The morning call., 1892-02-04
A PARALLEL.


blood, Il may be worth while to racapjtg-
late similar Incident which took place
over tWeutv-seyen years ago I'D another
country, Japan, and Of which the details
have just been resurrected from the diplo-
matte corresp ordelce Of 1865 by Mr.. Lyman
=. Andrews Of New York.
ON November p, 1861, two officer, Of the
British army, Bird and Baldwin. were al
tackled y japanese mob at kauagawa.
and murdered. The crime was committed
at 10 o'clock in the evening and the bodies
were found by a detail from the British
Consulate at o'clock On the following
morning. At daylight the incident was re-
ported by the Governor of the district. The
first step taken by the British Minister,
with whom the American Minister, Mr..
Robert IT, Pruyn. co-Operated, was to pro-
test against The Governors delay Of three
hours IN reporting the murder. The Gov
eminent at Toxic acknowledged the pro-
test, and Immediately removed the Governor.
While the British Minister started an in
vestigation, the United States Minister,
acting c0nj0jnty with the French Minister,
dispatched a brief but energetic appeal 10
the japanese authorities suggesting meas
uTes which, in their judgment, should be
adopted for the preservation IF good faith.
and in tile Interests of peace" II the Brit
ish and French representatives at Santiago
took Up the cuigel5 on behalf Of the muir
dered sailors of the Baltimore, the fact has
not trauspired; indeed, common rum0r has
imputed to the former official a disposition
to pooh-pooh the matter, and to abet the
Chileans in representing it as "a brawl
among drunken sailors"
On the very day that Mr.. Pruyn's appeal
was received, the leading members Of the
japanese Government replied that the news
Of the murder had filed the EmperoFs min
listers with pain and horror; that they
regarded il as " a matter Of the greatestim-
portance," and that the Vice Minister of
Foreign Affairs had been dispatched in per-
son to the spot TO direct the measures TO be
adopted. That was two days after the muir
der. Six days later. the japanese Govern
ment informed Mr.. Pruyn that the MUIR
derers had been apprehended and executed;
and that energetic measures had been
adopted 10 Put a stop to such occurrences in
future"
The contrast between japanese methods
and Chilean methods is as striking as the
contrast between the behavior of the Amer
lean Minister to Toxic in 1864 and the be-
havior Of the British Minister to Santiago
in 1891 Eight days after tie murder Of the
EHgli5hmen their Japanese assassins had
met their fate, and police were on guard to
prevent further anti-English demonstra-
lions. The American sailors on the BALI
more had been dead for over three months
before C1ie admitted that it was RESPONSE
bic for the outrage, and it may be years be-
fore the families Of the murdered men
q Ind "a nj Esgh{ oh Il bofr 1,a
If the British Minister had cO-operated
with the United States Minister as promptly
aud as cordially as Mr.. Pruyn cO-Operated
with his British colleague. Chile would
probably have acted more vigorously and
more nationally But so far as the public
knows, the Euglishm8n at Santiago never
opened his mouth 10 warn President Montt
that the assassination Of sailors wearing
the American uniform could not be over
looked by The Government Of the United
States.
II is pleasant to think that there have
been EuglishmeE who, in similar emer-
gencies, have believed with Tattnall that
blood is thicker than water. In the course
Of the wretched Lopez Instruction in Cuba.
party Of American featherheads, who had
volunteered to serve with the insurgents,
we're caught at seaport and were SEN
| fenced to death on the following morning.
There happened to be an English man-of-
war in port. Her captain whose name. il
is believed. was hampton, sent a boat
ashore TO inquire If this was the fact, and
directed his officer to protest if it was. The
! answer was that the men would certainly be
executed at the hour set. A brief reply
came from the Engishman that If that were
the case he would feel 1t to be his duty to
lombard that seaport until there was not a
house left standing, and that if the Ameri-
cans we're not surrendered by in the
morning on board his ship he would open
fire then and there. And in proof that he
meant business the yards and top hamper Of
the slOop-Of- war came down at lively rate
and the decks were cleared for action. 1t
need hardly be added that the captives
were given up and were conveyed to an
American port by the English man-of-war.
If there were more Engishmen like this sea
captain there would be less bitterness
aflOat.