The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-04-24
HOW THEY CARRY ON WAR IN CHILL.
That Country's Troubles as Seen by
Maine Skipper.
Happiness. Caused by Champagne,
Gave the Insurgents the Navy.
Priests Publicly FIogged-Boys Of
Thirteen lin the Ranks.

BELFAST, Me-, April 23.-The Belfast
Journal prints an interesting article on the
situation in Chill as it appeared last Septem-
ber to a Maine man. This was Captain L.
p Nickels of Searsport, whose little paper.
the Ocean ChroRicle, printed on shipboard,
is something unique in journalism. 1t was
In this little paper, gotten up by Captain
Nickels for the benefit and amusement of his
friends and himself. that the article printed
in the journal this week appeared. A por-
tion Of the article follows:
VALPARAISO, February IL. 1901 have
no doubt that you would be pleased to have
me tell you the latest news Of the Chilians.
lt is but natural that you will expect that
person right here on the spot can tell some
facts that would be Of interest to the people
of the United States; therefore l seat my.
self, not to tell you any news, but to tell you
send some of the latest papers that Q may
know out here how the war is getting on. 1t
may seem very strange to you, but there is
probably no. place in the world that knows
so little OF how the war Is progressing as
right here In Valparaiso. All the newspa-
pers have been suppressed. except the gov.
ernment organs, and they print only govern
ment lies. while the opposition have to pass
their stories from one to another in speak
ing.
Some few facts might be given that we
know are true. We know that there is civil
war in Chill. We know that the opposition
have the whole Chilian navy In their hands,
and that the whole fleet have gone in for the
opposition, to man. 1t is also known that
the forts here fired into one Of the men-of-
war and killed six men, wounding four more.
There Is no doubt but the statement is tue,
when 1t Is said that the way they managed to
take the fleet so easily was to get up grand
ball on shore aud ask the captain of the
"Esmeralds" to it, and that it was intended
to get him happy, and that they did get him
so; and that while he was in happy frame
OF mind, they quietly walked to the boats,
went on board. and then went to sea, which
was the first actual outbreak of the revolu-
tion. 1t is also fact that the feet, or a part
OF the fleet, lay off the harbor here for long
time, and that they stopped some vessels
from coming in here. We think that the re-
port is true that bad the feet remained in
the harbor "a hours more all the officers
would have been arrested and put in prison.
Another fact that will not be denied is
that any one that is In sympathy with the
navy (oppositioD) dare NOT publicly express
himself, or even let 1t be known that he has
any sympathy In that direction, for If he
does, and he Is an influential man, away he
goes to prison, has his hair cut, whiskers
shaved of, and Is adorned with the garb of a
criminal. There is no doubt that it is true
flogged, and that one of them died in few
hours from the effect of the logging. 1t is
also fact that there is the largest wheat
crop In Chill that has been known for twen-
ty years, and that unless this difficulty Is
soon settled, not half of it will be harvested,
and that about all the harvesting that is be-
ing done is done by women. No one will
uohv tnat the farmers in the interior are be-
ing pressed into the army, and the tender
age OF thirteen does not suffice to let them
on free. 1t Is said hat there are thousands
OF boys between the ages of Is and 10 that
are being drilled for the bsttlefald 'Fhara
Is no doubt that four-ffths OF the people on
shore are in sympathy with the nasv.
Wnen you heard that all the ships welc or
dered out-of the harbor, and that 1t was ex-
pected that the place would be bombarded,
you heard that which was true; but the
ships all came back again in few days
Ships boats, when going about the harbOr,
nave 10 keep their national flag flying or get
fired into. There is no boat allowed to land
after 8 p. m. The fact that Captain Chase
held a prisoner for some days because he
would not take out steamer (his steamer
that the government had taken) tor the gov
ernment, cannot be denied, and that his re-
lease was demanded and obtained by the
American consul. These are few Of the
facts which no one will deny. but of the sto-
ries that are going around, there is no de-
pendence to be put in them. 1 will vOuch
tor nothing more that may say. but it is
said that three IOlicemen went on board of
the Esmeralda and took her, capturing $50
prisoners. We hear that the Imperial"
which left here with 400 soldiers for Iquique,
got there just in time to stop the navy
from capturing that. place. 1t Is said that
the way they get their recruits is to start
man on horseback through the country, and
II ne sees anyone at work in the fields he
goes up to him and tells him that he must
Join the army; but If the man objects to go
the rider throws lasso over him and starts
OH Tor the recruiting office.