The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-20

l
During all this time the cOnsuls al
Santiago were not idle, but they were
helping T.. G. Schmidt, the American
| Vice Consul and Theodore Brooks, the
| British Vice Consul, made all sorts OF
protests that were unavailing. 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
| q day of religious festival, during which
he and all his officers were engaged in
meditation of the divine mysteries, -
| 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.
Then came the only bright spot i'll 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 a 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 lombard
the city if there were another American
citizen executed. Ninety-three men
were under sentence of death, many
whom were Americans, but the sentence
was Immediately suspended and the lives
were saved. The Spanish afterwards
declared that the executions were stop
ped because of orders received from
Madrid. The next time Sir Lambton
was in New York he was offered a re-
ception. which he declined. He was
presented however with silver brick
on which were engraved the words:
BLOOD is thicker than water" A reso-
luton of thanks to him was laid on the
table in the House of Representatives
and never passed.
When the news of all this reached the
United States public indignation rose
rapidly. Mass meetings were held de-
manding vengeance on Spain. President
Grant sent special messages to Con
gress, and the State Department began
diploma tic negotiations. Hamilton
Fish, Secretary of State, declares 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
other power on the high seas in time of
peace: that il he had secured fraudulent
entry or committed any other fraud
against the laws of the United States,
it was for her to he turned over to the
United States courts for punishment by
some other power. The Spanish Minis
ter D. oreign Affairs at that time was
Admiral Polo de Bcrnabe, father of the
new Spanish Minister, who succeeds
Dupuy dc 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
indignity to the flag Of the nation and
the capture in time of peace on the high
seas. of Il vessel bearing that flag and
Ira wing also the register and papers of
the American ship, is not deemed to be
referable to other powers to determine.
A nation must be the judge and custo-
dian of its honor"
Most of the men were executed after
protests to Madrid began to be made.
Madrid mobs made demonstration
against the American Minister, General
Sickles. November 4, Secretary Fish
cabIed Sicklcs: '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 were 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 ayerted. BY his conduct in
Madrid at that time General Sickles
made many friends of those Americas
who wanted to see 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 post 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 Virginius should
be surrendered to an American warship
| with the survivors Of those who had
| been captured with her, and that on
| December -. the United States flag
| should be saluted by the Tornado. The
surrender was made in the obscure ban
Dor of Bahia Honda, December 16, the
| Spanish having taken the Virginius there
| to avoid the humiliation of a surrender
| in Santiago or Havana, where it should
have been made. Captain w. ID. Whit
| ing, the chief Of staff of the North AT
lantic squadron. was appointed to re
| ceive the surrender of the Virginius, ant
the gunboat Dispatch was sent to Ba
mia Honda with him for that purpose
Lieut.. Adolph Mark was the flag lieu
| tenant of the Dispatch, the same who is
\, now the advocate judge Of the court OF
Inquiry on the Maine disaster. The Vir
1 ginius was delivered with the flag fly
Continued OH page 12)