River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-01-28

was with Riggin, Is that the outbreak in which
they were involved began by CHILEAN sailor
spftung IN the face OF X. Talbot, which was re
scented by knock down. II appears
that Riggin and Talbot were at the time unae
companied by any others OF their shipmates
J These two men were Immediately beset by G
crowd OF Gillian citizens end sailors, through
whlch they broke their way TO a street car and
entered II for safety They ~eve pursued
driven from the car, and Riggin was so serious
ly beaten that he fell in the street apparently
dead There is nothing in the report Of tho
Chlllan investigation made 70 US thai seriously
impeaches this testimony IL appears from
Gillian Sources that almost instantly, with G
suddenness that strongly implies meditation anC
preparation, mob, stated by the police author
tiles at one time to number 1000, and at another
time 1000, was engaged in the assault upon oui
sailors, who are represented as resisting 'witl
stones, clubs AMI bright arms" The report o
the intendente OF October 30 states that tht
fight began at p. m. in three streets which
are named, that information was re
ceived at the intendencia at els, anc
that the police arrived on the scene a
$780, full half hour after the assault began. A.
that time he says that mob OF 1900 men haC
collected, and that for several squares there
was the appearance OF a "real battlefield
The scene at this point is very graphically sci
before us by the Gillian testimony The
American sailors, who, after so Ions
an examination, have not been found
guilty OF any breach OF the peace
so far as the Gillian authorities are able to dis
cover, unarrned and defenselcss are fieeins
Tor their lives, pursued by overwhelm
ing numbers, and fighting only to aic
their own escape from death or to sue
cor some mate whose life is in greater
peril Eighteen of them are brutality stabbed
and beaten, while one Gillian seems, from the
report, 10 have suffered some injury; but how
serious, or with what character Of weapon, OF
whether by missile thrown by our men or by
some OF his fellow rioters, is unascertained
The pretense that our men were fighting
with stones, clubs, and bright arms" is, il
view OF these facts, incredible 1t is further re
futed by the fact that Our prisoners, wheI
searched, were absolutely without arms, only
seven penknives being found in the possession
OF the men arrested, while there were received
by our men more than thirty stab wounds
every one OF which was inflicted in the back
and almost every confused wound was in the
back or back OF the head. The evidence of the
ships officer of the day is that even the jack
knites Of the men were taken from them before
leaving the ship.
AS TO the brutal nature Of the treatment re
eeiyed by our men, the following extract
from the account given OF the affair by
the La Patria newspaper, of Valparaiso OF
October IL, cannot be regarded as
too friendly; "The Yankees, as soon as theiI
pursuers gave chase, went by way of the Gale
del Arsenal toward the city car station. In the
presence of an ordinary number OF citizens
among whom were some sailors, the North
Americans took seats in the street car TO es
cape from the stones which the Chilians threw
at them IL was believed for an instant that
the North Americans had saved themselves
from popular fury, but such was rot the case
Scarcely had the car begun 10 move, when
crowd gathered around and stopped its progress
Under these circumstances and without any
cessation OF the bowling and throwing of stones
at the North Americans the conductor entered
the car and seeing the risk of the situation TO the
vehicle, ordered them TO get out. AT the in.
slant the sailors left the car In the midst OF
hail OF stones, the said conductor received q
stone blow ON the head One OF the Yankee
sailors managed TO escape In the direction Of the
Plaza wheelright but the other was felled &c
The ground by a stone. Managing to raise him
self from the ground where he lay he staggered
in an opposition direction from the station IL
front Of the house OF Sig. Mazzini he was again
wounded, falling then senseless and breath.
less"
No amount Of evasion or subterfuge is able &c
cloud our clear vision OF this brutal work II
should be noticed, in this connection, that the
American sailors arrested, for AN extradition
WERE during the four days following the ar
rest, everyone discharged, no charge Of any
breach Of the peace or other criminal
conduct having been sustained against single
one Of them. The judge OF crimes, Foster, in q
note TO the Intendente, under date OF October
22-before the dispatch from this government
OF the following day, when aroused the author.
tiles Of Chill TO better sense OF the gravity OF
the afair-says "Iaving presided temporarily
over this court in regard TO the seamen OF the
United States cruiser Baltimore, who have been
tried on account OF the dcplorable conduct
which took place." etc. The noticeable point
here is that our sailors had been tried before
the 22nd of October, and that the trial resulted
In their acquittal and return to their vessel. II
IS quite remarkable and quite characteristic of
the management OF this affair by the Gillian
police authorities that we should be ad-
vised that Seaman Davidson, of the Baltimore,
has beer included in the indictment, his offense
being, so ar as l have been able 10 ascertain.
that he attempted 10 defend ship-mate against
an assailant who was striking at him with
knife. The perfect vindication OF our men is
furnished by this report; one only s found TO
have been guilty of criminal fault, and that for
an act clearly iustihable.
As TO the part taken by the police in the affair
the case made by Chilli is also far from salts
factory. The point where Riggin was killed is
only three minutes walk from the police sta
tion and not more than twice that distance from
the Intendencia; and yet, according to their Of
nclal report, fun half hour elapsed after
the assault began before the police
were upon the ground. 1t has been stated that
all but two Of our men have said that the police
island shows that II such statement was pro-
cured from our men it was accomplished
by requiring them 10 sign writing in
A language they did not understand and
by the representation that ii was mere decla-
ration that they had taken no part in the dis
turbance. Lieut. McCrea, who acted as inter-
prefer says in his evidence that when our sailors
were examined 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 10 the vessel. The evidence Of the ex-
stence OF luminosity towards our sail
ors in the minds of sailors Of the Chill
ian navy and of the populace OF Valparaiso
abundant and various as to leave no
doubt in the mind of anyone who win examine
the paper submitted. IL manifested itself in
threatening and insulting gestures toward our
men as they passed the Gillian man Of war in
their boats and in the derisive and abusive cpl
thets with which they greeted every appearance
Of an American sailor on the evening OF the riot.
Capt Schlcy reports that boats from the Gillian
warships several times went out OF their course
10 cross the bows of his boats, compelling them
to back water. He complained OF the
dscourtesy, and il was corrected. That
this feeling was shared by men of
higher rank is shown by an incident related by
Surgeon Sttt Of the Baltimore. After the bat
tie Of Placila he, with other medical officers OF
the war vessels in the harbor, was giving volun-
tary assistance to the wounded in the hospitals.
Int son Oh "a Cnllldn army OiHCtE VI u6A iauA
was under his care, and when the father discov-
cred II, 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 OF the foreign Office and had
quite open expression in the disrespectful
treatment of the American legation. The
CHILEAN boatmen in the bay refused, even Tor
large offers OF money, TO return our sailors,
who crowded the Mole, TO their
ship when they were endeavoring
TO escape from the city on the night
Of the assault The market boats OF the Balti-
more We're 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 Gillian 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 antfeipa-
ton of the attack, which he advised them
would be made upon them when darkness came
on In a report OF Capt. Schley TO the navy
department, he says: In the only Interview
that had with Judge Foster, who IS inVesti-
eating the case relative to the disturbances, De-
fore he was aware Of the entire gravity OF the
matter. he informed me that the assault npon
my men was the outcome OF hatred Tor our peo-
ple. among the lower classes, be-
cause they thought we had sympathized
with the Gillian government on ac-
count Of the Itata matter. Several OF our men
sought security from the mob by such complete
or partial changes in their dress as would con
ceal the fact OF their being seamen OF the Balti
more and found il then possible 10 walk the
streets without molestation. These incidents
conclusively establish that the attack was upon