The San Francisco call., 1897-02-10
A Locomotive Badly Jared, but
the Diabolical Pot Is
Frustrated.
Con let Between French Colonists and
BrazilianS-Two of the Former
R ported Killed.
Correspondence of The United Associated Presses.


this had anything to do with what hap
pened on Saturday is not known. 1t is,
however, fact that on Friday afternoon
several local newspapers received an an
nouncement written in red ink and ap-
parently with some such blunt instru-
ment as a Whitfield stick, that it was the
writer's intention to destroy the railway.
This was regarded as a joke and passed
unnoticed; but on Saturday morning such
an attempt was actually made.
As the passenger train from Kingston
arrived at q point couble of miles from
this station it came to a sudden halt and q
slight jar was felt. On inquiries being
made the engineer declared that some one
had fired off gun under the engine as it
passed, but no persons or gun could be
found and so the train proceeded, although
the engine crew concurred that there had
been some sort of an explosion under the
engine and every one on the train felt the
jar.
Later on were discovered some odd
looking things along the track in the
same place and the N alter was reported
to the station. An inspector OF police and
a railway engineer went out on a trolley
to investigate and found what they IN part
expected they would fnd-the remnants
of an Internal machine. But they also
found something else-a similar machine
intact. Appearances indicated that two
explosive bombs, diabolically conceived
but very poorly contrived, had been
placed on the track for the morning
passenger train. One had exploded, but
with little or no result, while the other
hod Inv laI nff ha G,, Al
force of the explosion and its fuse ex-
tirguished. They were contrived to go
off on contact, but had been lighted and
placed on the track as the train was ap-
preaching. One acted on time and the
other, possibly lighted moment after its
mate, was blown away.
What was found of the exploded bonn b
consisted of three burst and rent milk tins
bearing the traces of gunpowder. The
intact one was package containing SINH
lar tins filled with giant powder and iron
filings, to which was attached a connect
ing fuse couple of feet long, the end of
which had been ignited. The whole was
well packed in a box of earth the size of a
large cigar-boI. The police are investi-
eating the matter.
Details OF the fresh trouble between the
French colonists at Cayenne and the Bra
zilians in the trans-Amazonian provinces
of Brazil, which may lead to further dip
lomatic trouble before the arbitration
agreement is reached, have been received
here.
The advices received are from Cayenne
and state that the acute tension between
the French and Braziiians at Para, which
reached Its height in the Mapa incident
last year, has latterly been revived by the
proclamation of ST. Marie Belem as a fre
port.
Up TO that time matters had gone
smoothly enough, or at any rate there
was no direct friction, although the rela-
tions between the local representatives OF
the Brazilians and the colonists had been
anything but pleasant. Trouble was
averted only by the announcement that
tie diplomatic negotiations for thessettle-
ment of the boundary dispute were pro-
crossing favorably.
Now the tension has been rendered
acute once more by a report that French
mining expedition into the Cachipour
district, in the disputed territory from
which 1t WAS agreed that all troops be
Withdrawn pending the settlement had
been met by force of Brazilian soldiers
and been made prisoners, after which one
or two OF the French prisoners had been
shot.
The circumstances as told in the ad-
vices 10 hand are that a party of mining
prospectors, under the leadership of a
Frenchman named Hilbert, had entered
the Cachipour district. The party con-
sisted of a mum ber of Cayennese creoles
and colored mine laborers from Mar
Unique and the English islands OF ST. Luz
cia and Dominica.
There were twenty of them all told in
Guiding a woman. They assembled the
Cachipour River without any interference
until arriving at the Degrad lifeline land
ing, where they commenced erecting car
BETS or what are known in the West as
'wickiups." But before the party had
got through with this preliminary work,
and, of course, before they had begun
prospecting, they were suddenly sur
| rounded by upward of $50 armed Brazil
ians, who came down on them out of the
bush and fired upon them without chal-
lenge.
Tilbert naturally supposed that he was
being attacked by brieands, and as this
was TO be looked for the fire was returned,
but 1t at once became apparent thai they
had TO deal with large body of soldiers
and not few wandering brigands. Til
bert then ordered his men to stop firing.
but the soldiers continued to fire, and
many OF the party plunged into the river
and attempted 10 get away in their boats.
These were fired upon and one or two
killed, while the others escaped and made
their way down the river. Tilbert ana
! the rest OF his men were made prisoners.
The leader of the BraZilians was an Off
Ger named Perez. He sent the woman
under escort to Carsevene, but detained
Hilbert aud five of his miners These.
later advices state, Perez compelled to go
forward to the place whittier the party
had been bound, and which appears to be
promising gold field, and made tenn
work getting out the gold and teaching
the Brazilians how to DO it. So far the
prisoners had not been ilI-treated, but at
the same time they were being kept hard
at work securing gold for their captors and
without any prospect of reward.
Fearing some eprisal from the French
Perez had sent to Para to ask for rein
forcements, but according to the advices
the Governor of Cayenne has decided to
take no action in the way of reprisal but
has sent protest against the disturbance
OF the status quo to Para and laid the
matter before the Government at Paris.
Meanwhile all private mining operations
in the disputed territory have been sus-
pended, as they were only being carried
on with the understanding that the
political status quo would be respected on
both Sides
Public feeling runs high at Cayenne,
where the Governor is blamed for not