Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-21
CAPT. SCHLEY DENOUNCES 1T.
The Baltimore's Commander on the valpa
raise FiscaPs Report.

The Baltimore's Commander on the yalpa-
raiso Fiscars Report.
Capt. Schley of the cruiser Baltimore when
fiscal of Valparaiso as recently published said
II am not at all surprised by this report. Such
conclusions we're rendered necessary to sustain
the Chilean contentious in the case"
Capt. Schley then went over the report and
discussed it in detail. Regarding the rejection
by the procurator of Langon and Johnson's
testimony on the ground that their stories did
not agree perfectly the captain said: Those
two men were our strongest witnesses, and
testifying as they did directly to the shooting
of Riggin by the soldiers the court has to find
some plea for rejecting their evidence and hit
on the fact that they appeared not to have
known each other before the riot occurred.
This is very natural. Langon was not a MEM
Der of the Baltimore's crew at this time. He
was a sailor on an American vessel wrecked in
Valparaiso harbOr some days before and en-
listed on the Baltimore week after the riot
As for the statement that the men dined to-
gether in an eating house on the day of the riot,
it might well happen that the two men could
stay at the same hotel without meeting each
other.
There is no possible doubt that Riggin was
killed by rifle bullet fred by soldiers. John
his left arm and shoulder. The soldiers fired
at only six feet distant. The bullet pierced the
shirt and handkerchief covering the shoulder
and then struck Riggin in the neck ana infiict-
ing wound, the doctors say, that caused in
slant death. The blood poured from the wound
ana covered Johnsons shirt. This shirt was
shown to the Valparaiso court and yet the ifs
cal states that he rejects Johnson's testimony
because there were no blood stains on his
sleeve, as there must have been if his story
were true. The procurator's statement that no
one testified who fired the shots is false. Both
johnson and Langon testified that the soldiers
fired them"
Regarding the dispute as to the weapon from
which the bullet that killed Riggin was fired
Capt Schley said: The sixth day after the
rioting at Valparaiso paper stated that one of
the Baltimore's men fired at a policeman,
missed him and killed Riggin. This theory was
at once seized upon by the Chileans, but when
higgins body was examined it was found that
the bullet had passed through over nine inches
OF the frmest tissues In the human body passed
through vertebrs, SCATTERING them, and then
through the shoulder blade, and after all this
left the body on the other side with
such velocity that the flesh was hardly
torn at all. There Is no pistol
in existence that could infict such a
wound as this There is no possible doubt the
ball came from a rifle But it was necessary
for the Chileans to prove that it was a revolver
wound in order to exonerate the police and
they therefore called in two physicians as ex-
perts. Only one of these men was really a
physician, the other being merely hospital
steward, and one of whom had never examined
higgins body, testified that the wound was in
ficted by pistol bullet. This gave the court
an excuse to reject the entire testimony.
Lieut. McCrae and DIR. White Of the Balti-
more made careful tests by firing pistol and
rifle balls through shirt and neckerchief like
johnson g and piece of meat, and found rifle
penetrations through both cloth and meat ex-
actly the same as those in higgins case. Dr.
White had just treated three or four hundred
rifle wounds and was an expert on the subject.
Both McCrae and White testified most posi-
lively before the court that the wounds were
caused by rifle bullet, giving their reason for
the opinion. The sentences recommended by
the court in Valparaiso are very curious Thus
Carlos Gomez, the one-armed Chilean sailor,
who confessed to having stabbed Turnbull, is
recommended to be imprisoned for three years,
while Davidson Of my crew, who knocked him
down with a stone in attempting to prevent
his doing this, is recommended to ten or fifteen
years imprisonment. The procurators state
ment that there was no evidence to show that
Turnbull and Riggin died of their wounds is
certainly remarkable. suppose the court i'm
AGNES they died from slow Consumption