No. 59.
Mr. Hall to Mr.
Bayard.
Legation of
the United States in Central America,
Guatemala, March 25, 1885.
(Received April 18.)
No. 325.]Sir: I respectfully invite your attention to the
accompanying copy of a letter from Mr. T. S. Leverich, special agent of the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and of one addressed to President Barrios by
Mr. Batres, minister from Guatemala to the United States.
These letters report an attempt on the part of the Salvadorian authorities at
La Libertad to force the captain of the Pacific Mail steamer Granada to give
up certain of his passengers, Señor Batres among them.
It would appear that it having become known that a boat and a certain sum of
money, to be used for political purposes in Honduras, were on board the
Granada and bound for Amapala, the comandante endeavored to compel Captain
Connolly not only to give up the boat and crew of five men, but also the
Guatemalan minister to Washington, Señor Antonio Batres, or to pledge
himself not to touch at Amapala, threatening him and refusing to give him
his clearance unless he should comply. This the captain declined to do, and
threatened to use his revolver.
In face of this determined attitude a compromise was made, and the captain
agreed to communicate with Captain Dow, the agent at Panama, on which
promise he was allowed to proceed. At the same time President Zaldivar
telegraphed me requesting that the captain be instructed to return the men
to San José de Guatemala, in order to avoid an act of hostility being
committed against his Government. I did not consider it necessary, however,
to comply with this request.
The Government of Salvador, I would add, makes continual use of these
steamers for the transport of munitions of war; and the Honduras
[Page 89]
lately brought from Corinto 33 boxes
of arms and 130 cases of cartridges consigned to Dr. Zaldivar at La
Libertad.
The other Republics also do not hesitate to avail themselves of them, and the
same steamer Honduras carried from Punta Arenas (Costa Rica) to Corinto 57
boxes of arms and accouterments consigned to the Nicaraguan Government.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 325.]
Mr. Leverich to Mr.
Hall.
Guatemala, March 20,
1885.
Dear Sir: Referring to our conversation of this
evening, I would state that Captain Connolly informed me at La Libertad
that on his return to Acajutla from America, Mr. Noltenius, this
company’s agent there, refused to give him his clearance unless he would
agree to proceed direct from La Libertad to Punta Arenas and not deviate
from his voyage by going to Amapala, and requested him to sign a
document to that effect to satisfy the comandante of the port. This
Captain Connolly positively refused to do, when Mr. Noltenius told him
the comandante with six soldiers was outside the door and that he could
not go on board his ship. The captain braced himself against the wall,
and said he had a six-shooter with him and that he was a dead-sure shot;
that he would shoot him (Noltenius) first, the comandante next and then
four soldiers, and by that time the others would have run; besides he
had plenty more cartridges with him. This argument had the effect of
cooling Mr. Noltenius’ ardor, and the captain finally consented to
communicate with Captain Dow, Panama, by cable, from La Libertad, on
which promise the agent gave him his clearance.
This is the sum and substance of the affair as related to me by Captain
Connolly.
I am, &c.,
T. S. LEVERICH,
Special Agent Pacific
Mail Steamship Company.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
325.—Translation.]
Señor Batres to
President Barrios.
On
Board Steamship Granada,
March 16, 1885.
Sir: Last night the captain of the steamer
called me to inform me that the sending of the money to Amapala was well
known in Salvador, and that the comandante of the port of La Libertad,
where we are now, had exacted the giving up of the boat, of its crew,
and of Ubico and myself as revolutionists, to which said captain
refused. Then they wished to make him sign a document in which he
promised on his word of honor not to carry out the agreement made with
Don Delpino, because it violated the laws of neutrality, which document
he also refused to sign. Then the agent of the company threatened to
keep him prisoner, and that permission to continue his voyage would not
be given him, to which the captain replied that he would kill six men
with his revolver before such a thing should take place. The said
captain showed himself very much angered, and has just received a long
protest from Don Pedro Melendez, whom he disembarked yesterday at
Acajutla.
In this protest they tell him that he himself confessed having made the
agreement with Minister Sanchez for $1,000. I told the captain that as
yet there had been no declaration of war on which grounds it could be
protested that neutrality must be maintained, and I used many other
arguments. They returned to request that we be given up and the captain
telegraphed to Captain Dow and to New York.
I think there will be no further news, but it might well happen that,
owing to circumstances, Ubico could not disembark in Amapala.
Among many lies which are circulated in the port and through Salvador,
they say that the Government of the United States has sent a vessel of
war to San José de Guatemala, and that Amapala is occupied by the
Nicaraguan troops.
Not having further news, I am, &c.,
[Page 90]
[Inclosure 3 in No.
325.—Translation.]
President Zaldivar
to Mr. Hall.
San
Salvador, March 16,
1885.
Minister Hall: The steamer Granada has on board
a boat, five sailors, and hostile elements for disembarkation at
Amapala. The captain allows that he agreed to change his regular route
on this account for $1,000, which Minister Delfirio Sanchez offered him.
I beg you to give orders that he transship them and their boat and
elements, in order that they return to San José de Guatemala, thus
avoiding that this act of hostility be committed against this
Government, without detriment to the protest which this Government will
make.
Yours, &c.,
