FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION. [Senate Document No. 39.] Message from the President of the United States, transmitting, in response to a resolution of the Senate of December 22, 1896, a report from the Secretary of State, accompanied by copies of correspondence, concerning the death of Charles Govin, a citizen of the United States, in the island of Cuba. JANUARY 5, 1897.-Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be printed. To the Senate: I transmit herewith, in response to a resolution of the Senate of the 22d ultimo, a report from the Secretary of State, accompanied by copies of correspondence, concerning the death of Charles Govin, a citizen of the United States, in the Island of Cuba. EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, January 5, 1897. GROVER CLEVELAND. The PRESIDENT: The Secretary of State, to whom was referred the resolution of the Senate of December 22, 1896, requesting the President, "if not incompatible with the public interest, to transmit to the Senate such information as the State Department has relating to the death of Charles Govin, a citizen of the United States and a newspaper correspondent, from violence by the Spanish forces at Corredana, in the Island of Cuba," has the honor to lay before the President copies of the corres pondence called for. RICHARD Olney. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 4, 1897. [Telegram.] Mr. Rockhill to Mr. Lee. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, August 18, 1896. Newspaper advices from Key West of 16th state that Charles Govin, an American citizen and correspondent, was captured near Jaruco by Spanish troops and put to death. Investigate and report by cable. ROCKHILL. [Telegram.] Mr. Lee to Mr. Rockhill. HABANA, August 19, 1896. Charles Govin landed from the Three Friends July 6th; joined insurgents; captured in a skirmish on the 9th with Arturo Adrian and Adolfo Mijares. They were bound and taken off. Nothing heard of them since. They are not in the fort nor prisoners. [Telegram.] Mr. Rockhill to Mr. Lee. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Replying your cable of yesterday in reference Charles Govin you are instructed to demand of Captain-General full information. In case Govin still alive insist on his enjoying full treaty rights under paragraph 2 or 3 of protocol of 77, as case may be. Mr. Lee to the Governor-General of Cuba. UNITED STATES CONSULATE GENERAL, Habana, August 26, 1896. EXCELLENCY: Having been informed in a communication dated the 21st August by the Secretary-General that you have referred a previous communication concerning the American citizen, Mr. Charles Govin, to the Captain-General, who will remit to you the data requested, and in order to aid your efforts in this direction, I beg to inform your excellency that I have information which may or may not be correct, but if correct, should be followed up in order to secure the necessary informa tion as to the fate of Charles Govin. It is certain that the American public now believes that Govin was captured, tied, and afterwards killed. It seems to me to be the duty of both of us to remove that impression if the information upon which it is based is false. I hear that Govin was captured in a skirmish on the 9th of July between the Spanish troops under General Ochoa and the insurgents under Valencia, at a point north of Jaruco and near the coast; that the Spanish General Ochoa, having in charge the captured Govin and S. Doc. 231, pt 7—34 other prisoners, encamped that night, namely, the 9th July, at San Matias. I am further told that next morning, the 10th July, Govin, bound to two men, named, respectively, Arturo Adrian and Adolfo Miyares, was taken off by the infantry portion of Ochoa's command. The commanding officer of that detachment is responsible for the prisoners of war committed to his care and should be required to produce or account for Govin if living, or if not, report the mode and manner of his death. I take this opportunity to reiterate to your excellency the assurances of my most distinguished consideration. FITZHUGH LEE. Mr. Adee to Mr. Lee. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: Your dispatch No. 93, of the 20th instant, relative to the fate of Charles Govin, who belonged to the Three Friends expedition, has been received, and in reply you are informed that your proposal to make a peremptory demand for information concerning him is approved by the Department. No effort should be spared by you to have this case thoroughly investigated. I am, etc., ALVEY A. ADEE, Mr. Rockhill to Mr. Lee. WASHINGTON, September 5, 1896. SIR: The Department has received your dispatch, No. 106, of the 29th ultimo, with inclosures, relative to the fate of Charles Govin, a citizen of the United States, and in reply you are instructed to press unremittingly for a full investigation and a report in this matter. I am, etc., W. W. ROCKHILL, Mr. Lee to Mr. Rockhill. UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL, Habana, September 10, 1896. SIR: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your instruction, No. 76, directing me to press unremittingly for a full investigation and report