General lee promises to return.

On that day, when in company with the British Consul General he went to bid farewell to Captain General Blanco, the latter refused to see him upon the excuse that he was too busy.  When the homeward voyage was actually begun, in the little boat that carried to the steamer the Consul General and the last newspaper correspondents who remained in Havana till the end, the malice of the Spanish onlookers at the docks could restrain itself no longer.  With imprecations and scornful and insulting epithets they raised their voices against him.  With proper dignity General Lee ignored it all, except to say in one definite last message, that he would be back again before long with troops to stand by him.

In his office in the consulate at Havana, General Lee gained the admiration and the confidence of every American who had occasion to meet him.  Brave as an American should be, and equally gentle and tender-hearted, he was the man for the place.  The Spanish outrages upon American citizens roused in him but two sentiments.  One was sympathy and grief for those who suffered.  The other was indignation and enmity against those who were guilty.  To the extent of all his power he guarded and aided those for whom that first sentiment was roused.  He left Cuba with an accumulation of detestation for Spanish outrages in that unhappy island against Americans and Cubans, that would stimulate to deeds of valor through whatever warfare might follow in which he should be a leader.  With a great heart, a brilliant mind and a magnificent physique, General Lee combined all the qualities which made him worthy of the American pride which was centered upon him.

CHAPTER XXVL

Americans in Spanish dungeons.

Spanish Hatred of the American Nation—­Instances of Injustice—­ The Case of Dr. Ruiz—­His Death in a Dungeon—­Julio Sanguilly—­ Action of the United States Senate in His Behalf—­A Correspondent in Morro Castle—­Walter Dygert’s Experiences—­General Lee Shows His Mettle in the Case of Charles Scott.

Not content with their cruel and inhuman treatment of Cuban patriots, the Spanish officials have seemed to take special satisfaction in imprisoning and even murdering American citizens on the slightest pretext.  The object of their most bitter hatred is the insurgent, but if they are to be judged by their deeds, it would appear that the American occupies a close second place in their black-list.

Time and again our government has been compelled to interfere to save the lives of its citizens, and unfortunately this interference has on several occasions been too late.  It is not possible to present a list of all the men and women of American birth who have lost life, liberty and property by Spanish authority, from the massacre of the crew of the Virginius to the wrecking of the Maine, but a few instances may be mentioned, which will prove conclusively that the retribution, of which the glorious victory in Manila bay was but the commencement, came none too soon.