The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-25
HOW NEW BORN REPUBLIC
WAS SAVED BY FIRMNESS
AND TACT OF AMERICANS
Panamaians Owe Much to the
Shrewdness and Diplomacy of
the Willy Colonel Shaler.
INCIDENTS AT COLON
Small Army of Colombians Held
in Check by Goodness and Quick
WittedneSs of Americans.
LANDING OF MARINES
Protection of Property and Final
Abandonment of the Isthmus
to the Secessionists.

PANAMA. r. P. Dec 14.-All the neces-
sary formalities for the establishment of a
republic. when the prime consideration was
the securing of the commercial advantages
TO be derived from the ship canal. having
been completed at Panama on Wednesday.
the scene Of action was suddenly shifted to
Colon. where the leading officials of the
Panama Railroad were keeping a close
watch upon events. On the morning of the
Sd Of November CTuesday), when the gun
boat Cartagena appeared at Colon, these
officials sent a mandatory order by tele-
graph to Capt John r. Beers, the COM
pany's representative closest to the Pana-
maians. directing that under no circum-
stances should the scheme to win independ-
ence be abandoned or allowed to miscarry
because of the arrival of a force OF Colom-
bian soldiers. This order was obeyed, and
Captain Beers and Superintendent Prescott
welded an influence in enforcing the orig
fnal clique OF conspirators to proceed with
the execution of their project.
OF what happened in Panama that day.
when Governor Opaldia and Generals Tovar
and Amaya were arrested and the independ-
ence Of the republic proclaimed, Colon was
kept in entire ignorance. All OF these hap
penfngs were delayed in the execution until
after the departure OF the last train from
Panama to Colon on that day, so that per-
sons arriving at Colon on Tuesday evening
had nothing of Importance to report. The
only other medium OF communication across
the isthmus is by the telephone and tele-
graph lines controlled by the Panama Rail-
road. The officials of this corporation exer-
cised a close censorship over all messages
passing back and forth. and 1t is a fact
which cannot be disputed that while the in
dependence of Panama was practically pro-
Claimed on the evening of the Sd of Novem-
Der. the people of Colon. only forty-seven
had taken place until the arrival of the first
train from Panama at IL o'clock on the
morning of the 4th of November
COLON PREPARED FOR SHOCK
When that train arrived. bringing pas
sengers from Panama with more OF less
exaggerated reports OF the occurrences In
the metropolis OF the fsthnus' The day-be-'
fore, Colon prepared at once for the shock
she had reason to expect because of the
presence OF 45o Colombian soldiers within
her limits. The train from Panama brought
an order from the governing junta dismiss
Ing General Cuadros from the Office of Gov
ernor OF Colon and appointing Senor Mol
lendes, mulatto of some ability to sue
ceed him. This was in accordance with
scheme arranged on the I'd of the
month. when MolIendes was called to Pan
ama oy telegraph to meet the conspirators,
at which meeting IL was arranged that he
should be appointed Governor OF this prov
ince. and he was directed to stand ready to
assume the office the moment the order for
his appointment should be communicated
TO him.
Mollendes needed no great amount of en-
coura cement. and when the train arrived
OF the 4th, he Immediately announced
himself Governor of the province by an
pointment of the junta and took charge of
the local government. This had hardly been
done when Colon was thrown into state
OF great excitement by the general circula-
ton of the news that Generals Tovar and
Amaya had been arrested. and were even
then In prison In Panama. The $50 Colom-
bian soldiers were quartered in the Colon
barracks. a large building formerly used
by the railroad as a passenger station, and
these soldiers at once assumed a threaten
ing attitude. Colonel Torres who was left
In command when Tovar and Amaya went
TO Panama, was most obdurate, insisting
that what had been done should be undone
and the mischief repaired and promising
to visit upon all concerned the direst penal
ties The situation looked black for the
American and other foreign element in Co.
lon, for the number of men who could be
mustered to oppose any attempt by the
Colombfans 10 work vengeance upon the
town was so small as to be almost insig-
TALON, which was well-armed and equipped
The United States gunboat Nashville,
with her jackies aboard was swinging at
anchor In the harbor; but the one thing for
which the secessionists and their American
allies on the isthmus were most DESTROYS
actual american interyention.had not been
accomplished. Captain Hubbard, OF the
Nashville. had. IL Is true issued on the
evening OF the Sd an order to the Panama
Railroad forbidding 1t to transport armed
men In either direction across the isthmus.
but no American force had been landed 1t
was at this Juncture that Governor Mol
lendes executed little coup of his own. to
which American Intervention is directly
traceable- Mollendes invited Colonel Torres
the Colombian commander to meet him i'm
conference at the Hotel Washington, an
other isthmian institution which is con-
trolled by the Panama Railroad. Employing
all his persuasive abilities, Mollendes urged
Colone! Torres 10 re-embark his troops and
sail away, leaving the isthmus to pursue it's
own course. This line of argument only in
creased Torres's bitterness. He became
more defiant. even bombastic. and at half
past ~ made a vehement threat that il
Generals Tovar and Amaya were not given
their liberty by o'clock he would turn his
battalion loose and slaughter every Amer
lean In Colon Nothing could have suited
Mollendes and the other secessionists better
than this threat. Mollendes waited only a
minute after hearing Torres's avowal De-
from the conference room i'm the Hotel
Washington. and. running all the way COW
cred the 800 yards 10 the general offices OF
the Panama Railroad I'm remarkably fast
time.
EXCUSE FOR INTERVENTION
There he communicated TO General Super
intendent Shaler the nature of Torres's
threat. and in a moment more a signal was
going from the small tower on top of the
railroads general Office. by wigwag TO the
Nashville TO the effect that the life and
property of all Americans in the city were
endangered The Iong-desired excuse for
American Intervention had at last been dis
covered by the secessionists. and before
Torres could have communicated with his
force jackies were going over the Nash
vflles sides. constituting landing party,
small In numbers. but matchless for grit
and ability 20 shoot. There were forty
men in this party. uEder command of Lieu
tenant Commander Witzel. executive officer
OF the Nashville. and they came up TO the
railroad wharf with the long swinging oar
pull common among man-of-war's men,
They landed with a rush and double
quicked 20 the freight shed OF the Panama
Railroad.
This building-a heavy stone structure
was admirably fitted for purposes OF de-
fense- 1t faces directly down the street
along which the Colombian troops would
have 10 come TO attack the Americans In
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