The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-12-07
SEC. TRACYS REPORT.
The First Official Account of the
Baltimore Outrage.
OUR SAILORS NOT TO BLAME.
They Were Unarmed and Were Fired Upon
by the Chilean Police-The Condition of
the Navy-I3 New Vessels Now In Com
mission and 20 Under Construction.


was presented to the President this morn
ing. 1t contains the first full and official
account of the affairs in the harbor of
Valparaiso in whichtwo of the sailors of
the cruiser Baltimore were killed and sever
al Others severely wounded. The secretary's
report reads
"At F. NJ. on the 10th of October, the
Baltimore being then at anchor in the
harbor OF Valparaiso, number of sea-
men belonging TO the ship went on shore
in uniform for liberty, in accordance with
the universal practice prevailing on board
ships Of war in foreign ports. Two weeks
had passed since the surrender of Valpa-
raiso TO the Congressionalist leaders, and
the city was quiet. Other foreign war
ships in the harbor had already given lib
erty to their crews, and no reason existed
for Withholding a like privilege from the
crew of the Baltimore.
'At o p. IN. the men had been ashore
four hours. IL is the general testimony
that they had been during this period, and
were then, orderly, sober, and well-be-
haved. The first encounter appears to
have taken place at this time be-
tween one of the crew of the Baltimore
and Chilian, who spat in his face. The
sailor knocked the Chilian down, and was
Immediately set upon, with his COM
panion, another Of the Baltimore's crew,
by an angry crowd. The two sailors took
refuge In passing street-car. They were
dragged from the car by the crowd. One
of them, Petty Officer Charles Riggin,
was stabbed, and left TO die in the street.
His compaion, Talbot, an apprentice, es-
capped, but was afterwards arrested, cat
gut nippers were put on his wrists, and he
was struck again and again by the police
on his way 10 prison.
Another petty officer, johnson, then in
neighboring house, seeing Riggn lying
helpless in the street, went TO his assist
ance. The crowd had now left. Finding
Riggin still breathing, johnson took him
in his arms TO carry him to drug store
near by: At this moment a squad Of
mounted police, with fixed bayonets,
came up the street. When at close quar-
ters they fired at johnson, being so near
that his face was blackened by the dis
charge. One shot entered Higgins neck
and shoulder, infiicting death wound.
Another shot passed through Johnson's
clothes.
1.-THE affair of the street car was only
one of many simultaneous attacks made
upon the Baltimores men. The attacks
lasted for an hour. They were not con-
fined to one locality, but occurred at sew
eral widely separated points in the city.
In many instances the American sailors
were in restaurants and hotels quietly get
ting supper when attacked by crowds
numbering from 25 to 200 men. The part
borne by the police in these attacks is
shown by the reports. Thirty-six Of the
Baltimore's men were arrested and taken
| to prison, being subjected on the way to
| treatment of the utmost brutality. Cat
gut nippers were placed on their wrists,
| and in the case OF one man, McWilliams,
a lasso was thrown around his neck. Will
| liams, another apprentice, IL years OF age,
was arrested by a mounted policeman,
| who put the nippers around his wrists aud
then started his horse into a gallop,
throwing the boy down. Coal HEAVIER
| Quigley, in trying to escape from the mob,
was struck with sword by police Off
Ger. Petty Officer Hamilton was dragged
to prison dangerously wounded and un-
concious, and his companions, attempting
| TO relieve his sufferings, were threatened
with blows from musket butts, and COM
| PEELED to desist.
Coal HEAVIER Turnbull received eighteen
| wounds in the back, two of which pene-
trated his lungs, and subsequently caused
his death. Other men were seriously in
| jured, and several of the wounds were
caused by bayonet thrusts, clearly show
ing the participation of the police. As a
result of the attacks, two of the men, Rig
gin and Turnbnll died, and eighteen
others were more or less disabled by
| wounds.
| At the examination Immediately fol
| lowing the arrest, which WAS conducted
secretly, a request was made of the Oau-
thorities by Capt. Schley to allow one of
| his officers to be present In the court. The
request was denied Before the men were
discharged they were required to sign a
| paper in Spanish. A court official, whom
one of the men asked what might be the
meaning of the paper, declared that it was
mere form, stating that the signer had
| not been engaged in the trouble.
"The sailors during the attack were
| without arms and therefore defenceless.
| OF the thirty-six men arrested and exam
ined, all were discharged, there being no
proof of any violation of the peace on their
| part. The judicial investigation into the
| conduct of the men failed to show that a
1t is clear that their only offence lay in
wearing the uniform OF the country to
which they belonged
Nv neither the attacks upon the seamen
of the Baltimore were preconcerted or
not, their real cause can only be found in
the bitter hostility of the Chilians toward
the United States,-a feeling largely due
to the false and malicious accusations
| which have been put forth at Iquique and
later at Valparaiso in reference to the ac-
| tion of the navy of the United States dur
ing the progress OF tbs revolution.
''It is due To the navy to state that so
far from having given cause for such a
| feeling, its conduct. under the instruc-
! tions of the department, has in every re-
spect been fair, just and temperate.
| The report OF the Secretary shows that
| there are now thirteen modern steel
| cruisers i'm commission, ranging from 20
| tons (the torpedo boat Cushing) To 4,5O0
| tons (the Chicago) These vessels are the
| Chicago, Yorktown, Petrol, Charleston,
| Baltimore, Cushing, Vesuvius, Philadel-
| phia, san Francisco, Newark, Concord,
| Bennington, Miantonomoh.
Seventy-hve vessels, measuring from
| ll2 TO 10000 tons are in course of oonstruc-
ton. Nine of them will the Secretary
thinks, be placed in commission next
| year, but the more powerful will not be
! completed until 1904 The estimates Of
| the Secretary for the needs OF the depart
ment in 1879. The year for which the
| present Congress will have to provide are
/ S21 900, 600, against 49,, 100000 appropri-
eel 10y the last aud 1870 900 by the Con-
| gress of 1890. In this amount Is included
! Sl2, 2,2s0, ,s55 for the increase of the navy.
In recommending an increase of the
| navy the secretary says: After consider
! ing carefully the additions that have
| been hitherto made TO the navy, and its
| future necessities, the department has
reached the conclusion that there should he
no departure from the policy pursued up to
this time of building, large armored yes
sells. Ships Of the type of the Indiana,
now under construction, are undoubtedly
| the most powerful element Of protection