Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-04

communication with the shore as reasonable,
necessary and proper for the comfort and con-
venience Of the officers and men OF such
vessels Capt. Schley testifes that when his
vessel returned to Valparaiso, September "a,
the city officers, as is customary, extended the
Inequalities of the city to his officers and crew
It is not claimed that every personal collision
or injury in which sailor or officer or such
naval vessel visiting the shore may be involved,
raises an international question; but 1 am
clearly Of the opinion that where such sailors
or officers assaulted by resident populace,
animated by hostility to the government whose
uniform those sailors 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 infract1on OF It's
rights and dignity, not in o secondary way, as
where a citizen is injured and presents his
claim through his own government, but in
primary way, precisely as If its minister or con-
sui or the flag itself had been the object OF the
same character OF assault The OfhcerS and
sailors of the Baltimore were in the harbor of
Valparaiso under the orders of their govern
ment, not by their own choice.
They were upon the shore by the implied in
vitation of the government of Chilli and with the
approval of their commanding officer; and it
does not distinguish their case from that of
consul that his stay is more permanent or that
he holds the express invitation OF the local gov
eminent TO justify his long residence Nor does
it affect the question that the injury was the
act of mob. If there had been participa-
ton by the police or military in this cruel work
and no neglect on their part to extend protec-
ton the case would still be, in my opinion,
when its extent and character are considered,
involving international rights. The incidents Of
the affair are briefly as follows:
On the 18th of October last Capt. Schley,
commanding the United States steamer Balti-
more, gave shore leave to III petty officers and
sailors Of his ship These men left the ship
about 1880 p. m. No incident Of violence
Cured; none of our men were arrested; COM
plant was lodged against them; nor did any
collision or outbreak occur until about clock
p. m. Capt. Schley states that he was the first
on shore and on the streets OF the city until
$50 p. M; that he met very many of his men
who were on leaye that they were sober and
were conducting themselves with propriety,
saluting Gillian and other officers as they met
them.
Other officers OF the ship and Capt. Jenkins,
of the merchant ship Keweenaw, corroborale
Capt. Schley as to the general sobriety and
good behavior Of our men. The sisters of char
ity at the hospital to which our wounded men
were taken, when inquired of, state they were
sober when received If the situation had been
otherwise we must believe that the
Gillian police authorities would have made ar
rests. At p m the assault begun and it is
markable that the investigation by the judge
OF crimes though so prOtracted, does not
able him to give any more satisfactory account
Of its origin than is found in the statement that
it began between drunken sailors. Repeatedly
in the correspondence, it is asserted that it was
impossible to learn the precise cause of the
riot The minister Of foreign affairs, Malta in
his telegram to Montt under date December
81, states that the quarrel began be-
tween two sailors in tavern and was
continued in the street, persons who were pass
ing joining in it. The testimony of Talbot, an
apprentice, who was with Riggin, is that the
outbreak in which they were involved began by
a Gillian sailor splitting in the face of Talbot,
which was resented by a knock down. It ap-
pears that Riggin and Talbot were at the time
unaccompanied by others of their shipmates.
These two men were Immediately beset by a
crowd of Gillian citizens and sailors, through
which they broke their way to 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 nothing in the reports of Gillian in
vestfgatiOn made to that seriously i'm
peaches this testimony. It appears from Chill