The pretense that our men were fighting “with stones, clubs, and bright arms” is in view of these facts incredible.  It is further refuted by the fact that our prisoners when searched were absolutely without arms, only seven penknives being found in the possession of the men arrested, while there were received by our men more than thirty stab wounds, every one of which was inflicted in the back, and almost every contused wound was in the back or back of the head; The evidence of the ship’s officer of the day is that even the jackknives of the men were taken from them before leaving the ship.

As to the brutal nature of the treatment received by our men, the following extract from the account given of the affair by the La Patria newspaper, of Valparaiso, of October 17, can not be regarded as too friendly: 

The Yankees, as soon as their pursuers gave chase, went by way of the Calle del Arsenal toward the city car station.  In the presence of an ordinary number of citizens, among whom were some sailors, the North Americans took seats in the street car to escape from the stones which the Chileans threw at them.  It was believed for an instant that the North Americans had saved themselves from popular fury, but such was not the case.  Scarcely had the car begun to move when a crowd gathered around and stopped its progress.  Under these circumstances and without any cessation of the howling and throwing of stones at the North Americans, the conductor entered the car, and, seeing the risk of the situation to the vehicle, ordered them to get out.  At the instant the sailors left the car, in the midst of a hail of stones, the said conductor received a stone blow on the head.  One of the Yankee sailors managed to escape in the direction of the Plaza Wheelright, but the other was felled to the ground by a stone.  Managing to raise himself from the ground where he lay, he staggered in an opposite direction from the station.  In front of the house of Senor Mazzini he was again wounded, falling then senseless and breathless.

No amount of evasion or subterfuge is able to cloud our clear vision of this brutal work.  It should be noticed in this connection that the American sailors arrested, after an examination, were during the four days following the arrest every one discharged, no charge of any breach of the peace or other criminal conduct having been sustained against a single one of them.  The judge of crimes, Foster, in a note to the intendente under date of October 22, before the dispatch from this Government of the following day, which aroused the authorities of Chile to a better sense of the gravity of the affair, says: 

  Having presided temporarily over this court in regard to the seamen of
  the United States cruiser Baltimore, who have been tried on account
  of the deplorable conduct which took place, etc.