The San Francisco call., 1899-04-30
POOH-BAH OTIS
HAD TO RETREAT
Ruler of Manila in a
Comedy Ro e.
CLASHES WITH A CONSUL
TROUBLE OVER THE CREW OF A
TRANSPORT.
The State Department Representative
Told to Get Off the Earth, but
He Triumphs Over the
General.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

MANILA. March 25-The United States
transport Grant which leaves here this
afternoon, will have as passengers for San
Francisco fifty-seven sailors, comprising
the former crew of the transport Indiana
/ The Grant carries this letter
The events in relation to this crews s
/ last days in Manila make an interesting
story. The Indiana's master is Captain
Morle. The fifty-seven men signed articles
( in San Francisco on October "a for
/ cruise to terminate at San Francisco in
six months. This meant that they could
/ not be dismissed al Manila or any other
/ place than San Francisco when the six
months had expired with less than enough
money to their credit to get back home
with not TO speak of the loss of time
On March q the Indiana arrived in Ma
Mia from Iloilo, and the captain ordered
the men to American Consul Williams
office to be paid off, as he had employed
a Filipino crew to take their places The
next morning the men appeared at the
consulate followed by the Indiana 5
purser, with $1,000 to pay them with Arti-
cles were drawn releasing the Govern
ment ship from the contract. but the men
refused TO accept their pay under such
conditions, with no transportation pro-
Vided for their return home and be turned
adrift in a city so far away.
After several hours of parleying night
was near, and as General Otis had issued
strict orders for every one to be off the
streets by o'clock under penalty of be-
ing shot by the military police a grave
problem confronted United States Consul
Williams with hfty-seVen mad sailors on
his hands, and without money. The Con-
sui had less than one hour in which to
hire steam launch and get the men on
some ship in the harbor for the night He
took them to the Indiana, but the captain
bluntly refused to take them on board.
Then the Consul ordered the launch con-
tanning the tifty-seven moneyless sailors
/ TO proceed to the transport Grant, where
Captain Jesse A Baker, the quartermas-
ter in charge, promptly refused to have
anything to do with them without orders
from Colonel Pope or General Otis.
Now it was ! o'clock and Consul Will
liams headed the launch with ffty-seven
hungry men for the mouth of the river
Pasig to land in front of the office of the
captain Of the port. Near there is the
guard of soldiers TO accompany the men
through the streets to the English Hotel
where he arranged with the landlord to
allow the men to sleep on the ground in
the inclosure back of the hotel and give
them what he could in the way of food
at the expense of the consulate.
! The next morning Captain Morle went
/ to General Otis and gave his side of the
story. Any one who has had any expert
ence in handling seamen knows that the
differences between captain and crew
when formulated into separate stories are
the exact anuthesis of each other. Cen
eral Otis had no sooner heard Captain
MOrle's story than he sent an orderly for
Consul Williams The Consul told the or
derly- to tell the general he would be up
in a few minutes.
No. the general wants YOU Immediate
ly,' said the obedient orderly.
"All right said Mr.. Williams, and put
ting on his hat he started for the Gov
ernor's palace within the walled city
He faced General Otis to find him in
rage Otis did not even greet him civ
lily. He demanded that Consul Williams
| explain what right he had to meddle in
affairs here.
Why" said Mr.. Williams. Il am the
/ United States Consul and always treat
with such matters where American sailors
are involved
But you are in America now: Manila
here" shouted Otis II am Consul here:
I am Governor; l am everything, and /
want you to leave Al of these matters
alone in the future
Consul Williams intimated quietly that
the State Department 1t Washington was
responsible for his presence in Manila
whereupon Otis roared something to the
effect that that department had nothing
to say, anyway, when the military came
DO you take the responsibility for the
disposition of these mem" asked Will
/ liams.
Yes; you drop everything in regard to
it. will handle them"
Then Williams withdrew feeling like
the small boy who had been spanked.
Going to his office he found the fffty-seven
sailors waiting. for him.
do nothing in regard to your case any
more. General Otis las taken it out of
my hands. You must see him.
1t was now the past the noon hour and
the boys were getting very hungry. so
they started at once TO see General Otis
Four Of the leaders went up to the gen
erals office, the remainder waiting out
! side. The four were escorted before the
commander of all things in the Philip
pines.
Well" roare1 the general "what right
/ nave around no or
at all hours of the day or night? You
are simply loafers, and l am going to send
The men tried to explain their position
and the circumstances. The general sent
for Colonel Pope. the chief uuartermaster,
TO consult with him. They talked il over
and the general with nearly 80. 900 men un
der him was puzzled. Night was ap-
preaching and the fifty-seven sailors were
Standlng outside, dinneress and supper
IesS ~ IS not on record that Major Cen
eTal Ous ever retreated before but he did
{hls IN tim time Il from the P0stion he had taken.
summons as he had sent in the morning
TO come at once.
OF course Mr.. Williams could do nothing
put OBEY. The general humbly told the
Consul he could find no way to handle the
men and he requested Mr.. Williams to
take them in charge and keep them at the
expense Of the Government until the
Grant sailed. when they would be sent
nome and paid off in San Francisco
Consul Williams told The Call repre-
close his office and let him go home. but
ne was very guarded about referring to
General Otis in regard 10 the trouble with
the Indianas sailors.
The lndiana's s men arrived in San Fran
cisco on the Grant yesterday. Their con-
tract expired on April "a while at sea. and
they will now be paid here according to
it's terms.
YOUNG ATHLETES COMPETE.
University of the Pacific Wins at
Field Sports.
SAN JOSE, April 29.-The interschOlastic
field sports held here to-day were at
tended by about 1900 people. The Uni
Of In Hc II-c1a r1-itl