The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-18
COLOMBIAN TROOPS
RECEIVED AMERICANS WITH AN
ILL GRACE.
ASKED THEM TO WITHDRAW.
CRUISER ATLANTA FROM CoLoM-
BIAN WATERS,

About 500 COlOmbians Were Found
in Camp by the AtIanta-Iieut.
PerriH Went Ashore and Com
1erred With the Commanding Gem
erHl-Ohicers of the COIOmbians
Declared They Would Fight III
the Mission of Reyes Should Fail.
Colon, Dec. 1.-THE United States
cruiser Atlanta, Commander William
! II. Turner, returned here last night
| from the Gulf of Darien. She dis
covered, Dec. 10, a detachment of CO.
lombian troops, numbering usually
about 500 men, but, according to their
statements, totalling 1900 or 1000 men,
at Titumati, on the western side of the
gulf, just north of the mouth of the
Atrato river.
The commander of the Atlanta sent
| ashore an officer, who conversed with
the Colombian commander. The latter
protested energetically against the
presence of American warships in Co.
| lombian waters, insomuch as war be-
| tween Colombia and the United States
| had not been declared, and politely
requested the Atlanta to leave the
gulf, because it belonged to Colombia.
Commander Turner ignored the re-
| quest.
The Colombians are clearly busy
with protective and strengthening
measures. Although they treated the
Americans courteously, they decidedly
resented the presence of the Atlanta's
landing party. The Colombian force
was composed partly of the men land
ed recently at the Atrato river by the
Colombian cruisers Cartagena and
General Pinzon.
In Camp of COIOmbians.
Early in the morning of Dec. Is the
Atlanta sighted a small schooner in
the center of the Gulf of Darien and
followed her to the western shore,
where the schooner attempted to hide
behind an islet. Lieut.. Harlan P. Per-
rill of the Atlanta was ordered to
board her, and thereupon whaleboat
vas lowered and pulled towards the
schooner Through the courtesy of the
naval officers the correspondent of the
Associated Press accompanied the
party.
1t was found that the schooner had
on board 100 armed Colombian SOL
diers, commanded by Gen. Rafael
Novo, who said Gen. Daniel Ortiz,
commander-in-chief of the Colombian
forces of the Atlantic and Pacific, had
a large camp a mile away, on the
mainland. Gen. Novo requested Lieut..
Perrill to land and confer with Gen.
Ortiz.
After temporarily returning to the
Atlanta, Lieut.. Perrill went back to
the schooner, which in the meantime
had taken up a position off a beach
within a small bay. Great excitement
prevailed among the Colombians on
the whaleboats approach. There were
repeated cries of Viva Colombiai"
and there was a sudden concentration
of about $50 Colombian soldiers on the
beach. For some moments the sit
uation appeared dangerous, and had
the appearance of an ambuscade.
Gen. Ortiz appeared on the beach,
when Lieut. Perrill went ashore, the
whaleboat in the meanwhile lying
close by. Gen. Ortiz insisted that
Lieut. Perrill should fly the Colombian
flag at the bow of the whaleboat, or
lower the American flag at her stern,
! because she was in Colombian waters.
/ Lieut. Perrin replied that he did not
have Colombian flag and refused to
| lower the Stars and Stripes.
Gen. Ortiz did not insist upon his so
doing, but he protested in writing
against the presence of the Americans
! in Colombian waters. Lieut.. Perrill
accepted the protest and conveyed it
! to Commander Turner, who handed it
to Rear Admiral Coghlan on his ar
rival here.
To Fight to the End.
During the conference with the Co.
lombians ashore, Lieut.. Perrill was
surrounded by Gen. Ortiz's staff, while
inland, a few PAGES, there was a
semi of armed sentinels. The
beach in both directions was also lined
with sentinels.
Gen. Ortiz did not permit Lieut..
Perrill to leave the point of the beach
where he landed. While Perrill was
awaiting the Colombian protests, First
Lieutenant Edward B. Manwaring,
commanding the marine guard of the
Atlanta, rowed up in a cutter for the
purpose of communicating with Liuet.
Perrill and to gain certain military in
formation. Lieut.. Manwaring went
ashore and the cutter Joined the whale
boat off the beach.
The Colombian camp appeared to be
permanent, was well provisioned, and
probably destined to be used as a
base of operations.
Gen. Ortiz and others freely express
the determination of Colombia to fight
to the bitter end in case Gen. Reyes
visit to Washington is not successful
and Panama is not returned to Colom-