The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1892-01-28

luz pfcriucut ehys nc 10 CicniiN
convinced that the assault upon the
| sailors of the Baltimore was
animated by hostility to the United
States government, and not by any
act Of the sailors themselves, and that
their nation must take notice OF il
as an infraction Of it, rights and
dignities, not in a secondary way, IA
wheI q citizen is Injured and pre-
sents his claim through his own
precisely as IL its minister, or its
consul or the flag itself had been the
object Of the assault. The assault
on the sailors was committed stimuli
taneously i'm several parts Of the city
showing that it was premeditated,
and inspired by hatred. There were
III petty officers and men ashore
aud the Chilians who committed the
assault numbered about 200 and had
collected for that very purpose. At
no place where the riot occurred
was IL more than three minutes walk
from the police station, and yet the
police were half an hour in reaching
the points. Eighteen Of the men
were brutality stabbed and beaten,
who received more than thirty stab
wounds, every one Of which was in
fiicted I'm the back, indicating that
our men were trying TO get away.
When searched, the only weapons
found upon the persons Of our men
were seven pen-knives. During the
examination that occupied four days
after the affair every one Of the
American sailors were discharged
from custody, no charge Of breach Of
the peace having been sustained on
q single individual among them.
There are also not lacking evidences
OF sharp practices. Before the men
were discharged they were required
to sign q pa per written in q language
they did not understand, which they
were assured was merely q declara-
ton that they had nothing to do
with melting the riot, but which
afterwards turned out tO9e q state
ment that the police simply did
their duty. Lieutenant McCrea
in his evidence before the court at
Mare Island says In the Chilian
court the subject Of the conduct Of
the police was carefully avoided.
There are other incidents that oc-
Cured wherein the Chillans mani
tested their intense hatred for
Americans. After one Of the battles
in the Balmacedan war some Ameri-
can surgeons together with others
from war vessels lying In the harbor
went ashore for the purpose Of re-
lieving the sufferings Of the wounded
in the hospitals. The son Of q
Gillian officer Of high rank vas
placed in charge Of one Of the
American doctors, and when his
father heard Of it he became enraged
and had the young man removed
and said he would rather his son
would die than have an American
touch him. This feeling was also
manifested In insulting slurs toward
our men as they passed the CHILEAN
men-of-wa boats. Several times
these boats went out of their course
In order to cross the bows of the
American boats, compelling them to
back water. On complaint this dis.
courtesy was corrected. The feeling
is said to be illconcealed i'm the dis
patches Of the foreign office, and had
quite open and frequent expression
in the disrepectful treatment of the
American legation. On the night
of the assault CHILEAN boatmen re-
fused for large sums Of money to re-
turn American seaman who were
anxious to escape from The city to
the Baltimore. The market boats Of
the Baltimore were threatened, and
even quite recently the gig Of cap
tain Evans was stoned while wait
ing for him at the landing.
The origin of this feeling il
probably found in the refusal Of our
government to give recognition to
the congressional party before It had
established itself, i'm the seizure Of
the Itata for an alleged violation Of
the neutrality laws, In the cable in
cident and in the charge that Ad-
miral Brown conveyed information
to Valparaiso Of the landing at
Quintero. II there had been any
breech Of international comfy or
duty on our part, 1t should have
been made the subject Of diplomatic
correspondence. Our diplomatic re-
lations with the Balmaceda govern
ment were continued till Ii was over
thrown and then the new govern
ment was promptly recognized and
cordial relations continued. Minis
ter Egan's good offices often inter-
posed to mitigate seventies. The
charge against Admiral Brown is too
base to gain credence with anyone
who knows his high personal
character.
Assaults upon sailors were not
alone confined to the navy. A sea-
man connected with the merchant
marine was also assaulted. and
American sailors could only secure
their safety by denying their
nationality. The death of the Balti-
more's sailors was caused by treat
ment Of police, or soldiers on duty,
and some Of them after arrest were
dragged to the police station by
mounted policemen with lassos
about their necks and bodies.
Added to all this the insulting
note Of the Gillian minister Of
foreign affairs, Malta, which was I'M
called for and undip,omatic and
which cast serious reflections upon
U. 8. naval officers and executive de-
partment, and which was couched
In terms insolent and unbelievable.
The Gillian government wac ut last |
told 10 either withdraw this note
and apologize for Il, which they re-
fused or neglected to do mp TO the |
time the message was delivered.