases of the situation, but of
its economic and political aspects. 1t
was declared that unless made neces-
sary by developments, no step toward
interference by the United States would
be taken until the reports asked for
had been studied.
Would Avoid Interference.
American business interests let it be
known to State Department officials
fhnf Il