as to the fate of Charles Govin, a citizen of the United States. It is to be remembered that the Captain-General, in a communication dated August 24, stated that said Govin had been wounded in a skirmish and had died from said wounds. To that communication I replied under date of the 29th of said month to the effect that I was constrained to believe that the information furnished to the Captain-General was not correct, and requesting that Govin's matter be referred back to the commanding officer of the troops engaged, as it is possible that he may have confounded the case of some other person with that of Charles Govin. Since that I have heard nothing further, but if no response is made within the next few days I will again call the attention of the Captain-General to the subject. I am, etc., FITZHUGH LEE. Mr. Lee to Mr. Rockhill. UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL, SIR: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your instruction, No. 73, of the 3d instant, transmitting a letter * inclosing the affidavit of stating that he was an eye witness of the murder of Mr. Charles Govin by Spanish troops. The statements contained in the affidavit do not agree with those given to my representative, and tend to confuse the manner and mode of Govin's death. I am inclined to believe for he had no object in making any such statements and did not volunteer to do so. To His Excellency, the Governor-General of the Island of Cuba: EXCELLENCY: On the 29th of August last I had the honor to address a communication to your excellency in reference to the American citizen, Charles Govin. To the communication of the date designated no reply has been received. I am instructed by the Department of State at Washington to press for a full investigation and a report on this matter. I write, therefore, to ask whether any further investigation and report will be made, or whether it is proposed to rest the case, so far as your Government is concerned, upon your letter to me of the 24th August, in which it was stated that "it appears that in the several exchanges of shot had with the rebels at the mountains of San Martin some prisoners were made, among whom appeared, wounded, Charles Govin, who died in consequence of his wounds." FITZHUGH LEE. I take this occasion, etc., Mr. Lee to Mr. Rockhill. UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL, Habana, September 18, 1896. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith the translation of an official communication from the Spanish Government on this island embodying a report as to the fate of Mr. Charles Govin, an American citizen, from an officer of the Spanish army to Captain-General Weyler, who in turn reported it to Governor-General Weyler. The name of the officer making the report is not given nor the place where Govin is said to have died in consequence of wounds. It will be observed that this is a communication in reply to one from me to General Weyler dated the 29th of August, a copy of which has been duly forwarded to the Department. In that communication I had the honor to say that the account of Govin's death was not satisfactory and did not conform to the information in my possession. It will be seen that the inclosed report of the Captain-General to the GovernorGeneral is a reiteration of his former communication. I respectfully submit this matter to the consideration of the Department. I am, etc., FITZHUGH LEE. [Inclosure in No. 138.-Translation.] Governor-General of Cuba to Mr. Lee. GENERAL GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLAND of Cuba, To the Consul-General of the United States, Present. "EXCELLENCY: His excellency, the general in command of the third brigade of the second division of the third corps of the army of this island, under date of the 25th ultimo, reports to me as follows: "EXCELLENCY: In answer to the two respectable communications of your excellency of the 23d instant, relative to the information requested by the consul-general of the United States regarding the American citizen, Mr. Charles Govin, I have the honor to inform your excellency that the said person was made a prisoner after having been seriously wounded in the engagement on the 9th of July, which took place in the mountains of San Martin, and that he died in consequence of his wounds on the following day upon being taken to this place, as I had the honor to inform your excellency in the report of said engagement dated July 11, No. 197, in the list of prisoners made that day, and consequently the private information furnished to said consul is without foundation, or perhaps it has been maliciously furnished by persons disaffected to the good name of the Spanish army."" By order of his excellency, I transmit to you the above in answer to your communication of the 29th ultimo relative to the matter. God guard you many years. EL MARQUES DE PALMEROLA. Mr. Lee to Governor-General of Cuba. [Translation.] CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, EXCELLENCY: I duly received your communication of the 18th of September, transmitting the report of the chief of the brigade, second division, third corps of your army, and I am now directed to say to |