The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-29
.COLOMbIANS WILL SHAKE
DUST OFF THEIR SHOES
Packing Legation Records and
Getting Ready to Return to
Their Bellicose Republic.
NO REPLY YET FROM HAY
But Both Reyes and Herran Are
Convinced the Answer Will
Not Be Favorable.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2S.-Although Sec
rotary Hay has not yet replied to the note
of General Reyes, preparations are rapidly
going on for the closing of the Colombian
legation here and the departure of Colon
bias representatives for home. 1t is clear
that they do not entertain very much hope
of a satisfactory response by this govern
ment Already most of the legation files
have been packed and arrangements COM
pleted for placing them in storage here.
General Reyes for several days has denied
himself to callers. 1t is believed that while
the reply of Mr.. Hay has not been made,
sufficient information has been obtained by
the Colombian representatives in the inter-
views they have had with the secretary TO
enable them to enforce this conclusion. The
preparations going on for closing up the
affairs of the legation would seem to indi-
cate that General Reyes and DR.. Herran
are awaiting only as a matter of form and
diplomatic courtesy the official communi-
cation of Mr.. Hay, setting forth the rea-
sons why this government cannot accept
their view of the Panama situation, before
severing diplomatic relations with the
United States.
The fleets of warships on both sides of
enforced by several vessels now on their
way to that quarter. The gunboat Topeka,
of the Atlantic training squadron, left Key
West yesterday for Colon by way of Kings
ton as convoy of the torpedo boat destroy
ers TruxtOn and Stewart, which have been
assigned to patrol duty on the Caribbean
coast of the isthmus. The gunboat Castine
arrived at Colon yesterday from Philadel-
nor d
ing on a bar in the Delaware river. The
big collier Caesar has left Culebra for
Colon with coal for the fleet. The con-
verted cruiser Dixie left League island to-
day for Colon with the Panama marine
brigade, numbering about 600 men, In COM
mand OF Brigadier General Elliot, and five
months living and fighting supplies for
1000 men.
Naval movements in the direction of the
lsthmus have been almost equally active on
the Pacific coast The gunboat Petrol
bound for Panama arrived at Acapulco
Mex, on the 18th inst, and undoubtedly has
left there by this time. The flagship New
YORK, the gunboat Bennington the torpedo
boat destroyers Preble and Paul Jones and
the collier Saturn have been fitted out at
San Francisco for service in the vicinity Of
Panama, and it is expected that all of the
fleet will start south in day or two.
1t was stated at the Navy Department to-
day that the arrival of the marines from the
Prairie from YaviZa to Obispo, a point on
the Panama railroad, as told in press dis
patches from Colon, is but a movement di-
rected by Admiral Glass in the execution of
a general policy and directed from
Washington. 1t is stated that the move is
without significance as suggesting any
change of policy here. Two dispatches re-
ceived from the isthmus advise that party
of twenty marines has been retained at
YaviZa for purposes OF observation.
The statement of NJ. Bunau-Varilla the
Panama minister, that his government is
willing to assume q portion of the Colom-
bian debt has been received at the British
embassy and transmitted by cable to the
London government for it's consideration.