New-York tribune., 1890-01-29
THE AMERICAN FLAG RAISED
SAN BLAs INDIANS DEFY COLOMBIAN RULE
THEY TRY TO ANNEX THEMSELVES TO THE
UNITED sTATES-rHE GUNBoAr PoPA SENT
FROM THEIR CoAST-OwNERS OF THE
SCHOONER PEARL APPLY FOR
BRITISH PROTECTION.

BRITISH PROTECTION.
The Indians of the San Bias coast have an
nexed themselves and their country to the
United States. For many years these Indians
have been supplied with merchandise in exchange
for cocoanuts by the American traders They
have had little communication with the rest OF
Colombia and have lived under tribal rule, never
acknowledging the authority over their country
Of the Government at Bogota. The recent seizure
of American vessels laden with goods for them
and the stoppage of trade with this country by the
action of the Colombian gunboat La POpa have
exasperated them to the highest degree. Leo
pold Schepp the principal trader the coast, has
twenty trading stations strung along the
shore. at each of which is a brass cannon and an
American fag The natives call him whisper
it not in the Stock Exchange tell it not to the
Board of Governors the Great Father. Several
of the of the chiefs of the larger tribes have
been brought to this country and educated in
American schools. When the Indians learned of
the action of the Colombian Government and La
Popa, they decided to become at once American
citizens
Soon afterward La Popa appeared of the coast
and landing party was sent ashore. At once
the Indians ran up the American flag and the
firing Of the signal gun soon brought large
force of armed Indians to the spot. They were
armed with machete knives and pistols and COM
pletely surrounded the force sent ashore from the
gunboat They were led by chief of valor and
reputation, who, stepping out before his men, de-
livered an address to the Colombian commander, in
which he asserted that the San Bias Indians were
Americans and would fight under the American
flag. The forces from the gunboat were directed
to return Immediately aboard their vessel suffer
tha TboC Co1o biano md ha1
no alternative, so he and his men boarded their
vessel and steamed down the coast.
Here a second landing was made, and here
second time the Indians assembled in force and
declared themselves Americans Again they de-
manded the return of the Colombian forces on
board La POpa The Col0mbians retired on board
and La Popa sailed away. There are said to be
10000 Indians in the San Bias district and
attempt by the Colombian Government to subduc
them would be fraught with great expense and
difficulty. They are a brave and hardy race
and, like the North American Indians will sub
nit to the greatest physical pain without muir
mur.
The story published here yesterday to the
effect that the captain of the schooner Whitford
had been arrested at Colon proved upon investi-
cation to be entirely false. The captain we'll
received at Colon, but the schooner not per-
mitted to proceed to the San Bias coast. She is
now at Colon awaiting further orders from Mr..
Schepp Mr.. Schepp said last night: - shall
not end the Whitford to Cartagena. When |
cleared her from here | acted under the advice
of the Colombian Consul, and shall hold the Colon
bian Government responsible for the acts of its
authorized agent. In dealing with Colombian
officials, 1T does not matter whose advice you
take you are always sorry you did not take the
other fellows"
Mr.. Foster of Foster Il Co. has received
letter from Washington saying that the State
Department had directed the United States Con-
sui at Carthagena to demand a speedy trial OF
the case Of the firms seized schooner Julana.
AS soon as the case is decided the State Depart
ment will act.
The seized schooner Pearl, owned by Jos h
Herron of this city, was bought in Nova Scotia
and flies the British flag, Her owner has ap-
peSsied his to ttorNev She sh M a%e nf
Butler Stillman & Hubbard, said yesterday
that there was little doubt that the British Gov
ernment would interfere. Mr.. Larkn has just
returned from Carthagena, where he tried to
bond the schooner obtain some definite settle
ment of her case. The Judge before whom the
case of the Pearl was tried would correspond to
police justice in this country. 1t is the first
case of the kind which ever occurred in the
history of Columbia, and there seem to be 10
courts with proper jurisdiction and no precedents
TO go by.
Besides the great loss entailcd on New-York
merchants by the stoppage of trade with the San
Bias coast, there is $500, 900 worth of American
property in cocoanuts and merchandise going to
decay day by day under the tropical sun Of the
coast This property cannot be reached in
time to it, account of the detention Of
some of the schooners and the prohibition of
the others from going to the coast. The Juliana
and Pearl. now tied up at Carthagena, are daily
deterorating and Mr.. Larkin said Yesterday that
before the case of the Pearl could be decided
she would be destroyed by rot engendered by the
intense heat and by the boring worm which
infests all tropical waters.