Watermelon slice incident
The incident of the watermelon slice was a civil revolt that occurred on April 15, 1856 in Panama City between local civilians and United States civilians, becoming one of the antecedents for the first intervention American on the Isthmus of Panama, which at that time corresponded to the Federal State of Panama and was part of the Republic of New Granada.
The event occurred in the vicinity of the transisthmian railway station, in the neighborhood of La Ciénaga (in the current Chinatown, next to the Seafood Market).
Background
In 1846, through the Mallarino-Bidlack treaty, the United States secured the right of transit through the Isthmus of Panama, a less costly and time-consuming alternative to cross from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The other possibility was to sail to South America and cross the Strait of Magellan. In 1848 gold was discovered in California (United States), an issue that caused a great US expansion to the west, the interoceanic passage of the Panamanian isthmus being vital.
By 1850, the United States was building the Trans-Isthmian Railroad, which led to a large influx of US citizens into the area, both workers and transients, who indeed displayed extremely arrogant, violent, and aggressive behavior against the local population.
The Mallarino-Bidlack treaty, in its article 35, granted preferential treatment to US citizens, with respect to natives and other foreigners residing in the area, who did not view the treaty or this particular article with sympathy, which it sparked strong anti-American sentiment. In addition to this, Americans used to treat Hispanics and Europeans with contempt, with the exception of the British. This situation, accompanied by the custom of Americans to get heavily drunk, caused constant friction between people.
According to the first paragraph of article 35 of the Mallarino-Bidlack treaty, it established that:
Citizens, ships, goods of the United States will enjoy in the ports of New Granada, including those of the isthmus of Panama, of all franchises, privileges and immunities in the trade and navigation that are now enjoyed by Neo-Great citizens.Paragraph 1, Article XXXV, Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty
Another event that provoked more anger was the establishment, by Cornelius K. Garrison, of a service to transport goods and passengers across the isthmus, in open competition with the old native rowers and porters.
In 1854, in a note addressed to the governor of Panama (at that time a province of the Republic of New Granada), José María Urrutia Añino, José de Obaldía informed him of his concern, shared by the American charge d'affaires James Green, because "in the province of Panama the disagreements between New Granadans and Anglo-Americans continue, coming from the collection that is made to the latter of the so-called passenger right", suggesting measures to be taken in order to "prevent any misfortune there". He also warned that the opening of the trans-isthmian railway would mean the abandonment of the old land water transport with the consequent loss of jobs for the locals.
All these events brought as a consequence that the isthmians began to resent the Americans who swarmed across the isthmus on a round trip to California through the Trans-Isthmian Railroad. While most emigrants behaved with some respect, the notable excesses of an irresponsible minority kept the isthmus in turmoil during the early years of the gold rush. A large part of the travelers carried firearms and problems between drunks were frequent. The violence and bloody incidents of these riots intensified the difference that already existed between Colombians and Americans.
The Incident
On April 15, 1856, the American Jack Oliver disembarked from a ship from California who, as one more passenger, went to the street of La Ciénaga, to a fruit stand managed by José Manuel Luna, a native of Parita. Oliver was with some colleagues in a drunken state when he took a slice of watermelon that was for sale, ate it and left without having paid for it. José demanded payment of the cut, which was one real (five hundredths), but Oliver insulted and threatened him, taking out the pistol he was carrying. The fruit vendor responded by pulling out a dagger, and they were about to go into a fight when one of Oliver's classmates decided to pay for the slice of watermelon, calming Luna down.
However, the situation did not end when a Peruvian named Miguel Abraham surprised Oliver taking his gun and fled the scene. Both Oliver and his companions went looking for the Peruvian at gunpoint, starting the shootout. City residents, seeing the pursuit, armed themselves with machetes and fired back, sparking a pitched battle between locals and Americans. The Americans, outnumbered, sought refuge in the railway station, which was located a few meters from the market.
Just as the revolt began, a train was arriving from Colón with 940 passengers, including American men, women and children who were due to embark that same day for California. They all sought refuge in the railway station.
The police arrived late, an hour and a half after the shooting began, with the presence of the interim governor of the Federal State, Francisco de Fábrega. During the scuffle, Fábrega received a bullet in the top of his hat and one of his companions was injured. Since it was night, the head of state deduced that the shots came from the station, so he ordered the police to occupy it.
