The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-27

well as the captain and the crew of the
aforesaid steamer. to allow that be
admitted TO the jail and on board the
vessels where the latter are detained as
prisoners. to enable me to fulnii my
duties as consul representative OF the
United States government"
Nc reply came to this communion
ton, and near evening OF the same
day Mr.. Schmitt sent another letter to
General Burriel, which concludes as
follows:
And as ] have not been In any way
or manner attended to by your excel
lency in consideration of my reiterated
requests in this matter. and not hav-
ing admitted any OF them. neither
knowing what has been done as to the
rights OF the American citizens as well
as those of the captain. crew and yes
sci, in accordance with the aforesaid
treaty between Spain and the United
States, article Z, / most respectfully
protest, your excellency, against the
authorities and the Spanish govern
ment, n i, in the name and as the
representative of the United States, do
solemnly protest against the Spanish
government and all m every person
or persons for their performances, tr-
Irregularities, trials, condemnations that
may occur to any and every American
citizen or citizens concerned, detained
and imprisoned for all damages and
prejudices, whether personal or other
wise. which may happen to any and
every one OF the American citizens on
board of the American steamer Vir-
ginius. as well as to all interests OF
value of the aforesaid steamer which
may be claimerb by her owned or whom
soever interested, all Of which shall be
transmitted to the consul general at
Havana and to the department Of state
at Washington"
Forty-eight hours after Mr.. Schmitt's
first letter. General Burriel replied as
follows:
I'm my desire to correspond duly to
the exquisite zeal which you show in
this matter, / would have replied at
once to your communication, but as I
received II precisely at the moment of
peremptory and important affairs, TO
which i had to devote myself exclu-
sively-for the past two days were holy
days, upon which the officials do not
come to the office, being engaged as
well as every n else in meditation
upon the divine mystery of all saint
n the commemoration of All Saints
days, as prescribed by our holy relig-
ion-consequently ii was impossible for
me until early this morning to comply
with o u wishes as well as my own to
answer your communication"
Burriel then admitted that he hal
given the order for the detention of
Consul Schmitt's kilograms to the con-
suls at Havana and Kingston, and in
coarse and brutal language expressed
sur prise that Consul Schmitt should
have expected any replies to his COM
munications in regard TO the pirate
Virginius,' which was sailing under
American c~olors." He claimed that
the latter phrase was unintelligible to
him, because there were as many
American colors as there were nations
on the continent. and even on some of
the stands. He alluded to the marked
of-ficiousness'' of Mr.. Schmitt's conduct,
and denied the American citizenship of
General Ryan. lie fatty withheld per-
mission to visit the Jail, and expressed
the intention of applying to the govern
ment to propose the withdrawal of the
exquatur for the performance of the
duties of vice consulate. This commu-
nication closed piously with the phrase,
God preserve o any years"
On the 5th Mr.. Schmitt made another
protest. On the 9Th the fou men were
murdered in the manner prescribed.
Later in the day Sc OF the crew of the
Virginius We're executed. Captain Fry
sent an Intellectual appeal to the help
less American representative. He
wrote:
"Sir: i have made several Intellectual
efforts TO communicate with you, and
am at a loss to understand why the
agent of a government as powerful as
the United States should not at once
communicate with the master of an
American vessel, captured on the nigh
seas in time of profound peace by a
Spanish man-of-war. / desire that the
papers of the Virginius should be ex-
mine by you and the facts and Incl
dents of her attempted voyage noted
and communicated at once by telegraph
to the government, as it may serve to
save future complications between the
governments of Spain and the United
States"
Just before his execution Captain Fry
made a declaration under oat which
concluded thus:
Il rave been refused, officially, all
chances of application or appliance to
my consul for protection, and l have
been condemned to death, with the
greatest part of my crew, under no
known public law or pretense, and l
have only time to make this appeal, be-
ing hurried in my preparations for
death"
The day of his execution two Spanish
soldiers and a corporal were stationed
at the door of the American consul's
house, without IN previous notice hav-
ing been given of such an intention on
the part of the authorities. The AmeIi-
cans, marching to their death, saluted
the consulate, from which the American
flag was not hung-Mr. Schmidt prob
ably retaining from irony so bitter.
The sas would have been con-
tinued to the end had not news of what
was going on reached Jamaica, where
the British gunboat Niobe, commanded
by Captain Sir Lambton Lorraine. was
stationed. He belonged to a nation
which looks after its citizens, and who
may even, under proper circum-
stances. stretch it's mantle of protection
to cover other English-speaking races,
so he set sail with such haste that he
left some Of his crew on shore. His ship
was not at her anchorage before he was
on shore in his boat. He wrote no let
tiers and conferred no titles upon Gen
eral Burriel. He simply declared that
he wouh lombard the town II another
American citizen was executed, and his
guns showed their noses at the port
holes to prove il. Ninety-three men were
under sentence of death. but the argu-