t,
and this could be done through the assistance of some one of the
soldiers who had been stationed on guard duty on the upper floor of the
executive mansion. After several months of careful study, one of these
soldiers was selected, and after another conference, the matter was
settled, and the man was intrusted with the bomb, which was delivered to
him at the appointed hour, and with which he ascended the palace stairs
and eventually succeeded in reaching the President, to whom he delivered
the bomb, with his evidence and the whole story. Of course, this second
betrayal of the plans of the conspirators brought about their capture,
and they were tried and condemned to various terms in prison. Various
other plots were formed, none of which was successful.

[Illustration: JOSE LUIS AZCARATA SECRETARY OF JUSTICE]

As a natural result of the revolution started a few days before, the two
additional elections ordered by the Supreme Court, were necessarily
postponed, since the island had been thrown into a turmoil by the action
of General Gomez. They were, however, afterwards held, and resulted in
decided Conservative majorities, which were carried by the electoral
boards to the Central Electoral Junta, presided over by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, Senor Pichardo, and justified that body in
announcing the election of General Menocal to a second term as
President. In spite of this decision of the courts, which General
Menocal had previously agreed to abide by, the insurrectionary elements
of the Liberal party still insisted that General Menocal's second term
was secured through deliberate and carefully planned frauds and
intimidation of the voters at the polls. The fact is that the election
laws of Cuba forbid and prevent any soldier from standing even in the
doorway of a polling place. He cannot approach nearer than the corner of
the building in which the votes are being deposited, nor can he leave
his post and come closer to the polls, unless some serious disturbance,
where lives are threatened, occurs, with which the police of the
district cannot cope. Since the minority is represented during the time
of voting, and during the count by a man selected for that purpose, no
fraud could well be perpetrated without the consent of someone
responsible to the opposition.

The army officers who had been led by Jose Miguel Gomez to revolt, had
been captured with arms in their hands, fighting to overthrow the
constitution