Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-08
Judge Brunson, Counsel for
Chile, Talks.
He is Indignant the Way the
Seizure Was Managed.
A Parallel Case to That of the Fa-
nous Alabama.
Extracts from the San Diego Papers
Showing How the Itata Escaped.
Marshal Gard Interviewed
About the Matter.

dScub iOI tHc OHiiodu BONCIhIucuI, WAS
very mad man, yesterday, when a
HERALD reporter queried him about the
escape of the pirate steamer Itata from
Marshal Gard, at San Diego.
II don't know what to say about the
matter. / don't want to say anything
to hurt Marshal Gard, but there does
not seem to be any reason why the
Itata should have got away. tele-
graphed Marshal Gard to seize the ship.
He did so. / am informed that United
States District Attorney Cole then coun-
termanded my request to Gard, and the
marshal telegraphed to nae again, ask
ing for further instructions. l wired him
to hold the Itata by all means.
then went to military headquarters
here, as Marshal Gard said he might
need help, and got an order placing the
troops at the San Diego barracks at his
disposal, but he does not seem to have
had any use for them.
Il then telegraphed to ]. w. Foster,
the counsel for the Chilean legation at
Washington, stating what l had done,
and asking him to get an order from the
secretary of the navy for the Charleston,
which is now at San Francisco, as there
was no vessel in these southern waters
able to cope with the Itata. In response
to that / have heard nothing. Before
that, however, asked Foster to get an
order from the attorney-gencral in
structing the United States district
attorney here to hold the ship, and l
received word yesterday that such an
order had been given, but no such action
seems to have been taken by Mr.. Cole.
Last evening l received the following
dispatch from Marshal Gard:
"'SAN DIEGO, May 9th.
Judge Anson Brunson, Los Angeles.
While was outside last evening,
cruising for the Robert and Minnie. the
Itata put to sea, taking my deputy
along. The Itata in passing Lighthouse
point showed four cannon and hun
dred armed men on deck. She steered
northwest to overhaul the Robert and
Minnie. She will have her arms and
ammunition on board and be headed for
Chilean coast by sunrise.
GEORGE GARD"
The judge, while expressing his
friendly feeling for Marshal Gard, said
that he was greatly surprised at the
bungle that had been made of the mat
ter. 1t was evident that as long as the
Itata was held, that the Robert and
Minnie could not deliver her arms, and
it was absurd to suppose that men des-
perate enough to practically sieze
steamer, would submit to losing their
whole venture out of respect to the
United States government, as person
ified in the person of one lone deputy
United States marshal.
"a company of troops should have
been put on the Itata, and ever person
on board kept below unless they wanted
to go ashore. They claimed to be pas
sengers, and if they were passengers,
they had right to go ashore, but any
man who attempted to give any orders.
should have been put in irons.
'The importance of this matter does
not seem to be understood. You see the
insurgents are about out of provisions
may change the whole situation. More
than that the affair puts the United
States in exactly the same position that
England occupied in the matter OF the
Alabama, and in consequence of which
we received $l9,000,000 indemnity. Le-
gally the case is the same. Will the
Chilean government demand an indem-
nifty? Time will tell"
The San Diego Union, of yesterday,
states: At this writing the Itata and
her miniature consort. the Robert and
Minnie, are supposed to be somewhere
off San Clemente island preparing to
transfer the rifles and powder and cart
ridges which the little schooner carried,
into the hold of the big steamer and to
place the sorrowing deputy United
States marshal gently on the deck of
the two-named craft with the caution
to ''be good little boy and run along
home"
The departure of the Itata was not
unexpected, though it was not supposed
that she would leave as soon as she did.
1t was rnmored late yesterday afternoon
that she was preparing to leave the har-
bor, and the absence of any of the
steamers crew from the streets added
weight to the story. At 5 O'Clock the
captains gig, which had been lying at
the foot of III street, pulled off for the
vessel with six men aboard, and as soon
as the boat was hoisted to the deck the
Itata weighed her anchor and steamed
down stream.
Deputy Marshal Spencer was num-
bered among her passengers when she
sailed, and as far as known is still
aboard the steamer. Marshal Gard was
not aware that the captain had any in
tention of disregarding his authority, for
he left for Point Iona in the launch Tia
Juana just one hour and fifteen minutes
ahead OF the big steamer, and had passed
the point and proceeded some di tance
out to sea before he could have been
aware that the Itata was following him.
MARSHAL GARD INTERVIEWED.
In the same paper is the following in
terview with Marshal Gard:
Marshal Gard and his party returned
to the city in the tug Tia Juana shortly
before midnight last night. The marshal
was ten miles out at sea before the Itata
passed the point, and as the latter pro-
ceeded in northwesterly direction, the
distance between them was not lessened,
and they could not tell what was going
on aboard the big ship. The Tia Juana
cruised about for five hours, and went as
far as the Coronado islands, bnt not
trace of the Robert and Minnie could be
seen. The schooner had completely dis
appeared since the morning.
As the Tia Juana passed Ballast Point
going out, pilot boat No. / was spoken
and the mate, who was in charge, ques-
toned as to the whereabouts of the
schooner. He replied that he had not
seen her during the day, butas this same
L - Il a