The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-02

bearing the United States flag. was entirely
! beyond the jurisdiction of any other power
on the high seas in the time of peace; THAI
II she had secured fraudulent entry or COM
united any other fraud against the laws or
the united States, 1t was for her to be
turned over to the United States courts for
punishment, and NOT for her to be captured
and punished by some other power. The
Spanish minister of foreign affairs at that
time was Admiral Polo de Bernabe, father
OF the new Spanish minister who succeeds
Dupuy de LONE. He wanted 10 submit the
mater to arbitration, and Secretary Fish
replied to him that the United StateS Was
ready 10 refer to arbitration all Questions
properly subjects for reference, but that he
question of an indignity TO the flag of the
Nation and the capture in time of peace
on the high seas of a vessel bearing that
flag and having also the register and papers
or an American snip is not deemed TO re
one referable to other powers 70 determine.
a nation must be the judge and custodian
OF its own honor"
Most of the men were executed after pro-
tests to Madrid began to be made. Madrid
mobs made q demonstration against the
American minister, General Sickles. Nov.
Secretary Fish cabled SickleS: In case
Of refusal of satisfactory reparation within
twelve days from this date close your lega-
ton and leave Madrid" Ten days later,
when the executions were over, he tele-
graphed: IF Spain cannot redress these
outrages the United States will" Ten days
after that he wired: If no settlement is
reached by the close of tomorrow leave"
Next day Spain became tractable and war
was averted. By his conduct in Madrid at
that time General SickleS made many
friends of those Americans who wanted to
see energetic action and many enemies
among those vino wanted peace at any
price. 1t was alleged afterward that the
latter influence became dominant, and that
his recall from. that post was the result or
their work to punish him for his energy
that was not always diplomatic in its forms.
The terms Of settlement of the trouble
were that The VirginiuS should be surren-
dered to an American war ship, with the
survivors of those who had been captured
with her, and that on Dec. % the United
States flag should be saluted by the Tor
nado. The surrender was made in the OBJ
scure harbor Of Bahia Honda Dec. 16 the
Spanish having taken the Virginius there
to avoid the humiliation of surrender in
Santiago or Havana, where it should have
of staff Of the North Atlantic squadron,
was appointed to receive the surrender of
the Virginius and the gunboat Dispatch
purpose. Lieut.. Adolph Mark was the flag
lieutenant Of the Dispatch, the same who is
now the judge advocate OF The court of in
Quiry on the Maine disaster. The Virginius
was delivered with the flag flying, but she
was unseaworthy, and, struck by a storm
off Cape HatteraS was sunk on her way
to New York. The salute to the flag that
had been arranged was waived by the
United States because the attorney general
gave an opinion that the Virginius had no
right to fly the American flag when she
was captured. No indemnity was paid for
the lives Of the American citizens who had
been executed, and the incident was de-
clared closed