The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-02-04

which they have friendly relations
This invitation, think, must be held
ordinarily to embrace the privilege of
such communication with the shore as
is reasonable, necessary and proper for
the comfort and convenience, Of the Off
GERS and men of such vessels.
Captain Schley's Testimony.
Captain Schley testifes that when his
vessel returned to Valparaiso on Sept.
IA, the city officers, as is customary,
extended the hospitalities of the city to
his officers and crew.
It is not claimed that every personal
collision or injury in which sailor or
officer of such naval vessel visiting the
shore may be involved raises an inter
national question.
But am clearly of the opinion that
where such sailors or officers are as
sau1ted by resident populace, animated
by hostility to the government whose
and in resentment Of acts done by their
must take notice of the event as one in
volving an infraction of its rights and
dignity.
The officers and sailors of the Balti
more were in the harbor Of Valparaiso
under the orders of their government,
not by their own choice.
They were upon the shore by the i'm
piled invitation of the government of
Chile, and with the approval of their
commanding officer.
And it does not distinguish their case
from that of a consul that his stay is
more permanent or that he holds the
express invitation of the local govern
ment to justify his longer residence.
Nor does it affect the question that the
injury was the act of mob.
Cause Of the Attack.
The president then reviews the Incl.
dents of the affair, asserting that tie
sailors who were attacked were sober
and well behaved, which was verified by
the Sisters of Charity at the hospital
whence they were taken. He proceeds:
The testimony of Talbot, an appren-
tice who was with Riggin, is that the
outbreak in which they were involved
began by Chilean sailor splitting in the
face of Talbot, which was resented by a
knockdown. These two men were i'm
med1ately beset by a crowd of Chilean
citizens and sailors, through which they
broke their way to a street car and en-
tered 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 Chilean investigation
made to us that seriously impeaches this
testimony.
At the Mercy Of the Mob.
It appears from Chilean sources that
almost instantly, with suddenness that
strongly implies meditation and prepar-
alton, a mob, stated by the police au-
thorities at one time to number 1900
and at another 1000, was engaged in the
assault upon our sailors. who are rep
resented as resisting with stones, clubs
and bright arms"
The report of the intendente of Oct.
80 states that the fight began at D. m
and that the police arrived on the scene
at $50, a full half hour after the assault
began.
At that time he says that mob of
1900 men had collected and that for
several squares there was the appear
ance of "a real battlefield"
The scene at this point is very graph
cally set before us by the Chilean testi-
mony. The American sailors, who,
after so long an examination, have not
been found guilty of any breach of the
peace, SO far as the Chilean authorities
are able to discover, unarlned and de-
sued by overwhelming numbers and
| fighting only to aid their own escape
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 re-
port, to have suffered some injury.
The president then refers to the evi-
dence to prove that our sailors were un-
| armed, and quotes from Chilean news
paper to prove that they were at the
mercy of a mob. and says of the alleged
charges against them:
Our Sailors Not Guilty.
No amount of evasion or subterfuge
| is able to cloud our clear vision of this
brutal work.
1t should be noticed in this connection
| that the American sailors arrested after
! an examination were, during the four
F.; days following the arrest, every one dis
! charged, no charge Of any breach of the
peace or other criminal conduct having
been sustained against a single one of
them.
The Judge Of crimes, Foster, in a note
! to the intendente, under date of Oct 90
before the dispatch from this govern
ment of the following day, which
aroused the authorities Of Chile to BET
ter sense Of the gravity of the affair
says; -
this court in regard to the seamen of the
United States cruiser Baltimore, who
have been tried ON account of deplorable
conduct which took place" etc.
!; The noticeable point here is that our
A~A ~, -
October, and that the trial resulted in
! It is quite remarkable and quite char.
acteristic Of the management Of this af-
fair by the Chilean police authorities
that we should now be advised that Sea-
man Davidson. of the Baltimore, has
heen included in the indictment, his Of
tense being, so far as have been able to
ascertain, that he attempted to defend a
shipmate against an assailant who was
striking at him with q knife. The per-
feet vindication of our men is furnished
by this report. One only is found to
, have been guilty of original fault, and
! that for an act clearly justifable.
. As to the part taken by the police in
: the affair the case made by Chile is also
far from satisfactory. The point where
Riggin 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, a full half hour elapsed
after the assault began before the police
were upon the ground.
Chilean Hatred of Americans.
! The evidence of existence of animosity
! towards our sailors in the minds Of the
sailors of the Chilean navy, and of the
populace of Valparaiso, are SO abundant
and various IS to leave no doubt in the
mind Of any one who will examine the
papers submitted.
It manifested itself In threatening and
Insulting gestures towards our men as
they passed the Chilean men-of-war in
their boats, and in the derisive and
abusive epithets with which they greeted
every appeasDnce OF an American sailor
ON the evening of the riot.
; Captain Schley reports that boats from
The Chilean war shinS several times went