The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-02-20
SURVIVORS DEN0UHCE
OFFICIALS OF JAMAICA
Declare aRonds of Blood and.
Language a Mockery.'
lNHUMANITY OF SWETTENHAM

hIucrlCauS hUOpt IleSoiuliouo VI JUL
demnation at Their Treatment
Injured Driven From Vessel to
Make Room For English.
New York City.-Charging the
British of Kingston, Jamaica, with
gross incivility and inhumanity dur
ing the reign of terror following the
earthquake and conflagration in the
stricken city, 112 Americans, mostly
tourists. came into port on the steam
ship Prinz Eitel Friedrich.
The ship with the refugees on
board, about forty women, sixty men
and a dozen children, left Kingston
before the break between Governor
Swettenham and Rear-Admiral Davis.
But none of the refugees a sur
prised by the news Of the sudden de-
parture of the American warships
due to the behavior of the British
colonial Governor.
, It was not the story of the earth
quake itself that the Americans were
bursting to tell as soon as the ship
reached Quarantine, but it was the
story of the action of the British Of
fcials of the island and Of the treat
ment melted out to them as Ameri-
ans. This treatment caused them to
draw up resolutions declaring the
much talked of. bonds of blood and
language when tested to be a mock
cry and a diplomatic phantom"
These resolutions were drawn up
at a meeting of the passengers on the
ship. The meeting was presided over
by Percival Gable, a hotel man of
Norristown, Pa. The refugees con-
demned thoroughly and comprehen-
siyely not only Sir Alexander SWEET
tenlam, Governor of Jamaica, but
also Sir Alfred Jones, Managing Dr.
rector of the Imperial West Indian
Steamship Company, and Captain
Parsons of the steamship Port Kings
ton of that line. OF the two latter
many of the refugees had difficulty in
speaking without an explosion. In
explanation they cited these facts:
From the morning after the earth
quake until the PrinZ Eitel mercifully
brought them away, eighty men, forty
women and some twelve children
were herded together on the open
pier Of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Line,
without food, without water even,
in want and agony. hooking only
across to the next slip thSY could see
the Port Kingston, and on.this ship
Sir Alfred Jones and Captain Parsons
were entertaining with every comfort
such of their British friends asNwere
disposed to share their hospitality.
The Americans sent to the ship a
modest request for food and water
They asked that Sir Alfred and his
Captain allow the women and chill
dren to sleep at night on the bare
decks of the Port Kingston. The
Englishmen denied these requests.
In some cases 1t was solemnly as
serted that the wounded and dying,
of American and other nationalities.
were elected from their places Of
shelter and left exposed in the open
air without medical assistance, in
order that Enlishwomen and men
who were unhurt, might be more
comfortably quartered.
These statements as to the British
reply to the request are not the sum-
ming up of loose talk. They come
from Father O'Donovan, the brave
priest who was the courage and the
consolation Of the whole company
during those two days of need, and
from his companions on the commit
tee which went seeking succor where
none was to be obtained.
From this same little American re-
lief committee comes also the infor-
nation that the Intervention Of the
American sailors, if such 1t may be
called, was not unsolicited, as might
have been supposed from the letter of
Governor SWettenham and from other
earlier data, but was the response to
a request of the Jamaican Colonial
Secretary, Mr.. Anderson, who was
consulted by a representative of Adj
miral Davis on the arrival of the
American fleet.
Nor is this all. It appears from
the statements of the priest, who is
the Rev. John O'Donovan, of Boston,
and of August W. Caldwell, of this
city, that the American sailors were
definitely assigned to relief and police
WOrk, anu Cnat tneSe assignments re-
ceived the assent of Governor SWEET
tenham until the latter began sending
to Admiral Davis a remarkable series
of contradictory messages, which
ended in the request for a withdrawal
Of the American landing parties.
More than this. On Wednesday,
when the need was most acute, some
of the Americans went foraging for
food. They returned to report that
one of the most interesting sights
they had seen was Governor Swetten-
ham riding around in his state coach
and pair, attended by red-and-gold
liveried servants, rointing out the
interesting sights" of the earth
quake to a party Of ladies.
Early dispatches as to the number
Of dead are found to be correct. That
one thousand persisted is the estimate
made, and it is practically official.
The property loss is estimated at
$30,000,000, with about one-ffth in
sured.