The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-01-13
WHICH HORN OF THE DILEMMA.

The examination of the sailors and
petty officers of the Baltimore, by direc-
ton of the Government is now praeti-
cally concluded. tits to be followed by
examination of the officers; but they
were not present on the occasion of the
assaults. All they say will relate to col
lateral matters, and indignities put upon
them, without assault. The two surgeons
of the ship, however, have testified al
ready, and their statements are very i'm
portant, to wit: That the hospital au-
thorities at Valparaiso refused to allow
them to attend upon seaman Turnbull ;
that he had not proper treatment, and
that he died in consequence of neglect.
Twelve things appear to have been
clearly established, unless we are to as
sumo that the testimony of the blue
jackets is wholly untrustworthy.
l. That the sailors who went ashore at
Valparaiso October 10th were not drunk,
and did not while ashore become drunken
or disorderly, or commit offenses.
2. That they were unarmed; only few
having so much as pocket knife.
8. That the assault upon them was
made by citizens, soldiers and policemen
with arms, street missiles, etc., and was
premeditated and planned, and that the
police and soldiery must have known of
such reconciliation. since the people
seem to have been fully informed upon
that subject.
4. That our men did not in any in
stance provoke difficulty, and that they
acted throughout upon the defensive and
with no more than manliness.
5. That the men of the Baltimore are
under especially fine discipline, and
were so while at Valparaiso and that they
must have been admonished by their
officers with great particularly concern
ing their conduct on shore.
6. That the assaults, the beatings, stab
bings and killings occurred in several
and widely separated sections of the city,
and practically simultaneously, and that,
save in two cases, neither the police nor
the soldiery endeavored to protect our
men or save them from assault.
Z. That our men were in several cases
seized and dragged to prison who had in
no manner taken part in the ARRAYS, and
that while en- route to prison they were
inhumanly treated, and that all who
were stabbed were struck in the back.
8. That the men did not sign a paper,
or make declaration that they exonerated
the police and soldiery from blame.
9. That in one instance at least two OF
three Chilean military officers did inter-
fere to protect our men, and that French
naval officers did the same.
10. That one of our men was, in his alb
sence, without being confronted by his
accusers, and without knowledge of any
charge being laid at his door, and while
he was without the jurisdiction of any
Chilean court, and not in its custody
tried and convicted of rioting, and q
sentence of many years imprisonment
recorded against his name.
IL. That the findings of the Chilean
tribunal are not true; that, in fact, they
are false, doctored and in themselves an
insult to the United States.
II. That the men, though warned on
coming ashore that they were to be
mobbed after dark, did not return to the
ship by day; but, nevertheless, that such
few as did seek to escape and return to the
Baltimore by day found their passage to
the mole INSTRUCTED by a mob, and that
the Chilean boatmen refused to transport
them to the ship at any price. Neither
does it appear that any of the men sought
the protection of the American Consul
ate.
This is the whole case both for and
against the Baltimore men on the basis Of
their own testimony. The witnesses ap,
pear to be intelligent, and much better
men than the ordinary run of man-of.
wars men. They do not tell such story
as suggests preconcert, preparation o.
testimony, or collision among the crew.
In fact, the Baltimore's crew impresses
those present at the examination as
truthful, manly, courageous and worthy
of confidence.
Now, these things being so. Chile, by
the finding of her Procurator, has added
to the indionity of assault upon orr men
the murder of two of them, the beating o
many and the imprisonment of fifteen
the insult of false statement of facts, ant
an attempt to avoid responsibility and t.
defeat justice.
For these things the Government Of thu
United States ought to be content witt
aothing less than an apology and salute