Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-02-04


statement that it began between d, unl1en sail
ors. Repeatedly in the correspondence it is as
serted that it was impossible to learn the pre-
else cause OF the riot. The minister of foreign
affairs, Malta, in his telegram to Mr. Montt I'M
der date of December 81, states that the quar-
rel began between two sailors in tavern, and
passing Joining in it
The testimony of Talbot, apprentice, who
which they Were nyolv saa' w ga besnn bv "a
Chilian sailor splitting in the face OF Talbot,
which was resented by a knock down. 1t ap-
unaccompanied by any others of their ship
mates These two men were Immediately be-
set by crowd Of Gillian citizens and sailors,
pursued, driven from the ear. and
sssnt fell in ths stfeet snat
iy dead. There is nothing in the report of the
impeaches this testimony. 1t appears from
Chllian sources that almost instantly, with a
fsuddenness that strongly implies meditation
authorities at one time to number 1000 and at
another 600 was engaged In the assault upon
our foss who u Are ae9 br as b
report of the intendente of October 30
states that the fight began at 8 p m. in three
received at the intendencia at 6:I5, and that the
police arrived on the scene at $50 a full half
says that a mob of 1900 men had collected, and
that for several squares there was the appear
ance of real battle field. p"
The scene at this point Is very graphically set
before US by the Chilan testimony. The Amer
lean sailors, who after so long an examination,
have not been found guilty of breach of the
peace, as far as the Gillian authorities are able
10 discover, unarmed and dcfenSeless are flee
ing for their lives. pursued by overwhelming
numbers, and fighting only to aid their own es-
cape from death, or to succor some mate whose
life is in greater peril. Eighteen of them are
brutally stabbed and beaten, while one CHILEAN
seems, from the report, to nave suffered some
injury; but how serious or with what character
of weapon. or whether by missile thrown by
our men or by some of his fellow rioters, is I'M
asceTta ined.
The pretense that our men were fighting with
'.stones, clubs, and bright arms. is, in view of
these facts, incredible. 1t is further refuted by
the fact that our prisoners, when searched. were
absolutely without arms. only seven penhnives
rested, while there were received by our men
mere than thirty stab wounds, every one of
which was inflicted in the back. and almost
of the head. The evidence of the ships officer
of the day is that even the lackknlves of the
men were taken from them before leaving the
ship.
As to the brutal nature of the treatment re-
ceived by our men, the following extract from
the account given of the affair by the La Patria
newspaper, of Valparaiso, of October Il, can
not BE- regarded as too friendly: =" The Yankees,
as soon as their pursuers gave chase, went by
way OF the Gale Del Arsenal toward the city
car station. In the presence of an ordinary
number of citizens, among whom were some
sailors, the North Americans took seats in the
street car to escape from the stones which
the Chilians threw at them. 1t was
believed for an instant that the North
Americans had saved themselves from popular
fury, but such was not the case. Scarcely had
the car begun to move when a crowd gathered
around and stopped its progress. Under these
bowling and throwing of stones at the North
Americans, the conductor entered the car, and,
seeing the risk of the situation to the vehicle,
ordered them to get out. AT the instant the
sailors left the car in the midst Of hail of
stones. the said conductor received stone blow
ton Of the Plaza wheeright, but the
other was felled to the ground by stone;
where he lay, he staggered in an opposite direc.
ton from the station. In front of the house Of
senior Maazni he vas again wounded falling
No amount of evasion or subterfuge is able
to cloud or clear vision of this brutal work. 1t
should be noticed In this connection, that the
animation, were, during. the four days
following the arrest, every one
peace or other criminal conduct having been
sustained against a single one OF them: The
Judge of crimes, Foster, in a note to the in
dispatch from this government of the following
day, which aroused the authorities of Chilli to a
Having presided temporarily over this court
in regard to the seamen of the United States
cruiser BALTIMORE, who have been on tried
which took place." etc The noticeable point
here is that our sailor had been tried be-
fore the I'D of October and that the trial re-
suited in their acquittal and return to their YES
sci. 1T is quite remarkable and quite character
istic of the management of this affair by the
CHILEAN police authorities that we should now be
advised that Seaman Davidson, Of the Balti-
more, has been included in the indictment, his
offense being, so far as have been able to as
certain, that he attempted to defend a shipmate
against an asSailant who was striking at him
with knife. The perfect vindication of our
men is furnished by this report; one only is
10 bfpn n
and that for an act clearly justifable.
AS to the part taken by the police in the affair,
tory. The point where Riggin was killed is only
three minutes walk from the police station and
not more than twice that distance from the in
tendencia. and yet, according to their official re-
port, full half hour elapsed after the assault
began before the police were upon the ground:
our mas have sad mat al the 01 pocs
their duty. The evidence taken at Mare Island
shows that il such statement was procur d
from our men it was accomplished by requiring
them to sign a writing in language they did
not understand and by the representation that
it was mere that they had taken
who acted interpreter, says in his evil
dence that when our sailors We're ex.
conduct of the police carefully avoided
that he reported the fact to Capt. Schley on his
ence OF animosity towards our sailors in the
minds of sailors of the CHILEAN navy and of the
populace OF Valparaiso are so abundant and
one who will examine the paper submitted 1t
is manifested in threatening and insulting GEES
lures toward our men as they passed the Chlilan
man-of-w war in their boats and in the deri-
sive and abusive epithets with which they greet
ed every appearances of an American sailor on
the evening of the riot. Capt. Schley reports
that boats from the Chilian war ships several
times went out of their course to cross the bows
of his boats, compelling them to back water. He
complained of the diScourteSy, and it was cor
rected. That this feeling was shared by men of
higher rank is shown by an incident related by
battle of Placilla he. with other medical
officers of the war vessels in the har-
Der was giving voluntary assistance Ths Of to
Chllian army officer of high rank was under his
care, and wnen the father discovered it, he flew
into a passion and said he would rather have his
son die than have Americans touch him, and at
once had him removed from the ward This
feeling is not well concealed in the dispatches
of the foreign office, and had quite open ex-
preston in the disrespectful treatment of the
American 49, legation The Chilian boat boat,
offers of money, to return our sailors,
who crowded the mole, to their ship, when they
were endeavoring to escape from the city on the
more were threatened, and even quite recently
the gig of Commander Evans of the Yorktown
The evidence of our sailors clearly shows that
the attack was expected by the Cnilian people,
that threats had been made against our men. and
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 be made upon them when darkness
came on In report of Capt Schiey to the
navy department he says: In the only inter
view that had with Judge Foster who is in
veStgating the case relative to the distur b.
ances, 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 sympathized with the
Chilian government on account OF the Itata
matter" Several of our men sought Sc
curity from the mob by such complete or partial
changes in their dress as would conceal the