Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.
Santiago, October 31, 1891.
Mr. Egan received last night from the minister for foreign affairs a note with the report of the intendente of Valparaiso in regard to the assault upon the sailors of the Baltimore inclosed. Like the minister’s other note, this note expresses no regret for the occurrence. It states that the result of the investigation now in progress will be communicated to Mr. Egan, and that the real culprits, if discovered, will receive due punishment.
The report of the intendente of Valparaiso says it is entirely impossible that the police of that city could have committed the cruel and brutal excesses which the United States minister imputes to them and that a mob of 2,000 collected; that the fight, in which all, especially the Americans, fought with stones, clubs, and bright weapons, was general, and that [Page 211] the only part taken in it by the police and military guard was their endeavor to quell the disturbance and arrest the participators. The intendente professes ignorance of the origin of the fight, but thinks it commenced between drunken sailors. Neither does he know who shot Riggin. He believes the authorities did all they could under the circumstances.