Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-01-28
THE CORRESPONDENTS.
Big Mass of Matter

| Big Mass of Matter
The correspondence accom- panying the
presidents message is Of great volume
and would probably ELL more than one
hundred columns Of an ordinary newspa-
per- 1t dates back as far as Aug. Is, 1890,
eighteen months ago, and much OF It has
been described with sufficient accuracy in
the presidents message sent to congress
ut the beginning of the present session
and IN the coplous newspaper publications
| that have been made. 1t is divided into
| three portions, the first conpriz:ng cor
resp0ndence between Mr.. Blaine and Mr.,
| Egan, or Mr.. Wharton In Mr. Biqinn's ab-
! sence, correspondence between Senior Lag
cano, tie Ch1lian minister under the Bal
maceda adm inistration, and lastly notes
exchanged between Secretary Blaine and
Don Pedro MONT, the present Cnilian
minister to Washington.
The Attack.
The facts leading up TO the attack on the
BaltlmOre's sailors are recOunted The
incidents Of the affair are briefly as fol-
lows:
On the 9th OF October last Captain
Schiey, commanding the United States
steamship Baltimore, gave shore leave to
III petty officers and sailors Of his ship
These men left the ship about 1880 D. M
No incident of violence occurred; none Cf
our men was arrested; TO complaint was
lodged against them; nor did ary collision
OF outbreak occur until about 6 o'clock o.
IN. Captain Schley states that lie was
himself on shore and about the streets of
the city until 5: 80 o. M; thai he met very
many of his men, who we're upon leave;
that they were sober aod were como Getting
themselves with pr0priety. saluting
Cuban and other officers as
they met them. Other officers of the ship
and Captain Jenkins, of the merchant
ship Kewans. corroborate Captain
Schley, as 20 the general sobricty and good
behavior Of our men The sisters of
charity at the hospital to which cur men
were taken, when inquired OF, stated that
they were sober when received. If the
situation had been otherwise we must be-
lieve that the CHILEAN police Authorities
would have made arrests. About p. M
the assault began, and it is remarkable
that the investigation of the Judge of
crimes, though so protracted, does not en-
able nlm to give any more satisfactory &C.
count Of Its origin than is found in the
statement that it began between drunken
sailors. Repeatedly in the correspondence
u Is asserted that it WAS i'm poss bic to
learn the precise cause of the riot. A
man, Riggin, wa. killed in the riot. and
a score wounded. It SET ms to be pretty
clear that the Chilian police aided in the
attack. That the death of Riggin was
the result Of rife shot fired by police
man or CHILEAN 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 Amer
lean sailor, not then a mem Der If the
Baltimore's crew, who stood close ~ and
saw the transaction, The Gillian author
ties do not pretend to fix he responsible
ty of this shot on any particular person,
but avow their disability to ascertain who
fired 1t further than that it was fred
from a crowd. The character of the
wound, as described by one Of the sur
geons Of the Baltimore, clearly supports
his opinion that 1t was made by rife
ball, the orifc2 OF the exit being as much
as an inch or an inch and quarter in
size
1t is also stated how the safety of the
American legation was at one time en-
dangered, and Chilli S insoIent attitude to-
ward the United States is considered
Case of Fireman Shields.
Nov. MIR. Egan reported the ill-treat- |
ment of Patrick Shields, fireman of the |
United States steamship Keewana, and an |
American citizen, who, according to a re. !
port from the United States consul at !
Valparaiso was arrested for drunkenness. !
charge denied by hin. kept for several |
days III jail without process Of law, forced !
to sweep the streets and brutally beaten by |
police officers. The consul said that he |
had been medically examined and found |
to be IN serious condition and that the |
local authorities had been demonstrated |
against. The fact that Shields was an
Irish citizen does not, in the estimation Of !
our government, effect our duty to protect |
him SO long as he sails under an American
flag.
That Insalting Circular.
Malta offensive letter is comprehende-
the state department as toln
lows: "The following telegram from the
minister of foreign relations, sent to the
Chilian minister, at Washington, with
sanction Of the president. was read in the
senate and published In the papers today:
= SENIOR PEDRO MoNTT. WASHINGTON:
Having read the portion of the report of
the secretary OF the navy and OF the mes
sage of the president Of the United States,
[ think proper to inform you that the state
ments of which both report and message
are based are erroneous or deliberately in
correct.
with respect to the persons to whom
an asylum has been granted, they have
never been threatened with cruel treat.
nent nor has it been sought to remove
them from the legation, nor has their sur
render been asked for. Never has the
house or the erson of the plenipotentiary.
indiscretions and deliber- {
tie provocations, been subjected to any
,fense, as Is proved by the notes of Sep I
ember, October and November. With /
1,s pect tn the seamen of the Ralti mora :,