New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-26

on,, individual act or personal animos'ty.
We have now received from the Chlhan Govern,
mani an abstract of the conclusions oil the flsc"i
General upon the testimony taken by the Juus'
of Crimes in an investigation which was maui
IN extend over nearly three months. very much
rcorct 10 be compelled to say that TINS report
does not enable Inc to modify the conclusion
announced in my annual message am SUN Vi
tho annion that our sailors were assured "aoc"'
Stabbed and killed, not for anything they OF any
ONO of them had DONE but for what the "oNerh-
mont Of the United States had done, or was
",arr.1 with having done, by its civil officers
ona naval commanders. III that DC the true
.encct Of the case, the injury was TO the Govern
80 IN. United States not to these poor sailors
Who were assaulted in manner so brutal ana 80
cowardly.
LFGAI, ASPECTS OF THE CASE.
Dotore attempting to give an outline OF Tie
,octs unon which this conclusion rests, think II
ri0ht 10 say word or two upon the legal aspect
Of the case. The Baltimore was in the haroor OF
VALPARAISO by virtue of that general lhVi'auoh
which nations are held TO extend to the war YES
sels of other powers with which they nave
friendly relations. This invitation, tmnK' must
he held ordinarily TO embrace the privilege OF
such communication with the shore as is reason
able necessary, and proper Tor the comfort anu
convenience of the officers and men OF such YES
sells Captain Schley tcstifes that when his YES
sci returned to Valparaiso, on September Ia, the
city officers as is customary, extended the hospl-
taties of the city to his officers and crew
II is not claimed that every personal collision
Or injury in which sailor or officer of such naval
vessel visiting the shore may be involved raises
an international question; but | am clearly Oh
the opinion that where such sailors or officers are
assaulted by a resident popuacc, animated by
hostility to the Government whose uniform these
sailors and officers wear, and IN resentment Oh
acts done by their Government, not by them, their
nation must take notice of the event as one III
volying an nfracton of its rights and dignity !;
not in a secondary way, as where CITIZEN IL
injured and presents his claim through his own
Government but in primary way, precisely as
IL its Minister or Consul of the flag ltSeli had
,con the object of the same character of assault.
The officers and sailors of the Baltimore were
in the harbor of Valparaiso under the oraeIs OF
their Government not by their own cipice lhey
we're mon the shore by the implied invitation of
the Government Of Chill, and with the approval
of their commanding officer: and it does not dis
tipgush their case from that of Consul that
his stay is more permanent or that he holds the
.xnress invitation of the local Government to
iustifv his longer residence. Nor GNs 1t ahect
The question that tie injury was the act OF
mob. II there had been no participation by the
nolice or military in this cruel work and no
NEGLECT on their part TO extend protection, the
case would still be one, in my opinion, wneh i'S
extent and character are considered, lnVoiVlng
international rights.
THE STORY OF THE OUTRAGE
Tho incidents of the affair are briefly as fol-
lows:
On the 1e,h of October last, Captain Schley'
commanding the L. S. s. Baltimore, gave shore
leave to IL pe.ty officers and sailors OF his snip
These mcu left the ship about 80 p. H. NO
incident of violence occurred; none oi
our men were arrested; no complaint was
LODGED a9st st them; nor did any collision or
outbreak occur until about o'clock p. m zap
tain Schley states that he was himself on shore
and about the streets of the city until . :3o p m
that he met very many of his men VINO were
upon leave: that They were sober ana were c'h-
dieting themselves with propriety, saluting Gillian
and other officers as they met them Other officers
of the ship and Captain Jenkins, of the merchant
shin Keweenaw, corroborate Captain Schley as TO
the general sobrety and good behavior Of our men.
The Sisters of Charity at the hospital to which our
wounded men were TAKEN when inquired OF, stated
that they sober when received. III the
situation had been otherwise, we must believe that
the Gillian police authorities would have made
arrests. About p. the assault began, and IL Is
remarkable that the investigation by the Judge Of
Crimes though so protracted, does not enable him
to give any satisfactory account OF It's origin
han is found in the statement that it began between
drunken sailors. Repeatedly in the correspondence
it 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. Montt, under
date of December 81, states that the quarrel began
flor
in the street, 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 Chilian sailor splitting IN
the face of Talbot, which was resented by Knock
down. 1t appears that Riggin and Talbot were
at the time unaocs<npanied by any others of their
shipmates. These Two men were immediately Deset
by a crowd Of Gillian citizens and sailors, through
which they broke their way 10 a street car ana
entered it for safety. They were pursued, driven
from the car, and Rggin was so seriously beaten
that he fell in the street, apparently dead mere
is nothing In the report Of the CHILEAN investigation
made to rs that seriously mpeaches this testimony.
1t appears from Chiian sources that almost IN
stantly, with a suddenness that strongly implies
meditation and preparation mob stated dn oy ,ne
at another 900, was engaged III the assault upon
our sailors, who are represented as resisting WIN
stones clubs, and bright arms" The report OF the
Intendente Of October 80 states that The fight be-
gan at u. III. in three streets which are named !:
that information was received 81 the lhtendencia
at 6 =: 5, and that the ponce arrived Oh tnc occHo
M G 40 a full halfhour after the assault began.
At that time he says that mob of 1000 men had
collected and that for several squares there was
the appearance Of a real battlefield"
A PICTURE OF THE ATTACK.
The scene at this point is very graphically set
before us by the CHILEAN testimony. The Amer-
can sailors who, after long examination.
have not been found guilty of any breach Of tho
peace so far as the Chilian authorities are able
70 discover, unarmed, and defencclcss, are fleeing
for their lives, pursued by overwhelming num-
hers, and fighting only TO aid their own escape
from death, or t. succor some mate whose life Is in
greater peril. Eighteen of them are brutality
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
whether by a missile thrown by our men, or by
~. IolI1 rAfor lie iinns NAL