Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-01-29

customary, extended the hospitalities of
the city to his officers and crew. The Of
ficers and sailors of the Baltimore were in
the harbor of Valparaiso under the orders
of their government, not by their own
choice. They were upon the shore by the
implied invitation of the government of
Chill. and with the approval of their COM
manding officers; and it does not distin-
guish their case from that of a consul,
that his stay is more permanent or that
he holds the express invitation of the To-
cal government to justify his longer res
idence. Nor does it affect the question
that the injury was the act of a mob. If
there had been no participation by the po-
lice or military in this cruel work, and no
neglect on their part to extend protection,
the case would still be one, in my opinion,
when its extent and character are consid-
cred, involving international rights.
Incidents of the Attack.
The president then proceeds to reoite
the incidents of the attack on the Balti-
more sailors at Valparaiso, as follows:
Schley, commanding the United States
steamship Baltimore, gave shore leave to
III petty officers and sailors of his ship.
l.
No incident of violInce occurred; none of
the men were arrested; no complaint was
lodged against them, nor did any collision
or outbreak occur until about 6 o'clock p.
M. Captain Schley states that he was
himself On shore and about the streets of
the city until $50 p. m.; that he met very
many of his men who were upon leave;
that they were sober and were conducting
fha,, al riotr Int
ian and other officers as they met them.
Other officers of the ship and Captain
Jenkins, of the merchant ship keweenaw,
eral sobriety of our men. The Sisters of
Charity at the hospital where our wounded
men were taken, when inquired Of, stated
that they were sober when received. If
the situation had been otherwise we must
would have made arrests. The minister
of foreign affairs, Malta, in his telegram
to Mr.. Montt under date of Dec 81, st ates
that the quarrel began between two sail
ors in tavern and was continued in the
street, persons who were passing joining
in it.
The testimony of Talbot an apprentice,
who was with higgins, is that the out
by Chilian sailor splitting in the face of
down. 1t appears that Riggin and Talbot
wore at the time unaccompanied by any
Others of their shipmates
Beaten by Mob.
These two men were Immediately beset
by crowd OF Chilian citizens and sailors,
through which they broke their way to a
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 report of the Chilian in
vestigation made to us that seriously i'm
peaches this testimony. It appears from
Chilian sources that almost instantly,
with suddenness that strongly implies
meditation and preparation, a mob, stated
by the police authorities at one time to
number 1900 and at another 1000, were
engaged in the assault upon our sailors,
who are represented as resisting with
stones, clubs and bright arms. The pre-
tense that our men were fighting with
stones, clubs and bright arms" is incredi-
BILE. 1t is further refuted by the fact that
our prisoners, when searched, we're abso-
lutely without arms, only seven penknives
being found in the possession of the men
arrested, while there were received by our
men more than thirty stab wounds, every
one of which was inflicted in the back, and
almost every confused wound was on the
back or back of the head. The evidence
of the ships officer of the day is that even
the jackknives of the men were taken from
them before leaving the ship.
No Cause for Arrest.
No amount of evasion or subterfuge is
able to cloud our clear vision of this brutal
work. 1t should be noticed, in this con-
nection, that the Americans arrested, after
an examination, we're during the four
days following the arrest, every one dis
charged, no charge of any breach of the
peace or other criminal conduct having
been sustained against single one OF
them.
AS to the part taken by the police in the
affair, the case made by Chilli is also far
from satisfactory. The point where Rig
gin was killed is only three minutes walk
from the police station and not more than
twice that distance from the intendencia,
and yet according to their official report, g
full half hour passed after the assault be-
gan before the police were upon the
ground. It has been stated that all but
two of our men have said that the police
did their duty. The evidence taken at
Mare island shows that if such state
ment was procured from our men it was
accomplished by requiring them to sign
writing in a language they did not under
stand, and by their representation that it
was mere declaration that they had
taken no part in the disturbance. The
evidence of existence of animosity towards
our sailors in the minds of the sailors of
the Chilian navy and Of the populace
of Valparaiso are SO abundant and various
as to leave no doubt in the minds of any
one who will examine the papers sub
mitted. 1t manifested itself in threaten
ing and insulting gestures towards our
men as they passed the Chilian man-of-
war in their boats and in the derisive and
abusive epithets with which they greeted
every appearance Of an American sailOr
on the evening 81 the riot.