Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-01-28
Report of the Testimony of the Baltl-
more's Men Received at Washington.

WASHINGTON, Jan. GA complete
report of the testimony taken by Judge
Advocate Remey into the attack on the
Baltimore'x sailors at Valparaiso,
which was taken at Vallejo, Cal. has
been received at the navy department.
A copy is now in The possession of the
president and will be transmitted to
congress, together with the Gillian
correspondence. Some fifty OF
the sailors attacked by the mob
were examined. and in their tes-
timony they agree that the
attacks were made in various parts Of
the town. They were all treated with
even the police, of whom they sought
protection, in many cases assaulted
them. Several of the sailors-Johnsoh,
Langen and Larsen-testitied that Chill
ian soldiers fired the shots which killed
Boatswain' s-mate Riggin. The testi.
moDy showed that many of the sailors
were warned by friendly Chilians that
an attack upon them was premeditated,
and these warnings later proved true.
DIR. f. r. Still, assistant surgeon of
the United States navy, serving on the
Baltimore, gives important testimony.
He says the morning after the assault
he went to the st. Juan hospital and
examined the wounded sailors and also
the body of Riggin, which was also
at that place. A ball had passed
through Higgins neck, fracturing two
cervical vertibrae and injuring his
brain. From the direction taken by
the ball and the character of the tissues
passed through and the size and char
acter of the wound, he judged the bullet
to have been fred from rifle. Several
bruises and stab wounds were also
found. The bullet wound was neces-
sarily Immediately fatal
DR.. Still says he made the test by fir
ing rifle and pistol bullet through
pieces of cloth placed against pieces of
meat. The rifle bullet hole correspond
ed exactly to the hole in the shirt OF
the sailor johnson, through which the
bullet that killed Riggin passed before
striking him. The pistol bullet made d
hole very much smaller. DR.. White, of
the Baltimore, DR.. Still says, agreed
with him as to Higgins death being
caused by a rifle ball
Dr. Stille also testified in re-
gard to a great piece of heartlessness
in the case of Sailor Turnbull, who was
stabbed twenty-one times. DR.. Still ex-
amined him the day the stabbing, and
found that none of the wounds were
necessarily serious if promptly attend
ed to. He asked two sisters in charge
to be allowed to dress TurnbulPs
wounds, but they refused on the
ground that they could not touch
any wounds or allow DR.. Still
to touch any without permission
of physician in charge. The
next day the doctor called again
and found Turn bulls condition decided
ly critical.
He urged more strenuously to be per-
| mitted to attend the Baltimore men,
but his request was again refused. He
says that nothing had been done for
the men except the putting of little
ointment on their wounds The con-
| dition of the men was becoming worse
| and Turnbull especially was failing
fast. He and DR.. White applied to Judge
of Crimes Foster for permission to re-
move the men to the Baltimore for
treatment, but the request was not
| granted until two days later. At the
end of that time all the wounded were
rem owed to the cruiser, but despite TIA
efforts of the physicians Turnbull ciea
| two DAYS later of blood poisoning.