The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-02-05

| communication with the shore as reasonable
necessary and proper for the comfort and con
venience OF the officers and men of sucf
vessels. Capt Schley testifies that when his
vessel returned to Valparaiso, September "a
the city officers. as is customary, extended the
hospitalities Of the city to his officers and crew
1t is not claimed that every personal collision
or injury in which a sailor or officer OF such
naval vessel visiting the shore may be involved
raises international question; but l am
clearly of the opinion that where such sailors
or officers are assaulted by a resident populace,
animated by hostility to the government whose
uniform those sailors and officers wear and in
resentment Of acts done by their government.
not by them, their nation must take notice of
the event as one involving an infraction of its
rights and dignity, not In o secondary way, as
where a citizen is injured and presents his
claim through his own government, but in a
primary way, precisely as if its minister or con-
sui or the flag itself had been the object OF the
same character OF assault. The officers and
sailors Of the Baltimore were in the harbor Of
Valparaiso under the orders of their govern
ment, not by their own choice.
They were upon the shore by the implied in
vitatiOn of the government Of Chilli 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 gov
il affect the question that the injury was the
act of q mob. If there had been no participa-
tiOn By the police or military in this cruel work
and no neglect on their part to extend protec-
ton the case would still be, in my opinion,
when its extent and character are considered,
involving international rights. The incidents of
the affair are briefly rs follows:
On the 10th OF October last Capt. Schley,
commanding the United States steamer Balti-
n
sailors of his ship. These men left the ship
about l:30 D. m No incident of violence oc-
Cured; none of our men were arrested; no COM
plant was lodged against them; nor did any
collision or outbreak occur until about O'Clock
p. m. Capt. Schley states that he was the first
on shore and on the streets of the city until
$50 p. m; that he met very many Of his men
who were on leave; that they were sober and
were conducting themselves with propriety,
saluting Gillian and other officers as they met
them.
Other officers of the ship and Capt. Jenkins.
OF the merchant ship keweenaw, corroborale
Capt. Schley as to the general sobriety and
good behavior of our men. The sisters OF char
ity at the hospital to which our wounded men
were taken, when inquired of, state they were
sober when received II the situation had been
otherwise we must believe that the
Chilian police authorities would have made ar
rests AT @ p. m. the assault begun and il is re-
markable that the Investigation by the Judge
of crimes, though so protracted, does not en-
able him to give any more satisfactory account
of its origin than is found in the statement that
1t began between drunken sailors. Repeatedly
in the correspondence, it is asserted that it was
impossible TO learn the precise cause of the
riot. The minister OF foreign affairs, Malta. in
his telegram TO Montt under date December
81, states that the quarrel began be-
tween two sailors in tavern and was
continued in the street, persons who were pass
ing joining in it. The testimony OF Talbot, an
apprentice, who was with Riggin, is that the
outbreak in which they were involved began by
a Chilian sailor splitting in the face of Talbot,
which was resented by q knock down. 1t ap-
pears that Riggin and Talbot were at the time
by others of their shipmates.
These two men were Immediately beset by
crowd of Gillian 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 ne fell in the street apparently dead
There is nothing in the reports of Chilian in
vestigation made TO us that seriously i'm
peaches this testimony. 1t appears from Chill