The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-01-28

SSHAs>AAA0, Va VIC AA1CIVA0ut snip hSWce00W, cor
roborate Capt Schley as to the general sobriety
and good behavior of our men. The Sisters Of
Charity ut the hospital to which our wounded
men were taken, when inquired of, stated that
they were sober when received. II the
situation had been otherwise, We must
Deheve that the Gillian police au-
thorities would have made arrests About
p M, the assault began, and it is remarkable
that the investigation by the Judge Of crimes,
though so protracted, does not enable him to give
ony more satisfactory account Of its origin than
Is found In the statement that it began between
drunken sailors Repeatedly in the correspond.
ence 1t Is asserted that it was impossible to
learn the precise cause Of the riot. The
minister Of foreign affairs, Malta, in his
telegram to Mr.. Mont, under date Decem-
Der 81, states that the quarrel began between
two sailors In tavern and was continued In
the persons who were passing joining in it,
The testimony of Talbot an apprentice who
was with Riggin, is that the outbreak in which
they were involved began by q Gillian sailor
splitting In the face of r. Talbot, which was re-
sented by knock down. 1t appears
that R1ggin and Talbot were at the time unac-
companied by any others of their shipmates.
These two men were Immediately beset by q
crowd OF Gillian citizens and sailors, through
which they broke their way to a street car and
entered it for safety. They were pursued,
driven from the car, and Riggin was 80 serious
~ beaten that he fell In the street apparently
dead. There is nothing In the report OF the
Gillian investigation made to us that seriously
impeaches this testimony. 1t appears from
Ch1lian sources that almost instantly, with
suddenness that strongly implies meditation and
preparation, mob, stated by the police author
tiles at one time to number Z, co., and at another
time Zoo, was engaged in the assault upon our
sailors, who are represented as resisting with
stones, clubs and bright arms" The report of
the intendente Of October 80 states that the
a n IN tH1,0o
are named, that Information was re-
ceived at the intendencia at e:l5, and
that the police arrived on the scene at
$50, full half hour after the assault began. At
that time he says that q mob Of 200 men had
collected, and that for several squares there
was tho appearance of a "real battlefield"
The scene at this point is very graphically set
before US by the Gillian testimony. The
American sailors, who, after 50 long
On examination, have not been found
guilty OF any breach of the peace,
so far as the Gillian authorities ore able to dis
cover, unarmed and defenseless, are fleeing
for their lives, pursued by overwhelm-
ing numbers, and fighting only to aid
their own escape from death or to sue
cor some mate whose life Is in greater
peril. Eighteen of them are sbrutally stabbed
and beaten, while one Gillian seems from the
report, to have suffered some injury; but how
serious, or with what character OF weapon, or
"AOtACA ~ d AAlSSut buEO"u Oy our men or DIV
some OF his fellow rioters, is unascertained.
The pretense that our men were fighting
with stones, clubs, and bright arms" is in
view OF these facts, incredible. It is further re-
1uted by the fact that our prisoners, when
searched, were absolutely without arms, only
seven penknives being found in the possession
of the men arrested, while there were received
by our men more than thirty stab wounds,
every one OF which was inflicted in the back,
and almost every confused wound was in the
back or back Of the head. The evidence of the
ships officer OF the day is that even the jack
knives Of the men were taken from them before
leaving the ship.
AS to the brutal nature'o Of the treatment re-
ceived by our men, the following extract
the La Patria newspaper, OF Valparaiso, OF
October II, cannot Il be regarded as
too friendly; 1.-THE Yankees as soon as their
pursuers gave chase, went by way OF the Gale
del Arsenal toward the city Car station. In the
presence of an ordinary number of citizens,
among whom were some sailors, the North
Americans took seats in the street car to es-
cape from the stones which the Chilians threw
at them. It was believed for an instant that
the North Americans had saved themselves
from popular fury, but such was not the case
Scarcely had the car begun to move, when a
crowd gathered around and stopped it's progress.
Under these circumstances and without any
at the North Americans the conductor entered
the car seeing the risk OF the situation to the
vehicle, ordered them to get out. At the in
slant the sailors left the car in the midst Of a
hail OF stones, the said conductor received a
stone blow on the head. One Of the Yankee
sailors managed to escape in the direction of the
Plaza wheelright, but the other was felled to
the ground by stone. Managing to raise him
sell from the ground where he lay he staggered
in an opposition direction from the station In
front OF the house of Sig. Mazzini he was again
wounded, falling then senseless and breath
less"
No amount OF evasion or subterfuge is able to
cloud our clear vision OF this brutal work. 1t
should be noticed, in this connection, that the
American sailors arrested, for an extradit!on,
were, during the four days following the ar
rest, everyone discharged, no charge OF any
breach OF the peace or other criminal
conduct having been sustained against single
one Of them. The judge of crimes, Foster, in q
note to the 1ntendente, under date OF October
22-befOre the dispatch from this government
of the following day, which aroused the author
tiles OF Chilli to better sense of the gravity of
the affair-says: Having presided temporarily
over this court in regard to the seamen of the
United States cruiser Baltimore, who have been
tried on account OF the deporable conduct
which took place. etc. The noticeable point
here is that our sailors had been tried before
the 22nd OF October, and that the trial resulted
in their acquittal and return to their vessel. 1t
is quite remarkable and quite characteristic Of
the management OF this affair by the CHILEAN
police authorities that we should now be ad-
vised that Seaman Davidson, of the Baltimore,
has been included in the Indictment his onense
being SO far as have been able to ascertain.
that he attempted to defend q ship-mate against
an assailant who was striking at him with a
knife. The perfect vindication Of our men is
furnished by this report; one only Is found to
have been guilty Of criminal fault, and that for
an act clearly justifiable.
AS to the part taken by the police in the affair
the case made by Chill is also far from Salts
factory. The point where Riggin was killed is
only three minutes walk from the police sta.
ton aud not more than twice that distance from
the Intendencia; and yet, according to their Of
nc1al report, q full half hour ,elapseo AFTER
the assault began before the police
were upon the ground. It has been stated that
all but two Of our men have said that the police
did their duty. The evidence taken at Mare
island shows that If such q statement was pro-
cured from our men it was accomplished
by requiring them to sign writing in
q language they did not understand and
by the representation that it was mere decla
ration that they had taken no part in the dis
turbance. Lieut.. McCrea, who acted as inter
prefer, says in his evidence that when our sailors
were examined before the court the subject of the
conduct OF the police was so carefully avoided
that he reported the fact to Capt. Schley on his
return to the vessel. The evidence OF the ex
| istence of luminosity towards our sail
! ors in the minds of sailors of the Chill
ian navy and of the populace of Valparaiso
are 50 abundant and various as to leave nc
| doubt in the mind Of anyone who will examine
| the paper submitted. It manifested itself in
threatening and insulting gestures toward oul
men as they passed the Gillian man Of war II
| their boats and in the derisive and abusive cpl
! thets with which they greeted every appearance
| of an American sailor on the evening of the riot
Capt Schley reports that boats from the Chiliar
warships several times went out Of their course
to cross the bows of his boats, compelling then
| to back water. He complained Of thu
discOurtesy, and it was corrected. Tha
this feeling was shared by men o
higher rank is shown by an incident related b!
Surgeon Stitt Of the Baltimore. After the bat
tie Of Placilla he, with other medical officers o
the war vessels in the harbor, was giving volun
tary assistance to the wounded in the hospitals
The son OF CHILEAN army ofacer of high ranl