Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-01-28

L
so far as / nave get been able to learn.
nc other explanation of this bloody work
mas been suggested than that it had lis
origin IN hostility to these men as sailors
OF the United States, wearing the uniform
OF their government, and not in any IL
dlyIdual act or personal animosity"
We have now received fion the Gillian
government an abstract Of the conclusions
OF the fiscal general upon the testimony
taken by the Judge of crimes in an inve,-
hgatlon made to extend over nearly threa
months. very much regret b.
be compelled to say that this
report does not enable me TO
modify the conclusion announced In mr.
annual message. | am still of the opin,
ion that our sailors were assaulted. beat
en-, stabbed and killed, not for anythirg
they or any one of them had done, but for
what the government of the United States
had done, or was charged with having
done, by its civil officers aud naval co II :
manders. Il that be the true aspec. Of
the case. the injury was to tie government
of the United States. not to these poor
sailors who were assaulted in a manner 80
brutal and eowardIy.
After summarizing the correspondence
up to a certain point he says:
The communications of thu CHILEAN gov
eminent in relation to this cruel AMI dis,
astrous attack upon our men, as will
appear from the correspondence, have not
In any degree taken the form Of manly
and. satisfactory expression of regret, much
less Of apology The event was of so seri.
Gus a character that if the injuries suf-
fered by our men had been wholly
the result of an accident in CHILEAN port.
the incident was grave enough to have
called for some public expression of SIM
pathy and regret from the local auth0rit.
les. 1t is not enough to say that the
affair was lamentable, for humanity would
require that expression even if the beating
and killing of our men had been
justifable. 1t is not enough to say thai tue
incident is regretted, coupled with the
statement that the affair was not of al
unusual character in ports where foreign
sailors are accustomed to meet. It is not
Tor a generous and sincere government to
seek for words Of small equivocal meaning
IN which to convey to a friendly power an
apology for an otfense 50 atrocious as this
In the case Of an assault by mob in New
Orleans upon the Spanish consulate in
1851, Mr.. Webster wrote to the Spa1i "a
minister, Mr.. CauIdron, that the acts COM
planned Of were ''a disgraceful and fla
grant breach of duly and propriety," and
that his government regrets them as
deeply as Minister Caldron or
his government could possibly do;"
that these acts have caused the
president great pain, and he thinks a
proper Acknowledgement is due to her
majesty He invited the Spanish consul
to return to his post, guaranteeing protec-
ton, and offered to salute the Spanish
flag if the consul should CONE in Span
ish vessel. Such treatment by the gov
nave been more creditable to the CHILEAN
satisfactory to government that values
its dignity and honor
In our note of October % last, which
appears in the correspondence, after re-
ceiving the report Of the board of officers
by Capt Schley to inYesti-
gate the affair, the CHILEAN govern
ment was advised Of the aspect
which it then assumed, and called
upon for any facts in its possession that
might tend to modify the unfavorable i'm
pressions which our report had created.
1t is very clear from the correspondence
that, before the receipt of this note, tie
examination was regarded by the police
as practically closed. It was,
however, re-opened and protracted through
a period of nearly three months. We
might justly have complained of this un-
reasonable delay, but in view of the fact
that the government OF Chilli was still per-
sonal, and with disposition to be forbear
ing and hopeful OF friendly treatment.
have waited the report which has hut
recently been made.
On the 2lst inst. caused to be c0mmu-
nlcated to the government Of Chill, by the
American m mister at Santiago, the conclu-
slons OF this government after full con-
sideration of all the evidence and of every
affecting this matter, and %
these conclusions | adhere. They were
stated as follows:
l. That the assault is not relieved of
ho aspect which the early information OF
5he event gave to 1t, viz: That Of an at
,ack upon the uniform Of the United
States navy, having its origin and N tive
n feeling Of hostility to this government
md not in any act Of the sailors or OF anv
# them.
2. That the public authorities of Val
1ariso fagrantly failed in their duty to
protect our men, and that some of the po-
ice and the Gillian soldiers and sailors
we're themselves guilty of unprov0ked as
aults upon our sailors before and after ar
est. He 1.-THE president) thinks the PIE
of the evidence and the inner
mt probabilities lead 70 the conclusion
hat Riggin was killed by the police or
oldiers.
3. That he (the presidert) is therefore
to bring the case back to the
position taken by this government In the
lote of Mr.. Wharton, of October % last, /
md to ask for a suitable apology an for
ome adequate reparation for the in jury
lone to this government.
In the same note the attention Of the |
LILLIAN government was called to the Of !
ensive character of note addressed by |
Ir. Malta, ex-minister of foreign affairs, |
o Mr.. Montt, its minister at this capital, |
n the 18th ultimo. This dispatch is not
tficially communicated to chis govern !
nent, but as Mr. Montt was directed to |
translate it and give it to the press of this
ountry, 1T seemed to me it could not pass !
Without official notice. It was not only |
iuulp iOmdtlc, Out insulting TO our naval
Ulcers and to the executive department,
8 it directly imputed untruth and insin-
eriiy to the reports of the naval officers
nd to The official communications made
y the executive department to congress.
t will be observed that have notified the
LILLIAN government unless it is at once
and an apology. as public as
ne otfensa, made, | will terminate dipIo
1atic relations.
the request for the recall of Mr.. Egan
pom the ground that he was personally
Isagreeable, was unaccompanied by any
digestion that could properly be used in