The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-22
Case Of th6 VirqiniU8.
How War Was Narrowly Averted in 1873 by Diplomacy
Americans Butchered by Spaniards.

=, ginius was anon. those executed. Ii"
! had made a declaration to the Spanish
that he had tampcred with the engines
and cut down the speed Of the vessel, SO
+. that he could he captured and was
marched with the rest 10 prevent his
comrades from knowing what he was to
be spared for. He was Shot by mistake,
while making frantic protests and cN-
, plantations. but, he was traitor in
! one way or the other his death was the
! only one Of all that was never regretted
During all this time the consuls at
Santiago were not idle. but they were
helping +. G. Schmidt. the American
! Vice Consul and Theodore Brooks, the
| British Vice Consul. made all sorts of
| protests that We're unavaling. Schmidt
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, getting
no answers to them, until at laSt an an
swer came that it was more Irritating
| than silence. Burriel told him that he
| should have known the previous day was
| a day of religious festival. during which
| he and ali his officers were engaged in
'meditation of the divine mysteries. y
and could not consider temporary af-
| fairs He also Informed 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.
Il, a.,
whole affair News of what was going
on reached Jamaica. and the British
gunboat Niobe Captain Sir Lambton
sailing in such hurry that he left some
of the crew ashore. The captain land
ed at Santiago before his ship was an
chOred and demanded that the slaughter
] be stopped instantly. He declared that
he represented the United States as well
as England. and that he would bOmIard
! the city ii there were another American
citizen executed. Ninety-three men
were under sentence of death, many o
| whom were Americans. but the sentence
was Immediately suspended and the lives
We're saved. The Spanish afterwards
/ declared that the executions were stop
i ped because of orders received from
Madrid. The next time Sir Lambton
ception. which he declined. He was
presented, however. with Il silver brick,
OH which were engraved the words:
! Blood is thicker than water \ reSo-
| luton Of thanks to him was Laird on the
table in thc House Of Representatives
and never passed.
When the news Of all this reached the
/ United States public Indignation rose
| rapidly. Mass meetings were held tic
maHdng vengeance on Spain. President
| Grant sent special messages to Con
-"rcsS. and the State Department began
| diplomatic negotiations. Hamilton
| Fish, Secretary of State. declares that
the NirginiuS, having been registered
| rs an American vessel carrying official
| documents regular upon their face, and
bearing the United States Hag, vacs en-
! treIy beyond the jurisdiction Of any
other power on the high seas in time of
| peace; that if he had secured fraudulent
| entry or committed any other fraud
against the laws of the United States,
if was for her to be turned over to the
| United States courts for punishment. by
some other power The Spanish Minis
| ter o orcgn Affairs at that time WAS
! Admiral Polo dc Brrnabc, father of the
! new Spanish Minister. who succeeds
| DupIy 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 arbitration
all question Of proper subjects for
| reference. but that the question of an
| ndignity TO the flag Of the nation and
4, the capture in time of peace on the high
| seas Of IL vessel bearing that flag and
| having also the register and papers of
the American ship. is not deemed to be
IL. hon TO n IN
\ nation must be the judge and custo-
diam Of its honor.'
Most of the men were executed after
protests to Madrid began to be made
Madrid mobs made Il demonstration
against the American Minister. General
Sicklcs. November i. Secretary FISH
cabled Sicklos: In case of refusal OF
satisfactory reparation within twelve
days from this date close your legation
and leave Madrid.' Ten days later
when the executions We're over. he tele-
graphed: IF Spain cannot redress these
outrages, the United States will Ten
days after that he wired: If no settle
ment IS reached by tomorrow. leave.
| Next day Spain became tractable and
war was avertcd. BY his conduct in
Madrid ut that time General Sickles
made many friends of those Americas
who wanted to sec energetic action. and
many enemies among those who wanted
peace at any price. 1t was alleged
afterward that the latter influence be
came dominant, and that his recall from
that pest was the result of their work
to punish him for his energy that was
not always diplomatic in its forms.
The terms of the settlement of the
trouble were that the Nirginius should
. he surrendered to an American warship
with the survivors of those who had
. been captured with her, and that or
December -. the United States flag
should be salutcd by the Tornado. The
Continued Second Page.)