The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-10-24
"Reminiscences of Lopex,

We have received, from an acquaintance Of the
late General Lopez.a few additional facts, which
may serve to give further insight into the charac-
ter of the man whose name has become distin-
guished from his connection with the two defeated
expeditions against Cuba, as well as from his early
as q soldier 1t appears that in 1922, Lopez
was a colonel in the Spanish army in Colombia,
South America, and was engaged in the war
against General Bolivar. In one engagement he
made prisoners of the entire staff of Bolivar, incu
ding the nephew of the liberator of South Anne
RIGA, who was q colonel. These he treated kindly,
and exchanged them for other officers. Subsequent
ly Lopez himself and all of his officers were captured
near Quito. All of them had previously broken
their parole, and, with the exception of Lopez him
self, all Of them were shot. Lopez was kept in
irons fori nine months, and was then brought in
chains to Guayaquil, where Bolivar was embark
ing troops for the conquest of Peru The gratitud.
of Belivars staff officers fer the kind treatment
they had re ,eived while in the hands of Lopez, aid
ed by the mistress of Bolivar who old friend
of General Lopez, resulted, through ntercessions,
in saving the life OF the man Bolivar consented to
spare him, on condition that he would embark on
board a vessel commanded by Captain Skiddy, and
leave the country. Accordingly he went on board,
piled all his wants for a voyage round Cape Horn.
On the arrival of the vessel at Gibraltar, the Bril-
fish government would not permit him to land, and
Captain Skiddy hired a fishing boat to convey him
to Spain. On parting with him, the captain pre-
sented to him twenty doubloons, that Lopez might
clothe himself according to his rank. Lopez landed
in Spain, where he procured passport, and soon
after visited his friend at Gibraltar. After that
period he went into active service in Spain, and
then went to Cuba, where he married a wealthy
ady.
During the passage ofLopez from South Ameri-
CO to Gibrslter, Lopez wrote history Of the war
and Of the cIueties perpetraed upon the natives in
South America. In that manuscript, he stated
that when escorted over the mountains, and Ia
chains, he frequently forgot his own sufferings at
the scenes before him. The poor Indians, whenever
found, were seized for the service, and ironed in
pairs by the wrists, which were sometimes chafed
through so rs to exhibit sores alive with vermin.
Such were the suferings Of the poor fellows, that
they would frequently plunge headlong to death
when passing precpice-dsshng themselves to
pieces the rocks beneath To this account It was
added, that when men died on the road, the officers
Of Bolivar were obliged to produce the ears or some
limb Of the victims as n testimony that they had
not escaped or deserted. This manuscript was
loaned by Captain Skiddy, in Paris, to person
who has never returned IL. 1t Is tho opinion Of
Captain Skiddy, from whom these facts have been
obtained, that Lopez was afable in his manner and
kind be arted-that he possessed little judg nent
and less principle. He visited the city, where his
early benefactor resided, yet called upon him
His bravery cannot be doubted, though, In an ac-
ton, he suffered much from nervous excitement.
Lopez gave IL as his opinion that Bolivar, in forty
ty-two battles, only won two Of them.