The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-08

| In nv face, and / knocked him down
| In moment the streets were alive with people
| Riggin and I started to run, but soon jumped
| into O passing car. The car stopped az
| once mob OF hundred men began 10 stone
| US, and smashed the windows OF the car. Three
or four men entered the car, and told Us TO
! come out and they would protect US. we
| left the car, one on Zach side. ana wers
! instantly surrounded by q mob. sa"
/ Riggin fall ard tded 10 reach him. but was
stabbed in the pack and turned and ran eet-
! eral blocks <way turned into saloon doo."ayt
| and as did go was stabbed again in the oaeA
| got n, however, but the bartender threw me
| out. pushed back IN, but was followed D. Inv
1 rdob and dragged cut and stoned. broke IL
: again, and when the bartender tried TO put ile
| out knocked him down with enalr. 20.
! into corner The mob came in again. anu
| Chilean sailor in uniform attempted again 70
stab me. The proprietor then put the MOP ou.
and barred the door. around when tne MOS
continued to clanor, yelling: "Aiii tne 1lAee
Devils" After about al hour poilcen-ah
came in and arrested me and TOOK me
to fail lie told ne 10 take OF
my cap with the name baltimore on u, aho
gave me an old hat so that the MOP wou4d Hot
notice that was American sailor. NY UNI
form was not so conspicuous az the name on my
can. On the way TO Jail man threw two cob
turned me over 10 two policemen, who
led me along Several times in dark
corners they struck me with tner
fists, although / was making no
resistance. had no arms of any kind, nos
even the jack-knife which usually carried
was perfectly sober all the time. was put into
a cell with Fireman O'Neill. After while they
searched me and sent me to the hospital in
cab with J. Hamilton, who was unconscious
from beatings and stabs, and George PAINTER
also badly hurt. We were put in the prisoners
ward, where we, found j. /. Davidson, also
wounded. We were Kept about four days and
then sent TO the Baltimore. While there we
were examined as to the row by government
officials of some sort We gave an account but
was not required to sign it. No charge was
made against me by the police for misconduct.
j never made any statement to any
one approving of the action of the Chilean
police on the occasion of the riot All the Balti-
more sailors were sober, so far as l could see
On other occasions when we were ashore the
people would shake fists and make faces at US.
was stabbed twice, once in the back and once
in the shoulder, and was in the hospital fifteen
days. None except American sailors were at
tackled by the mob.
The next witness was James NJ. Johnson,
armorer of the Baltimore, who has been
in the navy nine years. He was one OF
the liberty party on the day of the as
sault. He told the following story of his
experience:
At $50 1 went into a restaurant and boarding
house owned by Peter Nelson. While waiting
there was told that they were killing our men
outside, and warned not TO go out. /
went up stairs and looked out of a window
and saw street car stopped at the corner.
man was lying face down in the middle of the
street, with two or three policemen and a mob
of citizens around him. They were stabbing
him in the back as he lay there The police
made no effort to stop them. / left the hote1
and went to the place The man was Boatswain's
Mate Rlggin. ! turned him over, and
he seemed 10 be dead, but l found
his pulse still family beating. J.
gave him a glass of liquor, and a moment after
he revived and said: "For Gods sake. Johnson,
take me out of this before they kill me-"
lifted him and tried to draw him to the side
walk, when saw squad OF soldiers approach
ing, followed by a bowling mob When only
six feet away the soldiers fred two shots.
One grazed my left cheek and the other
bullet struck Riggin in the neck and his head
fell from my shoulders as II his neck was
broken. had backed against the wall. Seeing
that Riggin was now dead, l laid him down and
slipped off 10 one side, past the soldiers, and got
back into the boarding house from which / saw
the row. The first shot fred by the soldiers so
blinded me by the smoke that / did
not see who fired the second shot at the time he
fred, but | did see the smoke come out of his
rifle, and am sure il was soldier. heard no
other shots fred. Nelson, who keeps the board
ing-house, gave me disguise, In which Ireach-
cd place OF safety, where / remained ali
night The next morning several of the Bal.
timore's sailors went into a restaurant to
escape new mob. Several Chilean army Of
feers were there, and they escorted the sailors
down to the mole aud seat them aboard the Bal.
timore. The men who fred the shots were sol.
diers. They wore red pants aud blue coats and
were armed with rifles. The policemen, on the
contrary, wore blue entirely, and carried sword
bayonets.
At the close of the examination of John
son he testified that he and the crew of
the Baltimore had been warned a week
before not to go ashore, as the Chileans
were laying for them. He disguised him.
self in citizens clothes on the morn
ing of October II, and was not
molested. This was because he was not
recognized as an American sailor. The
Chilean boatmen refused to put him on
board the Baltimore, although he offered
81 for 81 trip. They gave as a reason
that he was an American sailor. Johnson
also said that he refused to express an
opinion favorable to the conduct of the
Valparaiso government, although asked to
do so on two occasions.
The investigation will probably last at
least week, although efforts are being
made to hasten it. There are two steno-
graphers and two typewriters present, and
the written testimony is kept close up to
actual proceedings. The instructions from
Washington City are to finish as soon as
possible
A large force of men are at work on the
Baltimore. the orders being to get her
ready for sea as soon as possible. Extra
electric lights have been fitted up, and
overtime work is being done. So far it
has not been developed that any very ex-
tensive repairs are necessary.