The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-01-30

| nlted states cruiser Baltimore VINO have
been tried on account of deplorahIr con
duet which took place. etc. Inc notice
here is that our sailors had been tricd be-
fore the I'D of October. and that the
trial resulted IN Their atuultal and
return to the service. 1T is quite
remarkable and quite charaCterISt Z
of the management % thlS affair hy the
Ch,lian civil authorities that We should
now be advised that Seaman Davidson. Of
the Baltimore. had been included in the in
dlctment. and his otfense being, so far as |
have been able to ascertain. that he at
tempted &c defend a shipmatc against an
assallant who was striking him with a
knife. The perfect yindication OF our men
is furnished by this report: one only is
found to hav" beer guilty OF criminal fault
and that Tor an act clearly Justified.
As to the part taken by the police IN the
affair. the ease made by Chiil j. also far
from satisfactory. rhe point where Rig
gin was Killed Is only three minutes walk
from the police station. and not mole than
twice that distance from the intcrdcncia.
and Yet. according to their official II sort, 4
full half hour passed after the assault HcgdI
before the police We're upon the ground. II
has been stated that all but two pf our mon
have said that the police did their duty.
The evidence taken at Mare Island shows
tha; if such a statement was procured
from oHr men. II was accomplished hy re
qHlring them to sign a writing III IAN
guage they did not understand. and
by their representations II was
Il mere declarations that they had
30 part in the disturbance. Lieut..
Met Crea. VINO acted ;tS interpreter. SAYS in
his evidence that when our sailors Wer,4
examined before The court the sub cct OF
the conduct Of the police was 50 carefully
avoided that he reported the fact 10 Capt
Schler on his return to ihe vessel.
The evidence III existence OF an anImoSitN
toward our sailors III the minds of the
sailors Of the Chilian navy and of the pop
ulace of Valparaiso. is SO abundant and
variOuS as to leave 10 doubt in The mind
Of any one who will examine the papers
submitted. 1t manifested itself IL
threatening and insulting gestures
towards our men as they passed the
thlian man-ofwar IN the ports and
the deriSiNe and abusive epithetS with
which they greeted every appearance OF
an American sailor on The evening Of the
riot. capt Schlcy reports that boats from
the Chilian warShip several times went
Out of their course to CrGSS the Rows OF hIS
boats. compelling them to back water. H."
complained OF the diScourueSy. and it was
corrected. That this feeling Was shared by
men Of higher rant. is shown by all incl
dent related by surgeon StIti. oi tn" Bait
more. After the battle OF plarilla he
with other medical officers of the war YES
sells i'll the haroor was giving voluntary as
SiStancc to The wounded III the hospitals
The son Of 4 Chiiian officer of
high rank was under his care. and
when the father discovered il he flew into
a passion and said he would rather have
his son die than have Americans toucn
him. ami at once had him removed from
the ward This feeling IS not well CON
ccaled in The dispatches OF the foreign
Office and was quite openly cX-
pressed IN the disreSpecttul treat
ment of the American legation. The
Chilian b@atmen IN the bay refused
even for large offers of money. to return
our sailors who crowded the mole. to their
ship when they were CndeaVoring to cS-
cape from the riot on the night Of the as
sault. The market beats OF the Bai3Inor"
were threatened and even quite recently
the gig of Commander Evans. OF the Ur.S-
town, was stoned while waiting for him at
the mole.
The evidence Of our sailors clearly shows
that the attack was expected by tine thllian
people, that threats had been made against
onr men. ana that III one case. somewhat
early in the afternoon. the keeper Of one
house into which some OF our men had
gone. closed his establishment in anticipa-
tlon of an attack which ho advised them
would be made upon them as darkness
came on. \ report of Capt. SrhI"y To the
Foreign Department says:
I he only interview that ! had with Judge
Foster was IT the Investigation into the ease re-
4bllNS 10 lnt ulStIlf ilitt>, before WIS aware
OF the entire gravity OF the matter He
informed me that the assault uuon my
men was the outcome of hatred Tor our people
among the lower CLASSES, because they thought
We had symPathiZed with the Balmaccda GOV
ernment on account Of the Irafa matter
whether with reason or without ne could OI
course not admit. but such he thought was the
explanation of the assault at that time.
several of the men sought security iIum tho
moo by such complete or partial chali-cS IN lhclr
dress as would conceal the fact OF their eng
sealnen of the Baltimore. and lOund il then
possible to walk the streets without molc>tati0n.
These incidents conclusiye.y establish
that the attacks were upon the uniform. the
nationality, and not upon the men. The origin
OF this feeling Is probably found IN the refusal
congressional party before II had established
itself in the seizure of the Itata for an alleged
violation OF the neutrality law: IL he cable in
Cdent, and in the charge that Admiral Brown
conveyed information TO Valparaiso Of the land
ing QuintcrOs.
II is not my purpose to enter here
any defense of this government III
these matters. 1t is enough for the present
purpose to say that II there was any
breach of internal national comfy
have been made the subject o.
official complaint through diplomatic
channels or OF rcpriSalS for which full
responsibility was assumed. We cannot
consent that these accidents and these per
versions of the truth shall be permitted to
81
Tending sailors, and the government Of
Chill Ec acquitted of responsibility.
in fact. the conduct OF this government
during the war i'll Chill pursued those
lines of international duty which il had so
strongly insisted upon on the part of
other nations when this country was in the
throeS of a evil conflict. We continued
the established diplomatic relations with
the government in power until II was
oVelthroWn, and promptly and cordially
recognized the new government when il
was established. The good Offices of tie
government offered To bring about
peaceful adjustment, and the inter
verify and shelter adherents ot
the Congressional party were effect
I've and frequent. The charge against
Admiral Brown is too base to gain ere
dence with anyone who knows bis high
personal and professional character
referring 10 the evidence OF OUr sailors,
| think il is shown that there We're several
distinct assaults ana SO nearly Smultan-
eouS as to snow that they did nOt spread
from one point. \ press summary OF the
report of the fiscal shows that the evidence
of the thllian officials and others was IN
several places being named by differ
ent witnesses as the locality where
the first outbreak occurred. This if cor
rcctly reported. shows that there were sew
erai distinct outbreaks. and 50 nearly at
the same time as to cause this confusion.
The La Patria. IN the same issue from
which | have already quoted after de
scribmg the killing of Rigg!n and the
fight which from that point extended t.
The Mole, says; AT the same time, in
other streets OF the port, the Yankee SAIL
orS fought tiercely with the people of the
town. who believed to see in them incar-
nate enemies of the ChIIIan navy.
The testimony of Capt. Jenkins. of the
American merchant ship keewtenaW.
which had gone to Valparaiso for repairs.
and who was a witness of some part of the
assault upon the crew of the Baltimore. is
strongly cOrToboratiye of the testimony OF
our own sailors when he says that lie saw
Chilian SentrieS drive back Il seaman. seek
in. shelter. upon mob that was pursuing
him. The officers and men OF Capt.
Jenkins ship furnish the most conclusive
testimony as to the InGignitleS which We're
practiceI towards Americans in Y al
paraiSO. When American sailors. even Of
merchant ships. can Only secure their safe
" by denying their nationality 1t must be
time TO rcadiuSt our relations with a gov