The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-04
War, With Spain Once
Previously Averted.
The Episode of the Virginius and the Part
Played i'm 1t by Our Government.

| the Virginius was among those exc
cuted. He had made a declaration to
the Spanish that he had tampered with
the engines and cut down the speed
of the vessel so that she could be cap
| tured, and was marched with the rest
| to prevent his comrades from knowing
that he was to be spared. He was shot
| by mistake while making frantic pro-
tests and explanations, but, as he was
a traitor In one way or the other, his
death was the only one of all that was
| never regretted.
! PROTESTS UNHEEDED.
During all this time the. consuls at
| Santiago were not idle, but they were
| helpless. T.. G. Schmitt, the American
| vice. consul, and Theodore Brooks, the
| British vice-consul, made all sorts OF
| protests that were unavailing. Schmitt
was not permitted to see the prisoners
before or after the court-martial, until
the very end, when he reached Captain
| Fry and signed his protest with him.
He was not permitted the use of the
telegraph in order to communicate with
the government at Washington by way
| of Kingston, Jamaica. He wrote re-
| peated notes to General Burriel. the
Spanish commander at Santiago, get
| ting no answer to them, until at last
| an answef came that was more trri-
tating than silence. Burriel told him
that he should have known that the
previous day was a day of religious
festival, during which he and all his
officers were engaged in meditation of
the divine mysteries" and could not
| consider temporal affairs. He also in
formed the consul that he might be
expelled from the island for trying to
embroil the United States and Spain in
difficulties If he were not careful.
Then came the only bright spot in
the whole affair News of what was
going on reached Jamaica, and the
British gunboat Niobe, Captain Sir
Lambton Lorraine, left for the scene
of massacre, sailing in such hurry
that he left some of the crew ashore.
The captain landed at Santiago before
his ship was anchored, and demanded
that the slaughter be stopped Instant
ly. He declared that he represented
the United States as well as England,
and that he would lombard the city if
there was another American citizen
executed. Ninety-three men We're un-
der sentence of death, many of whom
werc Americans, but the sentences were
Immediately suspended and the lives
" ere saved. The Spanish afterward
1 .sserted that the executions were
stopped because of orders received
from Madrid. The next time Sir
| Lambton Lorraine was in New York
he was offered a reception, which he
declined. He was presented, however,
with a silver brick, on which were en-
graved the words: BLOOD is thicker
than water" A resolution of thanks
to him was laid on the table in the
house of representatives and never
passed.
| DEMANDS FOR VENGEANCE.
When the news of all this reached
the United States public indignation
rose rapidly. Mass meetings were held
demanding vengeance on Spain. Pres
ident Grant sent special messages to
congress, and the state department be-
gan diplomatic negotiations. Hamilton
Fish, secretary of state, declared that
the Virginius, having been registered
as an American vessel carrying official
documents regular upon their face and
bearing the United States flag, was en-
tirely beyond the jurisdiction of any
ether power on the high seas in the
time of peace; that If she had secured
fraudulent entry or committed any
other fraud against the laws of the
| United States it 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 for
eign affairs at that time was Admiral
| Polo de Bernabe, father of the new
| Spanish minister who succeeds Dupuy
| de LONE. He wanted to submit the
matter TO arbitration, and Secretary
Fish replied to him that the UNITED
States was ready to refer to arbitra-
| ton all questions properly subjects
for reference, but that the question of
| an indignity to the tlas 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 of an American ship, is not
| deemed to be one referable to other
powers to determine. A nation must
be the judge and custodian of it's own
honor"
| Most of the men were executed after
protests to Madrid began to be made.
! Madrid mobs made a demonstration
against the American minister. Gener-
al Sickles. Nov. 4 Secretary Fish ca
| bled Sickles: I'm case of refusal Of
satisfactory reparation within twelve
days from this date close your lega-
tion and leave Madrid" Ten days
later, when the executions were over,
he telegraphed: "Tf Spain cannot re-
| dress 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 want
ed to see energetic action and many
enemies among those who wanted peace
at any price. 1t was alleged afterward
that the latter influence became DOM
inant. and that his recall from that
post was the result of their work TO
punish him for his energy that was
not always diplomatic in its forms.
SETTLEMENT.
The terms of settlement of the
trouble were that the Virginius should
be surrendered 10 an American war
| snip, with the survivors of those who
had been captured with her, and that
on Dec. 20 the United States flag should