Scruggs to Senor Colunjé, December 18, 1873

Mr. Scruggs to Senor Colunjé.

The undersigned, resident minister of the United States of America, takes peculiar pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the very polite and considerate note of the 16th instant, which the honorable Jil Colunjé’, Secretary of the interior and of foreign relations of the United States of Colombia, was pleased to address to him in deprecation of the disagreeable incident growing out of a religious procession in this city on the day previous.

The uniform courtesy and kindness with which the undersigned has been received and treated by the government and people of Colombia, since his arrival in this capital, leaves him no room to doubt the sincerity of the renewed assurances contained in your excellency’s note, nor to question the friendly emotions and sentiments of respect professed by the people of Colombia for those of the United States.

The unpleasant incident referred to belongs to a class liable to occur in almost any country, however liberal its constitution of government, or however well and faithfully its laws may be executed. Moreover, the undersigned is of the opinion expressed by your excellency, that the ignorant and fanatical rabble, the remains of a former civilization, knew not the character of the house or the persons of its new occupants, to whom the indignity was offered; while the prompt and spontaneous assurances by the government of your excellency that measures have been taken looking to the speedy punishment of the wrong-doers is accepted by the undersigned as quite all that he could reasonably ask or expect.

The undersigned therefore begs leave to express his high apprciation of this prompt disclaimer and unsolicited action on the part of the government, and to assure your excellency of his disinclination to judge of the people and institutions of Colombia by this exceptional and isolated incident; and with the reiteration of his sentiments of great personal esteem, he has the honor to remain,

Yours, &c.,