Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-02-04
SECRETARY BLAINE.

ian sources that almost instantly, with sud-
denness that strongly implies meditation and
preparation, a mob, stated by the police au-
thOrities at one time to number 1900 and at
another, 900 was engaged in the assault upon
our sailors, who are represented as resisting
with stones, clubs and bright arms" The re-
port of the intendente of October states that
the fight began at 6 D. m. in three streets which
are named, that informal ton was received at the
intendencia at 6:15 and that the police arrived
the scene at $780, full half hour after the as
sault began. At that time he says that mob
of 1900 men had collected and that for several
squares there was the appearance of a real
battlefield" ..a
The scene at this point is very graphically set
before us by the Gillian testimony. The Amer
lean sailors who, after SO long an examina ton,
have not been found guilty Of any breach of the
peace, so far as the Gillian authorities are able
to discover, unarmed and defenseleSs, fee
ing for their lives, pursued by Overwhelming
numbers and fighting only to aid their own
escape from death or to succor some man whose
life is in greater peril.
Eighteen of them brutality stabbed and
beaten while one CHILEAN seems, from the re-
port, to have suffered some injury: but how
serious or with what character OF a weapon or
whether by missile thrown by our men or by
some OF his fellow rioters, is unaSoertained.
The pretense lhat our men were fighting
with stones, clubs and bright arms in view of
these facts is incredible. 1t is further refuted
by the fact that our prisoners when
seven penknives being found in the posses
sion'of the men arrested, while there were re-
ceived by our men more than thirty stab
wounds, every one of which were inflicted in
the back and almost every confused wound was
in the back or back of the head. The evidence
of the ships officer of the day is that even the
jackknives of the men were taken before leaving
the ship.
AS to the brutal nature OF the treatment re-
ceived by our men the following extract from
the account given of the affair by the La Patria
newspaper of Valparaiso OF October II, cannot
be regarded too gravely.
1.-THE Yankees, soon their purSuers gave
chase, went by way of the Gala del Arsenal
towards the city station. In the presence
Of an ordinary number of citizens, among
whom were some sailors, the North Amer
leans took seats in the street to escape
from the stones which the Chilians threw at
them. It was believed for an instant that the
North Americans had saved themselves from
popular fury, but such was not the case.
Scarcely had the car begun to move when a
crowd gathered around to stop its progress
cessation of the bowling and throwing Of
stones at the North Americans, the conductor
entered the car nd, seeing the risk of the sit
uation to the vehicle, told them to get out At
the instant the sailors left the car came o
shower OF stones, the conductor receiving a
stone blow on the head One of the Yankee
sailors managed to escape in the direction of
the Plaza Helright, but the other was felled to
the ground Dy q stone Managing to raise him.
self from the ground wnere he lay, he staggered
in an opposite direction from the station. In
front OF the house OF Senior Mazzini he was again
wounded"
No amount OF evasion or suhterfuge is able to
cloud our vision of this brutal work It should
be noticed, in this connection. that the Ameri-
can sailors arrested after an examination,
were, during the four days following the arrests
every one discharged, no charge or any breach
OF the peace or other criminal conduct hay
ing been sustained against q single one of
them The judge Of crimes, Foster, In a note to
the intendente under date OF October - before
the dispatch from this government Of the follow
ing day aroused the authorities Of Chill to bet
ter sense of the gravity of the affair, says:
Having presided temporarily over this court
in regard to the seamen of the United States
cruiser Baltimore, who have been tried on &C.
count of deplorab!e conduct which took place,
ETC."
The noticeable points here are that every
sailor had been tried before The I'D OF October
and that the trial resulted In the acQuittal and