. . . . . . .
I attach hereto a copy and translation of the Note from the Foreign
Office, for your information.
[Enclosure—Translation20]
The Honduran Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs (López Ponce) to the
American Minister (Jones)
Tegucigalpa, February 26, 1919.
In the courteous note of January 17th last, Your Excellency is
pleased to state, with reference to your communication of December
11th, last, relative to the insult to the flag of your country, and
to the reply in which I informed Your Excellency that my Government
would take the necessary steps for the investigation of the case and
the punishment of the guilty persons, that your Government has given
you instructions to request that this unpleasant incident be
closed.
Your Excellency is pleased to add according to what you have stated
to me, personally, in our several conversations on this subject,
that an expression of regret on the part of my Government, together
with the customary apologies, would seem to be proper in the
premises, and again you insist on such procedure with the conviction
that this will bring about an early and friendly solution of the
question.
I have to inform you that due to the severe epidemic which has
existed, for some time, in the city of Juticalpa and in the towns of
the Department of Olancho, to the end of causing delays in the
public service and delays in the means of communication, it has not
been possible for me to know the result of the investigation made by
the authorities of the capital of that department, until the first
of the present month, for the settlement of the incident alluded to,
which is the reason why I had not replied before to-day to Your
Excellency’s note of the 17th of January, last, above referred
to.
From the investigations ordered relating to that incident there does
not appear to have existed any intention to cause injury to the flag
of the United States; it resulted only from a wrongful act, in a
state of drunkenness, for which the individuals Miguel Ordonez,
Rafael Hernandez and Manuel Sanchez deserved punishment, the last
two named having quarreled; and it is evident from the same
investigations that the said individuals were imprisoned, thereby
suffering the punishment which they merit for such infractions
according to the law of the country.
Notwithstanding these deductions, Excellent Sir, my Government
regrets the incident referred to; and appreciates greatly that Your
Excellency’s Government wishes to close this matter, assured as
[Page 400]
it will be of the
sincerity with which the Government of Honduras always endeavors to
maintain the most cordial relations with the United States of
America.
I avail myself [etc.]
