The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-01-27

may become involved does not necessarily |
raise an international question; but when |
such sailors or officers are assaulted by q |
resident populace, animated by hostility to |
the government whose uniform these sail |
ors and officers wear, and in resentment OF
acts done by their government, not by
them, their nation must take notice OF the
event as one involving an infraction Of its
rights and dignity; not in a secondary way,
as where citizen Is injured and presents
his claim through his own government but
in primary way, precisely az If its minis
ter or consul or the flag itself had been the
object of the same character of assault.
The incidents Of the Baltimore affair are
briefly as follows. On the 10th OF October
last Captain Schey, commanding the United
States steamship Baltimore, gave shore
leave to III petty officers and sailors of his
ship. These men left the ship about 1.30
p. NJ. No incident of violence occurred
none of our men were arrested; no COM
plant was lodged against them; nor did
any collision or outbreak occur until about
o'clock r. NJ. Captain SChley states that
he was himself on shore and about the
, streets of the city until $50 p. M; that he
met very many OF his men who were upon
leave; that they were sober and were con-
Quoting themselves with propriety, saluting
Chiian and other officers as they met them.
Other officers of the ship and Captain Jen-
kins Of the merchant ship Keweenaw cor
| roborate Captain Schley as to the general
sobriety and good behavior of our men.
The Sisters of Charity at the hospital to
| which our wounded men were taken, when
| inquired of, stated that they were sober
when received. If the situation had been
| otherwise, we must believe that the CHILEAN
| police authorities would have made arrests
| About p. NJ. the assault began, and it is
remarkable that the investigation by the
| Judge of crimes, though so protracted, does
not enable him to give any more satistac-
tory account of its origin than is found in
/ 40 hnf tuna An
drunken sailors. Repeatedly in the cores
pondence it is asserted that it was impos-
sible to learn the precise cause OF the riot.
The minister of foreign affairs, Malta, in his
telegram to Mr.. Montt, under date of De-
| cember 81, states that the quarrel began be-
tween two sailors in tavern and was con-
tinued in the street, persons who were pass
ing joining in it. The testimony Of Talbot,
an apprentice who was with Riggin, the
murdered sailor, is that the outbreak in
which they were involved began by a Chill
ian sailor splitting in the face of Talbot,
which was resented by knock-down. 1t
appears that Riggin and Talbot were at the
time unaccompanied by any others OF their
shipmates. These two men were beset by
crowd of CHILEAN citizens and sailors,
through which they broke their way to a
street-car and entered it for safety. They
were pursued, driven from the car, and
Riggin was so seriously beaten that he fell
in the street apparently dead. There is
mourning Ill JIG Vi lue Sullldu luNcSLl-
cation made to us that seriously impeaches
this testimony. 1t appears from Gillian
sources that almost instantly, with sud
denness that strongly implies meditation
and preparation, a mob, stated by the po-
lice authorities at one time to number 1000
and at another 900, was engaged in the
assault upon our sailors.
The report of the CHILEAN police officer
represents that the fight began at six o'clock
but that the police were not at the scene of
the collision till an half hour later. AT
that time he says mob of 1000 had assem-
bled and that for several squares there was
the appearance of a real battlefield. The
American sailors, who, after so long an ex-
animation, have not been found guilty OF
any breach of the peace so far as the Gillian
authorities are able to discover, unarmed
and defenceless, were fleeing for their lives
pursued by overwhelming numbers and
/. fighting only to aid their own escape from
= death or to succor some mate whose life was
in greater peril. Eighteen of them were
brutally stabbed and beaten, while one
CHILEAN seems, from the report, to have suf
fered some injury. But how serious Oh
? with what character of weapon, of whether
by missile thrown by our men or by som'
of his fellow rioters, is unascertainable
The evidence drawn from the local news
paper reports and from the testimony takeI
A in the CHILEAN investigation shows that thu
Baltimore men were most brutally treated
No charge was preferred against them
Every one of them was discharged after al
examination continuing through four days
h.. The attack is clearly traceable to Chilia
e animosty to the United States. 1t was evi
Z IDENTIFY premeditated. The feeling of hatre
of any one wearing the uniform of tn
. United States had been shown and has sine
q been exhibited in many petty ways. Their
. were several distinct and nearly simultane
y Gus outbreaks. No effort was made b
. Chilians, citizens or officers, to protect tn
. American sailors. On the contrary ever
l hand was against them. The testimony G
r Captain jenkins of the American merchan
r ship Keewenaw, which had gone to va
q paraiso for repairs, and who was a witnes
3 of some parts of the assault upon the GREY
"a of the Baltimore, is strongly corroborativ
e of the testimony of our own sailors whe
d he says that he saw CHILEAN sentries driv
i back seaman, seeking shelter, upon a mo
@ that was pursuing him The officers an
. men of Captain Jenkinss ship furnish tn
y most conclusive testimony as to the indig
y mites which were practiced towards Amer
|, cans in Valparaiso. When American sal
ors, even of merchant ships, can only 81
y cure their safety by denying their nation
Z atty, it must be time to readjust our rels
!. lions with a government that permits sue
demonstrations.
The evidence of the sailors shows that on
men were struck and beaten by the polio
and that one was dragged with lasso abou
is his neck by a mounted policeman. Tn
IS death of Riggin was the result of a shot fire
s. by policeman or soldier on duty. Whe
g shot the poor fellow was unconscious and /
d the arms of comrade who was endeavo
10 ing to carry him to drugstore for trea
Of ment.
e For this brutal and unprovoked attach
IS the CHILEAN government has made no mani
y and satisfactory expression of regret muc
n less of apology. On the 2lst instant TIL
IS president caused to be communicated to til
is government of Chilli the conclusions of TIL
Of government. They were stated as follows
10 "FIrst-That the assault is not relieve
20 20 of the aspect which the early information {
"a the event gave to it. viz: That of an attac
a. upon the uniform of the United States navy
AZ having its origin and motive in a feeling {
m hostility to this government, and not in an
h. act of the sailors or any of them.
n SecOnd-That the public authorities {
is Valparaiso fagrantly failed in their duty
is protect our men, and that some OF the pc
" lice and of the CHILEAN soldiers and sailor
K, were themselves guilty of unprovoked a!
ss saults upon our sailors before and after a