Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
THE COLOMBIAN TROOPS
ENCOUNTERED BY LIEUT.. PER
RILL NEAR THE TUMATES.
Narrative Of His Interview With Gen.
Ortiz-Strength Of the Lat
ter's Forces.

The following is an unofficial narrative OF
the interview of Lieut.. H. P. Perrill OF the
United States ship Atlanta, with the CO.
lombian troops at Conception de Tituman'
December Is, though the correctness of de-
tail Is vouched for by good authority:
At 9:15 on December Is Lieutenant Per-
rill was ordered to board schooner which
had been under observation and which was
at that time among rocks adjacent to the
Tumate Islands. At $50 he left the At
lanta. accompanied by Mr. Harold Martin,
Associated Press correspondent. who acted
as interpreter. Approaching the schooner.
it was seen that she carried Colombian
troops but no colors. Lieutenant PERTH
was invited on board by the commanding
officer and the schooner proved to be the
Antiouuia. in command of Gen. Rafael
Novo, a Venezuelan holding commission
in the Colombian army, who also command
ed the troops on board. He said that there
were twenty-four of the troops. but more
than that number were on deck, and
glimpse in the hold showed many more
Novo avoided all direct questions, constant
ly referring to the inquiries to Gen. Daniel
Ortiz, his superior, in command OF the
Colombian forces on shore, and he seemed
very anxious to have Lieutenant Perrill
call on that officer. General Novo promised
to accompany Lieutenant Perrill provided
lie would tow the schooner away from the
rocks and nearer the mainland, where by
hedging and polling he could get his vessel
where he wanted to go.
The Atlantas boat took the schooner In
tow, but was recalled to the ship after
proceeding some distance. About noon
Lieutenant Perrill left the Atlanta a sec
ond time and at 12:45 overlook the
schooner, which had worked along shore
mile or more to the southwark AS the
boat approached the schooner again and
rounded a high, rocky point, men could be
seen running along the beach. bugler
on the schooner and one on shore kept
sounding calls. and from what was evil
IDENTIFY a trail leading down to the beach
a number of men emerged. AS the boat
approached the schooner there was consid-
cradle cheering and shouts of "Viva Colom-
bia"
Interview With Gen. Ortiz.
Lieutenant Perrill took General Novo
from the schooner and landed and was pre-
sented to General Ortiz who reated him
courteously throughout the interview, and
neither in word nor deed was there any
overt act of unfriendliness on the part of
the Colombians. A line of sentres pa
trolled the beach while a second line was
established thirty yards inland. The vege-
tation was dense that little or nothing
inland could be discerned
AS soon as Lieutenant Perrill had landed
General Ortiz requested that in view of
the fact that the boat was in Colombian
waters the United States flag should be
taken down, or at least the Colombian flag
shown in the bow. To this Lieutenant Per-
rlll replied that he could not grant the re-
quest, first, because he had no Colombian
flag, and second that he was bound by the
laws of nations to carry the flag of his own
country in boat belonging to a man-of-
war. General Ortiz Immediately sent for a
colombian nag, but the incident was not
again brought up.
General Ortiz desired to offer a protest
against the presence of an American man
of-war in Colombian waters and on Lieut.
Perriirs suggestion agreed to make a pro-
test In writing to the commanding officer of
the Atlanta. table, chairs and writing
materials were brought down on the beach
which the officer of the Atlanta and Mr..
Martin did not leave during the time taken
ior the preparation of the letter, and upon
It's completion General Novo and Dr. A.
Sanchez O'Byrne accompanied Lieut. Perrill
on board the Atlanta.
During the stay on the beach and while
tne ENJOYS We're on board the Atlanta,
Lieut.. Perrill and Mr.. Martin whose SER
vices as an Interpreter are stated to have
been OF great value. were able to secure in
formation which is summarized as follows:
Force Of Two Thousand.
General Ortiz is next in rank to General
Reyes. and at the time was in command of
all Colombian forces operating in the Da-
rlen region. extending from Cartagena
south and west to the Pacific. He came over
from Cartagena December on the gun
boat Cartagena. His forces were distrib-
uted from Revesa Point to Cape Tiburon
and numbered at that time about 900 men
with an equal number of laborers These
numbers however, were being added to by
men brought from points on the ca st side of
the Gulf of Dar.en by means of small coast
ing vessels and Colombian gunboats.
OrtiZs headquarters were at Titumati a
small village situated about midway be-
tween Tumate and Tarena Islands At this
camp he had a force of 400 or 500 men in
Guiding the battalion of Tradores and one
other battalion or parts of them well armed
and supplied with ammunition Inc of
sentries patrolled the beach from Tarena
Point north almost to Tumate Island and
there were three field pieces located at adj
Vantageous points. There was an accumu-
latlon OF supplies such as rice flour lard
clothing and live stock. Oxen were used
for Transporting ammunition
Throughout Lieut.. Perrill's interview wi; n
General Ortiz every effort was made TO
treat the Colombian commander and his
subordinates with all possible courtesy. es.
pecially in following the forms of etiquette
10 which they are accustomed, in order to
make the personal relations as pleasant as
possible, and the effect was seen in the
marked cordially with which the interview
closed on the part of the Colombian general
and his staff. and the favorable impression
made on the I olombians with whom the
officers Of the United States came in con-
tact