Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-03
iEARLY lI:.1,l 100 MEN FROM MAR
q TlNiouE LEAP INTO
THE SEA.
FORCEIs FINALLY USED
Policemen Club RebeIIious Ones Into
obedlencesand Get Them All Ashore
and on For the Scene Of Their La.
bors on the New Waterway-Guns
and Bayonets Drawn.

80 80 'sSvs ~ q Wey >SN''S
and Bayonets Drawn.
Colon, Oct. 2.Nearly 700 laborars
nom Martinique, brought here on the
steamer Versailles Friday to work on.
the canal, refused to disembark or to
submit to vaccination, which is imper-
ltive under the American sanitary reg
nlations.
They clamored to be taken back to
Martinique, asserting that they had
been m1slnformed as to the conditions
before they embarked and that later
they learned these conditions were in
tolerable and deadly.
Saturday morning, however, 500 Of
them We're with difficulty persuaded to
land, and these were sent to points
along the line of the canal. One hun
dred and fifty remained on board and
declined to leave the ship under any
liberation.
These were forcihly elected from
the vessels Sunday afternoon by Pana-
mar. and canal zone policemen, but not
until nearly every one of them had
been dubbed and several were bleed.
Ing from their wounds.
All sof Saturday and Saturday night
the Versailles was guarded by Pana-
man policemen.
s. Early Sunday morning the French
consul AT Colon, il &. Bonhenry appealed
l,ln the nen gto listen to reason, explains
Ing That they inad sfeftt NJ rtinfdae a6fIss
der contract with the canal zone emf
grafton agent guaranteeing the pay
ment of their passage here, and that
In addition to their wages the guaran-
tee of free quarters and free medical
attendance. The men however, were
not amenable to this reasoning.
Bare Breasts and Cry for Death.
Notwithstanding the efforts of the
consul and of the Panaman and Ameri-
can officials, and despite the informa-
tion given them by several of their
4countrymen that health and other CON
Millions on the isthmus were satisfac-
tory and that the terms of their en-
ployment would enable them to save
money, they persistently refused to
leave the ship, barring their breasts
and invoking death in preference to
tgoing there.
The captain of the Versailles told
The men that he was ready to take
back to Martinique all those who were
able to pay their passage, but the men
argued that the French government
would be willing to reimburse the
steamship company, and that they
themselves were penniless
Before noon, at the instance of M,
Raven, the agent of the company, and
lFrench consul, a squad of twelve po-
lice went on board the vessel and told
the men that force would be used if
they persisted in their refusa! to dis
embark.
Guns and Bayonets Drawn.
Seeing that the police were armed
with bayonets and guns the men again
barred their breasts and said they pre-
ferred death rather Titan to be taken
ashore.
Governor Melendez, Mayor Aldron,
the chief of police, and others argued
with the men, but again without effect.
Ten additional policemen arrived at
athe wharf, but the governor, wishing
to avoid bloodshed, and considering
that the police force was sufficient,
telegraphed to President Amador, ask.
ing permission to use the canal zone
police, to which the president consent
II. Meantime twelve policemen from
4 the zone had arrived at the dock and
were being held in readiness.
Men Given Warming.
At 2 o'clock the laborers were in
formed that they should be given two
hours to reconsider their decision and
1T O'Clock three of them consented
to disembark, the others still holding
mt. Then the Panama police, armed
Iith clubs, approached the laborers
md on their refusing to quit the ship,
hegan to club them right and left.
The zone police few minutes later
assisted in the clubbing, but with bet
Ter judgment and less inliscriminate-
~.
Fifty Leap Into Sea.
About fifty Of the laborers leaped in
to the sea, but all of the men were able
to swim The captain, however, low
cred a boat, which picked them up
NEARLY every man had received blows
and several of them were bleeding
from ugly wounds.
Seeing that resistance was useless.
the men yielded, came ashore. and
began to eat the food which Lad been
placed on the dock in signt of them
for several hours. Many of them mad
not eaten for twenty -four ours. At 5
o'clock all the laborers, some in e. pit.
liable condition, were place on board
train which left for Corcz-l. where
tf,ex, will ho mt "a uyorly