Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.
Santiago, December 22, 1891. (Received January 22, 1892.)
Sir: For the past week this and the Spanish legation have been surrounded by policemen and sometimes by soldiers in uniform and by a number of spies of the peon or half-breed class, whose attitude has [Page 274] been most offensive. There has been most of the time a group of from four to six of those persons stationed ostentatiously at the corner of the block, less than 50 feet from the legation, while others walk up and down and scrutinize all who enter or go out. At the Spanish legation some of these spies are to be found, sitting on the very doorstep, and several persons have been arrested on going out from there.
In telegram of 17th instant I informed you of this condition of things. I also informed you of the unscrupulously offensive tone of the press, which invents and circulates every kind of calumny against the officers of the U. S. Navy and against this legation.
From Talcahuano, as well as from what I believe to be trustworthy sources here, I learn of a contemplated attempt to burn the legation or an adjoining house in order to force out the refugees, but of such attempts I have no fears, as I am taking every possible precaution.
In the same telegram I informed you that the English minister had written his Government in commendatory terms regarding the position which I have maintained here. This I had direct from himself, and he told me at the same time that he had written his Government, strongly dissenting from certain statements sent to the London Times by a correspondent named Thomson, whom they have sent here, and who has been doing everything possible to antagonize the United States interests in this country.
On the 19th instant I informed you by telegram that my son, who is an employé of the legation, had been seized by the arm and detained by a police spy on going out of the legation, and when he insisted on proceeding, the spy called to his aid two policemen in uniform, but on one of these recognizing my son he was allowed to proceed. On the night of the same day, at about 10 o’clock, a number of those spies and police became intoxicated and in front of and close to the legation made such a disturbance that a police officer and a number of men were obliged to come to restore order.
The situation had become so vexatious that I wrote a note to Señor Don José E. Uriburu, the Argentine minister, who is dean of the diplomatic corps, and requested him to come to the legation and see for himself the manner in which the authorities were acting. I inclose a translation of my note, of which fact I informed you by telegram of yesterday. I also informed you of the arrest, on leaving this legation, of two gentlemen who had called to visit some of the refugees, and that after being conducted to the police barracks they were liberated, there being no grounds for detaining them.
To-day Señor Uriburu called to say that on yesterday he had an interview with the minister of foreign relations, whose attention he called to the unprecedented state of things around this legation, and that the minister promised he would withdraw the spies, leaving only the policemen in uniform. Although the minister has not fully complied with his promise, the annoyance to-day is somewhat abated, and of this fact I informed you by telegraph.
There is a change in the Spanish legation, Señor Ordoñez, the late minister, having left on 15th instant, and the new minister has not yet arrived. But for this I believe there would be a vigorous protest against the state of siege in which that legation is placed.
I have, etc.,