Evening star., 1933-10-08

v:rn.ut re tolloping letter from Miss Mario
Student. now EMPLOYED in Hauena. n .'ctHo. CON-
o1 ddfs ts. S,a0hie dssertpaO1 Of TIE epsnts
ssueral yeeks ago published Miss Nc
ron wheh u resulted IN the the ouerthrom nst ,epol Of
MMGchado. The letters mere pritten to
by regular mail yesterday morning
reported to you that the soldiers and
officers were shooting at the 5O0-guest-
room National Hotel, that cost the
Cubans $7,500,000 to build, but that the
effects OF their small fire were not
serious.
But half an hour after my posting OF
that letter, the shooting had developed
serious proportions and had spread over
a wide area. So am rushing this off
to let you know that mother and I
escaped uninjured and thus far are all
right.
From the offices of the Grace Line
Steamship Co. tried again and again
to communicate with the American
OF some 80 apartments Of that millicn-
dollar building occupied chiefly by
Americans. I couldn't get its office, and
l was alarmed, because the American
building is only three blocks back from
the Maine Monument and on little hill,
where it is exposed to firing from various
directions
Il kept trying, and began calling dif-
ferent apartment tenants Finally get
Beatty to answer his phone. Beatty Is
Massachusetts, man and is representa-
tive here for German fertilizer COM
pany.
Consulate Sends Cars.
''He told me that the American consul
late had sent up consul and three cars
to get the Americans out
Il had already used so much time on
telephoning attempts that it was 3
o'clock before I got mother on the line.
She and Beatty related that the three
cars had been filled by the Americans,
who were nearest and had hurried away.
Then three other cars that had been
sent to help could not approach along
Jovellar street or by the main entrance
because the bombardment had begun
and bullets were whiZzing up those
avenues.
They said that there were 1s per-
sons left in the building and that they
were all going down into the basement
to wait there till the firing ceased The
American Building was right inside the
range Of the guns from the Cuban ma
val vessels anchored off the Maine Mon
ument. The occupants Of the building
had been given only one hour in which
to get out. That was during the truce
Of one hour that Ambassador Welles
had secured for the sole purpose of get
ting Americans safely out of the danger
zones.
Mother said that all those trapped
there with her were going down into the
f1rst-foor garage on the Jovellar side
which was more protected.
Il phoned the American Apartments
again as soon as the National Hotel
was seized at pm. and learned that
safe. but that the building was pitted
with bullet holes and all its windows
riddled.
Shooting Again Breaks Out.
Thinking by then that the trouble
was ended, Rosa, Bertha and I left the
steamship company Offices and went ul
to my pent house on the rocf of the
Hotel TELEGRAPH. only a block away
They were to wait there with me until
Bertha's husband could come with the
car and take them home. He had gone
down to the docks with the boys from
the Office. as the steamship Santa Lucia
was in port and about to leave. But We
had no more than reached the Tele-
grafo when violent shooting suddenly
broke out all over the city.
This, it seems, was in accordance
with a concerted plan by the opposi-
tionists. consisting of the Communists
the Menocalists and others. who were
promoting the confusion in order tc
snipe the soldiers and even overthrow
the government
1T was exactly 6 pm. when that
planne7 furore of firing started all over