The Americans, unaware of the situation, began shooting at the city police and they fired back. The Americans continued to resist with some 50 or 60 revolvers and carbines, but the police and the Panamanian residents managed to enter the station where the fighting continued. The balance was 16 dead and 15 wounded Americans and 2 dead and 13 wounded among the locals. Merchandise inside the station was destroyed and looted by the riot.
The reports of the governments of the United States and New Granada were contradictory since both accused each other, however, the United States categorically denied the official testimonies of the consuls in Panama of the United Kingdom, France, and Ecuador, who accused the Americans as aggressors and said that the local police were innocent of the charges brought against them by the US government for having sided with the Isthmians.
According to the official report of Amos B. Corwine, special commissioner appointed by the United States Government, dated July 18, 1856, he said that the "colored" (black) population took the dispute as a pretext to assault Americans, and looting their property, that the police and mob had planned the assault on the railroad station, and concluded that the Government of New Granada was incapable of maintaining order and providing adequate protection for transit and it recommended immediate occupation of the isthmus unless New Granada convinced them of their competence and inclination to provide adequate protection and prompt compensation.
Consequences
On July 18, 1856, US Commissioner Amos Corwine recommended in his report "the immediate occupation of the isthmus from ocean to ocean by the United States unless New Granada convinces us of its competence and inclination to provide adequate protection." and prompt compensation. This gave rise to a series of diplomatic controversies. Obviously, the US authorities heeded this report and in September 1856 US troops landed on the isthmus and took over the railway station.
On September 19, 1856, a detachment of 160 soldiers landed and took possession of the railway station. The city remained calm and three days later the troops withdrew without firing a single shot. This brief occupation, the first case of armed intervention on the isthmus, was justified according to the US Government by the clause of the 1846 treaty, through which the United States guaranteed the neutrality of the isthmus, so that transit would not be interrupted or stopped. would get in the way Although this invasion has always been linked to the incident of the Watermelon Slice, the truth is that it was carried out at the request of Francisco de Fábrega, lieutenant governor of the Isthmus, to avoid an armed conflict between members of the Conservative and Liberal parties. These accused the former of fraud in the elections of June 29 of that year, and fearing a liberal revolt in the suburbs that would repeat the events of April, the lieutenant governor Fábrega decided to request intervention to calm things down and thus declare a conservative victory. Therefore, the Watermelon Slice incident can be considered an antecedent, but not a direct cause, of the US invasion of September 1856.
The United States government made the following proposals:
- That the cities of Panama and Columbus should be free cities and be governed by themselves under the sovereignty of New Grenada, and together control a strip of twenty miles wide from ocean to ocean, with the railway as a central line.
- New Grenada had to yield to the United States several islands in Panama Bay to use them as naval bases.
- New Grenada had to transfer its rights to the United States on the Trans-Islamic Railway.
- New Grenada should pay compensation for loss of life and property destruction.
Finally, the Government of Granada accepted its guilt and signed the Herrán-Cass treaty on September 10, 1857 and established a compensation sum of 412,394 United States dollars in gold for the victims, who were only integrated in 1865:
- $195,410 for compensation arising from the riot.
- 65 $070 for new claims.
- 9277 dollars for Commissioners ' expenses.
- $142,637 for interest.
But it wasn't just the United States that demanded compensation, so did France and the United Kingdom, whose citizens there were affected.
In turn, the United States used this incident as an excuse to put into practice article 35 of the Mallarino-Bidlack treaty, that is, its prerogative to safeguard neutrality and free transit in Panama, using its armed forces when, In his opinion, the local government did not provide the necessary security, which led to a series of US interventions in the isthmus during the 19th and 20th centuries, which ultimately exacerbated xenophobia and nationalist sentiment among Panamanians.
According to the State Gazette of May 3, 1856, there were two local deaths ―Lucas Prados and Apolinar N.― and 16 foreigners: Octavio Dubois (from France), N. Stokes (of William Walker's American Freebooters), Robert Marks (from the state of Pennsylvania), Alexander Sweet (of Maine) and 12 others whose names are unknown.