Huntsville gazette., 1892-01-30

HUNTSVILLE. ALA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 80, 1892

amined 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 exist
ence Of anirnosity towards our sailors in the
minds of sailors of the Chilian navy and Of the
popalace of Valparaiso are so abundant and
various as TO leave no doubt in the mind of any
on3 who will examine the paper submitted. 1t
is manifested in threatening and insulting gest-
ures toward our men as they passed the Chilian
sive and abusive epithets with which they greet
ed every appearance of an American sailor
the evening of the riot Capt. Schley reports
that boats from the Chilian war ships several
times went out OF their course to cros the bows
of bis boats compelling them to back water. He
complained Of the discourtssy, and it was cor
rected- That this feeling was shared by men of
higher rank is shown by an incident related by
Surgeon Stitt of the Baltimore. After the
battle of Placilla he. with other medical
officers of the war vessels in the har-
the wounded in the hospitals. The son of a
Chilian army officer of high rank was under his
care, and when the father discovered it, he flew
into passion and said he would rather have his
son die than have Americans touch him. and at
once had him removed from the ward. This
feeling is not well concealed in the dispatches
preston in the disrespectful treatment of the
American legation. The Chilan boat
men in the bay refused. even for large
or tbs 70 fa sb wbsa tbax
AttOAN,
were endeavoring to escape from the city on the
night of the assault. The boats of the Balti-
more were threatened and even quite recently
the gig of Commander Evans of the Yorktown
was stoned while waiting for him at the mole.
The evidence of our sailors clearly shows that
the attack was expected by the Chilian people,
that threats had been made against our men, and
in one case, somewhat early in the afternoon,
the keeper of one house, into which some of
our men had gone closed his establishment in
anticipation of the attack which he advised
them would be made upon them when darkness
came on. In report of Capt. Schley to the
navy department he says: In toe only inter
view that had with Judge Foster, who is in
vestigating the case relative to the disturb
ances, before he was aware of the entire gravity
of the matter, he informed me. that the assault
upon my men was the outcome Of hatred for
our people among the lower classes, because
they thought we had sympathized with the
Chilian government on account OF the Itata
matter. Several of our men sought Sc
curity from the mob by such complete or partial
changes in their dress as would conceal the
fact of their being seamen of the Baltimore,
and found it then possible to walk the streets
clusively establish that the attack was upon the
uniform-the nationality-and not upon the
found in the refusal of this government to give
recognition to the congressional party before it
had established itself in the seizure Of the Itata
for an alleged violation OF the neutrality law; in
the cable Incident and in the charge that Ad
miral Brown conveyed information to Valpa-
paraiso OF the landing at Quintero.
1t is not my purpose to enter here any defense
of the action Of this government in this matter.
1t is enough for the present purpose to say that
if there was any breach of international comfy
or duty on our part it should have been made
the subject of official complaint through diplo-
matte channels or of reprisals for whi n full
responsibility was assumed. We can
not consent that these incidents p, and nd
used to excite a murderous attack upon
our unoffending sailors, and the government of
Chilli so acquitted of responsibility: In fact the
conduct OF this government during the war
| IN Chill pursued those lines of international
| duty which we had so strongly insisted upon on
the nart of other nations when this country was
| the established diplomatic relations with the
| government in power until it was overthrown,
and then promptly and cordially recognized
| the new government when it was established.
| The good offices Of this government were of
! fered to bring about a peaceful adjustment, and
| the interposition Of Mr.. Egan to mitigate Sc
| verlties and to shelter adherents OF the con-
gresSional party were effective and frequent.
| The charge against Admiral Brown is too base
| to gain credence with anyone who knows his
high personal and professional character.
| Referring to the evidence of sailors, l
| think it is shown that there were several dis
tinct assaults, and so nearly simultaneous as to
! show that they did not spread from one point.
A press summary of the report of the fiscal
| shows that the evidence Of the Chilian officials
| and others was in conflict as to the place of
origin, several places being named by different
witnesses as the locality where the first out
| break occurred. This. if correctly reported,
| shows that there were several distinct out
breaks, and SO nearly at the same time as to
| cause this confusion.
/ The La Patria, in the same issue from which
have already quoted. after describing the killing
Of Riggin and the fight which from that point
| extended to the mole says: "At the same time
in other streets of the port the Yankee sailors
fought fiercely with thespeople of the town, who
believed they saw in them incarnate enemies OF
| the Chilan navy.
The testimony of Capt. Jenkins of the Amer
ican merchant ship Keeweena which had
! gone to Valparaiso for repairs and
who was witness of some part of the
assault upon the crew of the Baltimore
is isstrongly corroborative of the testimony Of ouI
| own sailors, when he says that the Chillan sen
| tries drove back man seeking shelter from q
mob that was pursuing him. The officers and
men Of Capt. Jenkins ship furnish the most
conclusive testimony as to the indignities which
were practiced towards Americans in Valparai
! ships, can only secure their safety by denying
their nationality, it must be time to readjust
| our relations with government which allows
such demonstrations.
AS to the participation of the police the evi-
! dence of our sailors shows that our men were
struck and beaten by police officers before and
| after arrest and that one, at least, was dragged
with lassoo about his neck by mounted po-
liceman. That the death of Riggin was the re-
suit of rife shot fired by policeman or soldier
on duty is shown directly by the testimony OF
johnson, in whose arms he was at the
time, and by the evidence of Charles
Langen. an American erica IN not then vhs
|
| stood close by and saw the transaction. The
Chilian authorities do not pretend to fix the re-
| sponsibility of this shot any particular per-
| son, but avow their inability to ascertain who
| fired it. further than it was fired from a crowd
| The character of the wound, as discovered by
| one of the surgeons of the Baltimore, clearly
| supports his opinion that it was made by rifle
ball the orifice of exit being much as an inch OF
! an inch and quarter in width When shot the
| poor fellow was unconscious and in the arms OF q
| comrade, who was endeavoring to carry him to
| a neighboring drug store for treatment. The
story of the police, that in coming up the
street they passed these men and left them be-
hind them is inconsistent with their own
statement as to the direction of their approach,
and with their duty to protect them, and IS
clearly disapproved. In fact, Riggin was not
behind, but in front of the advancing force,
and was not standing in the crowd, but wa J
unconscious and supported in the arms of
johnson when he was shot
Communications OF the Gillian government
in relation to this cruel and disastrous attack
upon our men, will appear from the CORE
| spondence, have not any degree taken the form
| Of amity and satisfactory expression of re-
| gret, much less of apology. The event was
of so serious character that, If the injuries suf
| fered by our men had been wholly the result OF
| an accident in Chilian port, the incident was
! grave enough to have called for some public
1 expression of sympathy and regret from the
| local authorities 1t was not enough to say that
| the affair was larnentable, for humanity would
REQUIRE that expression, even if the beating and
| killing of our men had been justihable. 1t is
not enough to say that the incident is regretted,