The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-04-08
ISTHMUS TROUBLE.
Secretary Whitney's Instructions to Rear
Admiral Jouette Regarding Transit
Across the Isthmus.
Commander Kane Captures Two OF the
Insurgents Who Took Part IN the
Burning of Aspinwall Marines
Gone to the Scene.

SECRETARY wHITNEY's ORDERS TO AID
MnRAL JoUETTE. Aft f,H
| WASHINGTON, April 4.--The followins
telegram, embodying the instructions o.
Secretary Whitney in regard to the restora
ton Of uninterrupted transit across til,
Isthmus was sent from the Navy Depart
ment last night:
April o, 1885.
Rear Admiral Jouette, U. s. s. Tennessee
Pensacola, Fla:
In addition to the force under your com.
mand in the steamships Tennessee, Swntara
| Alliance and Galena TALL of which should be
| at Aspinwall upon your arrival you will bo
reinforced by about two hundred marines
| dispatched from New York by steamer City
| Of Para, with tents aad camp cquipago. 10
| provide for contingencies further supplies
| will he sent at once.
The duty you are called upon TO perform
| calls for the exercise of great discretion
| The object of the expedition is tho perform.
ance by the United States Of their engage.
| ment to preserve the neutrality of and keen
| open the transit from Colon to Panama, and
| further to protect the lives and property Of
| American citizens. The circumstances, as
| understood, from which the necessity for the
| expedition has arisen are, In general, that q
steamer belonging TO Americans hns been
seized at Colon by an armed force and goods
| in transit taken from her. her officers and
the American Consul imprisoned and tho
transit across the Isthmus Interrupted. With
the consequences involved In these past acts
you are not concerned. Your sole duty IL
confined to seeing that free and uninter
ruptcd transit across the Isthmus Is restored
and maintained, and that the lives and prop
crty OF American citizens are protected.
II on your arrival at the Isthmus order
shnl have been restored and the Colombian
authorities are adequate TO the protection OF
life ana property and OF the free transit, you
VIII interfere in no respect with the constt
tutcd authorities, but report and await
orders. You have no part to perform in the
political or social disorders Of Colombia and
II Will be your dnty 10 see that no irritation
or unfrlendliness shall arise from your pres.
ence at the sthmus.
The exercise of humanity toward AmerL
can citizens In eNlgent distress must be left
TO your sound discretion.
W. G. WHITNEY,
Secretary Of the Navy.
The Secretary Of the Navy received dis.
patch from Rear Admiral Jouette yesterday
saying that he sailed from New Orleans foi
Asplnwall at sunrise Friday morning. A
dispatch from Commander Kane, Of the
Galena, announces that heholds as prisoners
two Of the principal insurgents who took
part In the burning of Aspinwall Com.
mander Kane expresses his unwillingness TO
turn over the prisoners to the Columbian
authorities, for fear they will be permitted
10 escape. The question as to what dlspo-
sitlOn should be made of them has been
referred to the Secretary of State The
Pacific Mail Steamship Company and Pan.
anna Railroad Company have applied to the
War Department to buy or borrow hospital
tents for the use of Americans who. have
been rendered destitute and homeless by the
destruction of Aspinwall The Secretary OF
War has ordered that fifty of these tents be
sent 10 Panama on the City Of Para for the
use OF Americans and under care of Ad.
mral Jouette.
A detachment Of about 400 marines under
the command Of Colonel Haywood, EN-.
barked from the Brooklyn navy yard on the
"City of Para" which sailed last evening
for Asplnwall. Two hundred mole will be
sent on Monday.
NEW YORK, April A gentleman who
arrived on the steamer Acapulco from Colon |
Thursday, says when the vessel left there |
the rebels were in quiet possession of the |
town. He says: II was told that Americans |
were safe, so left the ship for an evening |
stroll. saw the natives walking languidly |
about each carrying musket. |
They are most insignificant look. |
Ing people and are scarcely larger |
than our fifteen-year-old boys. As |
walked along, looking up at some Of the
curious structures, suddenly heard the click |
Of firearms and found myself looking into
the barrels of half dozen muskets, which
some Of the rebels had pointed at me. Just
as l was about to say something gruff |
voice called out In English: Who are
yOu% i am an American said |, and am
passenger ON the Acapulco i am Pres
ton,' said the man, more politely than ex-
pected, you had better return TO your ship. |
cannot vouch for your safety on the |
streets at night / returned 10 the ship |
and remained there during my stay. The
hotels were dirty, wretched and high.
priced. Aspinwall Is the dItiest place ]
ever saw. Preston took the town with q
force that forty New York policemen could
have routed. The rebels made the mer.
chants pay them One-third of what they
owned, or 60 to prison, and thus they oh.
tanned large sums Of money. They needed
ammunition badly, and doubtless that Is
why they seized what was on the Colon.
Preston Is lawyer, who has the reputation
Of being dcsperado. He recently killed
three men In Aspinwall, one of them a
wealthy merchant with whom he had
quarreled.
"An officer Of the Acapulco says the lnsur-
gents were a slckly looking mob. They
followed their leaders, orders and II told 10
run man through with bayonet would do
so without any compunctlon whatever.
Preston, he says, Is perfectly black. His
father was jamaican and his mother a
Spanish creole. He had threatened 10 shoot
every white man on the Isthmus. The Off.
Ger thought that with q handful Of marines
he could clean out the whole lnsurgent mob
with very little'trouble."
The President made two recess appoint.
ments yesterday. John s. McCalmont of
Pennsylvania, Commissioner of Customs.
Vice johnson resigned, and John R'Gani
son, Of Virginia, Deputy First Comptroller
OF the Treasury.
John s. McCalmont, Of Customs, Is q
prominent Pennsylvania lawyer, from the
same locality as his predecessor, Judge
johnson, and a man Of marked ability. He
served through the war with distinction on
the Union side, and attained the rank Of
Major General Of volunteers.
Mr. Garrison Is promoted from the posi.
ton OF chief Of the Diplomatic Division of
that bureau. lie IL one OF the oldest and
most efficient men on the bureau and his an.
pointment was strongly urged by civil ser
vice reformGs. -. n; m |
General Land Commissioner Sharks
ordered that final action In the General Land
Office upon all entries of the public lands
except private cash entries and such scrip
locatlons as are not dependent upon acts OF
n0aI H.. L..