The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-11-25

port t..o u,oyr,t,en6 wtln rns men from In,
f Boston, aud the Statement is now ,advis.
edly made with full knowledge OF TIN,
lack of arms, ammunition and men, alss
the utter absence of organization at all
adequate to the undertaking. that with.
out tho previous assurance of support
from the American minister and the actua
presence of the United States troops, us
movement would have been attempted,
and II attempted would have been a mis-
erdhle failure. resulting in the capture or
death OF the participants in very short
time. Having been present Mt the several
meetings r, ferred to in this statement. |
herehy certify that the same Is correct IL
every essential particular.
+. WUNDENBURe7.
Corroboratcs Wundenburg's Statement,
Commissioner Btount sends to the
state department a long interview had
by him with S. A. Damon, who is presl.
dent of the advisory council Of the pro.
visional government. Mr.. Damon'.
interview was reported stenosraphica lly
and signed by him as being correct. He
was one OF the men who went up to the
government house Monday afternoon
Jan. II, to read tho proclamation de
claring the queen deposel and new
government in CONTROL Mr.. Damon
corrobora'cs the statement made by MIR.
Wundenburg.
In response to Mr.. Blount's ques.
tons. Mr.. Damon said that he and
another member of the revolutionary
committee went to the station house to
hold conference with the queens re-
presentatives.
MIR. Blount endeavored to draw from
Mr. Damon an admission that the argu.
ment used to induce the queens mini,ters
to surrender was that the United States
troops We're across the street from the
government building and in full sympa-
thy with the revolution. Mr. Damon
unwillingly admitted that this was true,
saying: while I was in the station
house. a man named Bowler said to mo:
we are all prepared to resist, but will
never fight against the American flag.'"
We're All Extremely Nervous.
Again being pressed for information
MS to whether the sympathy of the
United States minister was talked
about, Mr.. Damon replied: II cannot
remember any definite thing, but from
Mr.. Bowler's remark they must have
thought the United States troops were
here for some purpose.
"While we We're in the government
building and during tho reading of the
proclamation and while we were all ex-
tremely nervous as to our personal safe.
ty, asked one OF the men with me
there, 'Will not the American troops
support us2'
"Finally asked one of the men to go
over and ask Lieutenant Swinburne il
he was not going to send some one over
to protect us. The man returned and
said: Captain Willis orders are to re-.
main passive I was perfectly non.
plussed at not receiving their support.
[ could not imagine why we were there
without being supported by the Amer.
ican troops. We We're ther. IS or 30
minutes without their supporting us in
any way"
They Were Willing to Yield.
Being asked what was accomplished
by the first visit to the station house,
Mr.. Damon at length replied: THE
queens ministers virtually gave it up.
They said if they had only the provis.
ional government to contend with and
the forces of the provisional government
they would not surrender. They felt
they could meet the emergency so far as
the provisional government was con-
cerned, but as it was they were willing
to yield, and the queen and went along
with them to the palace. We all met in
the blue room. There We're present the
queen, two young princes, four minis
/ ters, Judge Widde,nan. Paul Neumann,
j o. Carter, E. c. Mcfarland and my
self. We went over between and 5
and rema n d until o'clock.
eve asked for surrender and tho
ministers advised it. AT first Judge
Wildemann opposed the idea, but
yielded when Mr.. Neuman did. It was
the queens idea that she could sur.
reuder pending settlement at Wash
ington. 1t was on that condition that
she gave up. told her she could sur.
render or abdicate under protest."
WAS the queen advised by her minis.
ters to surrender because the sympathy
of the United States was with the rcyolu.
tionis;s!"
Queen Was Reluctant to Sign.
81 know it was the queens idea that
Mr.. Stevens was in sympathy with this
movement. The queen was reluctant to
sign the abdication, but did SO on the
ground that it would all come up for
review at Washington. told her SO
myself. It was the best terms of settle
ment we could get took it to Presi-
| dent Dole and he received an en-.
dorssd it,"
1t was shown by further questioning
of Mr.. Damon that the proclamation had
been read before theQueen had consented
to surrender.
Commissioner Blunt had a long In
terview with Mr.. Waterhouse, who was
also member of the committee of safe.
ty, and who corroborated Mr.. Wunden-
burg and Mr.. Damon in most Of their
statements.