The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-07

dispatched without proper authorization
from Panama.
| AMERICAN CAPTAIN
| THWARTs THE PLAN.
The order finally was received. but by
this time II WAS too late To send out a
train that night. The next morning. We'd
nesday, Captain Hubbard acting upon the
obligation Of the United States 10 protect
traffic across the isthmus. gave orders
! that no troops whatever be moved over
| the railroad. This deprived Colonel Torres
| of all chance of going to the relief Of his
| leaders and the question % disposing of his
/ 100 men. still the menace In the situation,
had 10 be settled here.
! on Wednesday morning the news of
| the arrest of Amaya and Tovar was
| brought to Colon by the inornin: train ar
| irving mt l0:i" O'Clock. The 4Jo men at once
| became FESTIVE, but at this moment Por-
! firio AIrlendo2:. then agent Of the Panama
| Junta and later Governor of Colon. APP
| pcarcd upon the seen" He approached
General Torres and tried to negotiate with
him for the quiet withdrawal OF tho troops
of his command. but his efforts were fu-
| tile.
1
| shortly before moon they threatened to
attack Colon and kill every American here
| unless Generals Amaya and Tovar were
| liberated by . o'clock that afternoon This
| at once put a serious aspect upon the
situation.
In the meantime other events were
transpirirg in Colon. The Captain of the
tartagena wanted fresh water for his
! boilers. and Wednesday morning he APP
/ preached the head of the firm in Colon
| which supplies this demand. The head of
| the firm told the Captain he certainly
could have water; but, as the Colombian
Government owed him then about 5000
J gold for water supplied upon previous oc-
| casions. he was sorry he could sell no
more water other than on cash basis.
, The Captain of the Cartasena had no
money. neither did the Colombian project
of Colon
NEWS ASTOJNDS
CAPTAIN OF GUNBOAT.
The Captain said the Governor of Pana-
ma. Senior Obaldia. would pay for the
| water. The head o: the firm looked the
| Captain squarely in the eyes and said:
But. Captain, there is no Governor of
| Panama"
The Captain. who had not yet heard the
news. was astoundcd.
What" he exclaimed. mo Governor of
| Panama."
NO. there has been successful revo-
luton and Governor Obaldia is pris-
oner."
The Captain spoke never word. but
turned and walked to his gunboat. which
N,.sa- ,nV ta
nected with the water tubes He cast of
and moved his ship short way out into
the harbor and anchored. Twenty min
utes later he got under way again and
unobtrusively steamed off in the drec-
ton of Savaniila. He did not return.
/! HOW AMERICAN MARINES
MASTERED A CRISIS.
| The news that the 40 Colombian SOL
fiicrs had threatened to attack Colon and
| kill all Americans was made known by
Senior Meiendez at about half past l2 on
| Wednesday.
the presence of Sap.I.n Hubbard was
| needed on shore. Fifteen minutes later lie
! landed al the small boat wharf. and the
| situation was explained TO i'm. His plans
were formed at once. No time wes to be
lost, for serious fighting could be expected
in an hour.
The landing force at CAPTAIN Hubbard :
command was .woe;,iliy small but nc did
| not hesitate to fac. a desperate chance.
| Forty men and two ,ne-rornder guns
from the Nashville. as big force as pcs;
| sibly could be spared, were landed and
sent TO the freightiouse of the Panama
Railroad This force was n command of
Lieutenant Commander Witzel.
All the entrances 10 the ::reighthouse
| We're fortified with bales of cotton and
| other available merchandise. One gun was
mounted TO command the approach at the
rear of the building, while the other was
| set up on a fiat oar at the main entrance
| in front to comm.,n that side. and in
| readiness to be ruE down TIE railroad
track AMI give rang. up the side streets
o'clock. or in a a ii.'ie more than an hour ui
| from the time Captain H''btard first came
| ashore.
Everything poss!ble had teen done to
bians and to protect American lives and
| property. Women al chHHrer were cent
! on board steamer; III the har'or. But the
| Colomhians did not carry out thcir threat.
| ing about the straets but the majority
of them stayed in t!,eir barracks.
It vas agreed between Captain Hubbard ,l',
| that each should withdraw his troops UNI
til morning: consequently the Americans
and, their two guns went back to the
| Nashville The Colombians should all have
retired to point about mile and half
| outside Colon: some of them did SO, but
! the majority remained lin their barracks
in Colon all night.
a few words describing the theater of
the events OF Wednesday and Thursday
are necessary. The place where small
boats and launches dock Mt Colon IL a
wooden landing about go feet long. run
ring parallel to the beach line. Here all
troops are disernbarked: There is an open
space shoreward from this landing, as big.
end of the landing the pier of the Royal
| Mail Steamship Company. a partly COW
cred wooden affair, runs out into the har-
Dor. At the eastern end Of the clearing
The English Steamship Company, is the
/ front CT the Panama Railroad freight
house. . wel-bult stone structure of two
stories. with n frontage of about 100 feet.
I Crossing the south. or land side. Of the
/ clearing are the main street Of Colon and
I the railroad tracks running out of the
! frsighthouae t" the west. parallel TO the
I beach line. The shore end of the Royal
| Mail pier joins the land thirty feet west
! of the seward corner Of the freighthouse.
and the tall picket gates to the pier form
a right angle with the facade Of this
! building, II Is only thirty steps from the
| center entrance Of the freghthouse to the
| gates of the pier.
| VALIANT FEW
AGAINST y HOST
Early Thursday the forty men and the
two guns from the Nashville again came
ashore and took up their positions of the
| day before. Major William Black and
|. Lieutenant Brooks of the United States
Eneine-: Corps had meanwhile come. in
| ror the C,Iiebra Cut and offered their
| services In the defense of Colon. and a
| score of Americans. residents of Colon,
| also had Joined the defenders. They were
armed with rifles from the Nashville.
| COLOMBIA BETRAYED
| FOR 500 In GOLD.
| Thursday morning was spent by Senior