The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-02-18
A Dreadful Ma assacre and Jesuit
Barbarity.
rwo THOUSAND PERSONS BURNED TO DEATH IN
ts cRURcH.

cRURCH.
Tidings come TO us from Chill Of one o
those heart.rending and wholesale catastro
phes which occur only at rare intervals ir
the history Of the world. Once, Pompei
was overwhelmed by volcanic eruption
once. Lisbon was engulphed by an earth
quake once only, we may hope, may crue
priests be permitted to create such dreadful
horrors as those which turned the Roman
Catholic Churdh of the Campania in Santi
ago de Chill into a vast charnel- l-honse on th'
9Th day Of the last month. While Jesu
priests who had willfully bargained and ,,sol(
in that temple OF worship lookel coldly on
or, ut best, ran to save from the flames tn,
paltry trappings of ecclesias tical state, mors
than too MouSand soonsn struggled frantic
ally with death, and wr:thsd out their las
agonies. The story of this disaster woult
be too horrible for belief. but for the ineon
trovertibe evidence Of the eye-witnssses
from whose different statements we CLEAN the
following crcumstantial account: r..et
II has been for many years the custom o.
the Roman Catholics in Santiago de Chill
(the capital of the republic to celebrate the
month Of December as ''The Month of Mary,
The curate Of the Jesuit Church Of the Cam.
pania in that city had organized religious
association under the title of "The Dau.h-
ters of Mary" which associa iation numbered
among its members many thousands of wo.
men Of all classes. In order to give further
effect to the ,superstitious alteration of the
Virgin which was the purpose of this
organization, this priest-by name Ugarte
invented what he called Celestial Post
Office" through which "The Daughters OF
Mary" might correspond with the Virgin in
writing! AT the entrance OF the church
there was the "Virgin's Letter-box," and
therein the faithful followers Of the Romish
dogmas. who gravely accepted this transpa-
rent delusion as truth, deposited their seal.
ed epstles and waited them to heaven with
prayer. Every "Wednesday this letter box
was opened before; the high altar, and the
man Ugarte exhibited its contents before the
image Of the Virgin. Superstition and
priestcraH worked together to sdelude the
people into the offer of more valuable gifts
and Ugarte seems to have played hls cards
with the skill of a professional nountebank.
The organization called "Ths Daughters o
Mary grew and Hourishel from year to
year ladies of high rank joined it; women
of all classes in Chill ian society became EN-.
amored Of it,
On the Sth Of December last in order td
give complete effect to the ceremonials Incl
dent to the observance of the Romish dogma
of the "Immaculate Conception, the priest
Ugarte determined to outdo all former efforts
by gorgeous display of ecclesiastical par
aphernalia. The huge church, built in the
solid style Of the seventeenth century, was
gayly decorated. Thousands of lamps, hung
from the ceiling or pendant upon the walls
shed glow Of light over the vast interior f;
garlands of flowers festooned the altar and
the walls; painted canvas, drape-ies of gauze
and muslin, tissue. paper, and tinsel added
to the bewilderment Of the general effect
aud the faithful were exhorted to come in a
mass to celebrate tine end of tho festival
They came, and among the crowd were more
than two thousand women. Carried away
by the brilliant aspect of the scene, these
women remained till the dreadful disaster
happened. A few minutes before seven
o'clock in the evening. while the attendants
were engaged in lighting the lamps which
were to illuminate a transparent crescent at
the feet of the Virgins image fire. caught
from the ;gnition Of the paraffine oil. The
atteadant yalnly attempted to quench the
fame. but it spread very rapidly, feeding
geedily upon the gauzy fabrics and mount
ing to the cupola of the church. From this
cupola were suspended many of the lamps
Gall filed with the inhamable paraffine. y
The strings which supported them were in.
stantly burned off by the flames, and the
lamps dropped, still burning, upon the dense
mass Of kneeling worshipers below, All the
accounts agree upon the instantaneous cha
ractei Of the combustion.
The doors Of the church had been closed
by order Of the priests, but now a frantic
rush was made toward them. Two thousand
women. precipitatins thelnselve, upon those
who were kneelins BY the doors, were packed
in moment, into a kno,ted mass, while the
burning oil caught their dresses, and the fire
went roaring through the church, consum-
ing all it touched. An eye.witne IS of the
scene, who stood outside the church, but
was unable to enter, thus describes It:
"During the first few moments Of surprise
and terror, shrieks of sorrow for the destruc-
ton of their beloved church resounded
through the aisles of the building; but when,
rushing to the various outlets, all we're found
closed save one and that one impossible,
loud screams of horror burst from the des
pairing multitude. For few m ,meuts the
heart piercing cries ofperishing women were
increasing. Thoy gradually grew fainter
md fainter, and soon an awful silence reign.
ID within that horrible furnace. broken only
by the angry roar Of the flames, or the crash
IF falling towers. By the lurid glare " thin
could be seen hundreds of human forms,
some with faces elevated in prayer to him
before whose throne they were rapidly hast
,niug, others with eyes eagerly strained and
hands outstretched to ward the outer air, i'm
olor,ng that assistance that it was in,possi.