The National tribune., 1892-01-28


from the iutendencia. aud yet, according to
their official report, full half hour elapsed
Aztec THE ASSAULT BEGAN
before the police were upon the ground. II has
been stated that all but two Of our men have
said that the police did their duty. The evil
deuce taken at Mare Island shows that II such
a statement was procured from our men Vt was
accomplished by requiring them to sign writ
Jag in a language they did not understand and
by the representation shat IL was a mere dec
laratiOn that they had taken no part IN the
disturbance. Lieut.. McCrea, who acted "a IN
terpreter. says. in his evidence, that when our
sailors We're examined before the court the
subject Of the conduct Of the police was so
carefully avoided that no reported tho fact 20
| Capt. Schley on his return TO tho vessel.
The evidences Of the existence Of auimOsity
/ toward our sailors in tho minds Of the sailors
I OF the Chilean navy and Of tho populace Of
/ Valparaiso are so abundant and various as TO
i leave no doubt in the mind OF anyone who will
/ examine the papers submitted. 10 manifested
/ itself in threatening aud insulting gestures
/ toward our men as they passed the Chilean
| men -of-war IN their boats and in the derislyc
\ and abusive epithets with which they greeted
\ every appearance Of an American sailor on the
/ evening Of the riot. Capt Schley reports that
/ boats from the Chilean war-shIps several times
/ went out Of their course to cross the bows OF
/ his boats, compelling them % back water. tic
complained Of the discOuTtesy aud it WIS cor
rected. That this feeling was shared by men
/ of higher rank is shown by an incident related
/ By Surg. Stitt Of the Baltimore. After the
battle Of PlaciIa he, with other medical OIL
GERS Of the war vessels in the harbor, was Civ
! ing voluntary assistance TO the wounded in tho
hospitals. The son OF a Chilean army officer Of
high rank was under his care, and when the
father discovered it he flew into a passion and
said he would rather have bis son die
THAN HAVE AMERICANS TOUCH HIM,
and at once had him removed from the ward.
/ This feeling is not well concealed in the dis
patches Of the foreign Office and had quite open
expression in the disrespectful treatment OF the
/ American Legation. The Chilean bOatmen in
the bay refused, even for large offers Of money,
TO return our sailors, who crowded the Mole,
to their ships when they were endeavoring 20
escape from the city on the night Of the assault.
The market boats Of the Baltimore were threat
ened, and even quite recently the gig Of Com
mander Evans, Of the Yorktown, was stoned
while waiting for him at the Mole.
The evidence Of our sailors clearly shows
that the attack was expected by the Chilean
people; that threats had been made against
our men. and that in one case somewhat early
in the afternoon the keeper Of one house into
which some Of our men had gone closed his
establishment in anticipation Of the attack
which he advised them would DO made upon
them as darkness came on.
In a report of Capt. Schley 10 the Navy De-
partment he says:
In the only interview that 7 had with Judge Eos
ter. who - investigating the ease relative to the
disturbance, before he was aware Of the entire
gravity of the matter, he informed me that the
assault upon my men was the outcome Of hatred
for our people among the lower classes, because
they thought we had - N pathized with the Balma-
ceda Government on account Of the ltata matter,
whether with reason without lac could, Of course
not admit; but such. be thought, was the explana-
tion Of the assault at that time.
Several Of sought security rom the MOB
by such complete or partial changes In their dress
- would conceal the fac, % their being seamen Of
the Baltimore and found Il then possible TO walk
the streets without mOestati0n. These nsc1.ents
coueIusivey establish that the attack was upon the
uniform-the nhionaiity-nnd not upon the men,
The origin Of this feeling is probably found
in the refusal Of this Government to give recog-
milton 10 the Congressional party before il bad
established itself in the seizure Of the Itata for
an alleged violation Of the neutrality law, in
the cable incident, and IN the charge that Ad-
miral Brown conveyed information 20 Falpa-
raiso Of the landing az QulnterOs. IL Is not my
purpose 70 enter any defense Of the action Of
I this Government IN these matters. 10 Is enough
for the present purpose TO say that if there was
any breach Of international comfy or duty on
our part IL should have been made the subject
OF official complaint through diplomatic chan
nel-. or Of reprisals for which full response
blity was assumed. We cannot consent that
these incidents and
THESE PEENEkSIONs OF TRUTH
shall be used 10 excite murderous attack upon
our unOfiending sailors and the Government Of
Chile 90 acquit Of responsibility, In fact, the
conduct Of this Government during the war In
Chile pursued those lines Of international duty
which we had so strongly insisted upon on the
part Of other Nations when this country was IN
the thToes Of civil conflict. We continued
the established diplomatic relations with the
Government in power until 10 was OyerthrOwn,
oil iyadf ha ma
! Government when il was established The good
offices Of this Government were offered to bring
about peaceful adjustment and the interpO5i-
ton of Mr. Esan to mitigate seventies and 10
! shelter adherents Of the Congressional party
were effective and frequent. The charge
against Admiral Brown Is too base 20 gain ere
dence with any one who knows his high per-
sonal aud professional character.
7 Recurring to the evidence Of our sailors,
think it is shown that there were several dis
tnct assaults, aud 40 nearly simultaneous as To
show that they did not spread from one point
press summary OF the report OF the Fiscal
shows that the evidence OF the Chilean officials
. and others was in conflict as TO the place OF
. origin, several places being named by different
D witnesses as the locality where the first out
break occurred. This, il correctly reported
. | shows that there were several distinct out
I breaks and 50 nearly at the same time as tC
cause this confusion.
The La Pqtra in the same issue from which
; have already quoted, after describing
I THE KILLING OF RIGGIN,
and the fight which from that point extended
/ to the Mole, says:
: Atthe same time in other streets Of the port tho
q Yankee sailors fought hereely with the people o
, | tue town, who believe To see in them incarnats
| enemies Of the Chilean Navy.
: The testimony of Capt. Jenkins, OF the
: American merchant ship kewcenaw, which had
! gone 10 Valparaiso for repairs, and who was q
4 | witness of some part of the assault upon the
e crew Of the Baltimore, is strongly corroborativC
: of the testimony OF oar own sailors when h6
: says that he saw Chilean sentFie5 drive back 4
. seaman, seeking shelter, upon a mob that wa.
4 | pursuing him. The officers and men Of Capt
! Jcnkns's ship furnish the most conclusive ties
O timouy as TO the indi entities which were prac
{ ticed toward Americans in Valparaiso. When
o American sailors, even Of merchant ships, can
= only secure their safety by denying their IA
o tionality it must be time to Teadju5t relation!
= with Government that permits such demon
STATIONS
As to the participation Of the police. the evi
r dence Of our sailors shows that our men wert
a struck and beaten by police officers before anC
: after arrest, and that one. at least, was dTaggeI
q with lassO about his neck by mounted police
/. man. That the death Of Rggin was the result
4 Of rifle shot
= FIRED BY A POLICEMAN OR SOLDIER
IA on duty is shown directly by the testimony o
o Johnson, in whose arms he was at the time
o aud by the evidence Of Charles Langen, al