New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-30
THE VALPARAISO AFFAIR.
ACCOUNT OF II BY A NAVAL OFFICER
SHOWING THE BRUTAL TREATMENT OF THE
BALTIMORE'S MIN.


BALTIMoRE's MES.
Chicago. Nov 20-Probaby the most intelligent &C.
count yet received in the United States regarding the
CHILEAN massacre OF the men Of tie American war
vessel Baltimore reached here yesterday In n private
letter from one OF the officers on that cruiser Tho
letter is +. W. Wells, 10 his father prominent
Chicago business man, aud il throws food OF light
upon many heretofore little understood points of the
tragic affair Writing under date Of October 20 from
aboard the Baltimore, in Valparaiso haror, the officer
SAYS:
Since writing las: have been occurrences hero
which for OF the most exciting nature. Since
In Coqunbo along in the middle OF August. our
had liberty whatever. The state Of affairs
has been such that it believed un|le to allow
Shore and I'm consequence they have been keos
board The captain has been anxious to give them
run but feared do previous to s:yrai days ago
Before letting them vent 10 the police and requested
that there shOu be trouble our men would 20
protected This, believe, sssnred and ON the 10th
the ashore during te afternoon. and were seen
sroling the quiet and orderly mannet
About o'clock OF very best men, boatswains
mate words with Gillian sailor, although no
blows or anything that had passed between thcm
time another OF and said some
thing when the Gillian turned him and spit in his face
and promptly knocked down. This preciptated q
and these two Of ours were surrounded anu
probably interchsnged between them, and crowd
gathered consisting OF Gillian sailors, Toughs bcatmcn
outnumberlng forty The boatswain's mata
(ggin by stabbed in the neck and our other
man, fearing like fate, started run but pursued
by the mob and stabbed lie has wounds. L
think Meanwhile Rggin had sunk 20 the ground from the
loss blood and the crowd had gone away. Another OF
along about this time and picked Riegin
up In HIS carry him away when squad OF police,
Informed. along and fired at them. Tho shos
sed through the shirt OF the man who was holding Rggn,
and piercing Higgins lodged under his shoulder blade
The other seeing these bre' starting 10 load again.
dropped Rigein and The hear Of Ri2gin IN
he cart, dying. Some Of the crowd got
up the and said something about Yankee, etc. The
poor fellow died shortly afterward.
We have lOGId people who the shot fired and say
THAI they could Nentify the policeman who did It, About
! D. NJ. OF men brought or, stabbed twice
in the Lack OF the wounds penetrating ths lung. All
that night this bowling mob after men and
caught them shry and brutaly beat and stabbed them.
An American ship captain saw mob Of twenty after one
man. him knocked down and a big rock flung his
head. lie is In the hospital with stab wound in
the back and the abdomen. We have another
stabbed the lung from the back. He was arrested
ard stabbed from behind while the police were dragging
him 10 station. So the man mentioned above
with the wounds in the back aud abdomen. Then We
have three others in the hospital badly stabbed. These
are the serious cases. enclose sick list Curl
oslty showing part Of the that wounded. We
have "a lot OF men in Jail who are held-no6ody knows
what for
The whole thing was brutal and cowardly and should
rec cye the attention deserves. OF
boys expected any difficulty, but upon without
warning and don't lose sight OF the fact that Rggn ws
sho by policeman while probably dying from his stab
wound. Several others o. our men, Whl' running
away to save their lives, est b. oaicers with
swords Our held up and robbed IN bread day
light in the streets OF Valparaiso. Yesterday, while
OF our officers walking down TO the binding, he was
spit at This morning. even, / behave our stewards
were molesed such that they not 70 10
allowed shore, and shall have 70 depend FOR
cur provisions sOmc man who VIII Lring them of 70
the ship. Besides oil this, there dozen other little
things that go make 'hot under the collar such -
shifting on the ags boats while the landing, etc.
One OF our men was kicked In the head while
I'm the The night Of the disturbance one man was
70 hard pressed he jumped 0n the landing ana stones
were thrown at him while he in the water. When
boat from American merchant ship thea - pcS Elm
uD stones were thrown at It and 4. dhfel Oh The
police from oil accounts abccd the Whole thing and this
would make the Government responsible FOR It, ineose
the report OF sick got porti'n Ct The m,A on
IL Is led enough for a regulat batGr