Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-05-27
GENERAL NARCISO LOPEZ,
THE CUBAN PATRIOT.

THE CUBAN PATRIOT
The New Orleans Delta of the 10th instant, publishes
very long and duse of the life of Gen Lopez
from which we have condensed the following sketch of
the career OF this remarkable man, upon whose move
ments at this uncture rests the eyes OF the whole Amer
| lean people.
| The name of General Lopez, of Cuba has been fam
liar the press and people OF the United States, as the
protector and chief of revolutionary movement con-
tsnplated in that island which to have broken out
in the summer of lS4S but which frustrated by dis
covery on the part of the government. Many arrests
were suddenly made, and he himself, after being in
formed that his principal friends had been arrested had
| time to escape board vessel bound for Bristol
Rhode Island feeling himself reluctantly compelled to
take that step his friends from being shota fate
which would have certainly awaited them within three
days, if he had at that moment with premature sud-
denness, raised the standard OF the revolution.
Narciso Lopez was born Of wealthy parents, in 1898
or 49, in Venezuela and is little fifty years of
age He was the only son that grew to manhood,
though he had numerous sisters He trained to the
saddle, as is the custom in South America His father
being obliged by civil disturbances to remove to Carac
Gus, where he entered upon commercial life, his son
Narcso superintendent branch OF the house at Valen
cia in the interior Here during the troubles of Boil
vars time in 1874 after the decisive battle of La Peurta
in which Gen. Bolivar, at the head Of the nsurgent
troops suffered defeat by the Spanish army under Gen.
Boves young Lopez took prominent part on the popu-
lar side, in the defence of Valencia and narrowly
escaped from massacre At length, when reduced al
most to desperation, he enlisted in the Spanish army as
his only chance for life.
Such were the circumstances which threw Lopez
into the military career and which threw him into it
on the Spanish side OF the civil war OF that wretched
period He was mere boy and was he only ance
of fe-while at the same time there probably then
nhabtant OF Valencia who would have hesitated TO
shoot Bolivar the chief OF the patriot side, the bite
of enemies had they had the opportunity Spain
then moreover under the republican constitution of 1912,
that in the civil at that PERIOD the of liberty
did not appear be solely the patriot side. The
battle of La Puerta was deemed then to have COM
pletey crushed the rebellion in that region though in
fact the struggle renewed and protracted, with
various success, till the final evacuation at Caraccus by
the Spanish army in 1898.
At the end ofthe war; Lopez, who had thus entered in
the ranks found himself colonel having attained that
rank at the OF twenty three through the brllancy
and daring his services The first occasion that attract
ed attention to him shortly after his enlistment during
an attack upon certain place, which defended by
field works there being two bastlons connected togeth
by curtain of about fifty yards in length The Span
sh force being divided into two portions, engaged in
attacking the two bastions. the ammunition OF the
one portion gave out, and signal being made to the
other that effect, the commander called Tor voun
teers to lead three mules, loaded with ammunition,
from the end to the other. service requiring
passage along the line OF fire OF the enemy stationed
behind the curtain connecting the two. Lopez was
the only who volunteered and he set with the
three mules in string according TO the custom OF the
country, the head of each fastened by a cord the
tail OF the one before it. AT about half the distance
across, the mules fell dead. The mule killed
being unluckily the middle one, it was necessary 10
unite the cord refasen the first and third together
| all under a severe fire, which anXOusy watched
by both parties He succeeded, however, in ching
ms destination unwounded though his gun was broken
ny one ball, his pantaloons cut by another, and his