The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-02-18

swayed to and fro, the weaker gradually
sinking forwa rd and falling, never to rise
again, while the stronger battled with despe
rate energy to reach the saving hands that
struggled as desperately to reach them
But all was in vain, and in an awfully brie
space Of time the wall of fame became inn
passable /; the entire floor Of the church was
sea Of fire, fed by the clothing of the vic.
tins and intensified by the dropping lamps
The roof fell in, the towers followed !; and
the belfry, with an awful crash, fell acros:
the doorway, b1rying the scorched and hiss.
ing bodies Of those whose suffering was over
Two tbs usand and seventy.four persons
(nearly all wo men) are known to have been
burned to death. ff..F ri
The heartless indifference of the Jesuit
priests during this scene Of suffering and
horror cannot be too strongly stigmatized.
Instead Of periling their own lives to save
those of.the victims whom they had entrap.
ped into this Inferno or at least striving
to open the door of egress they had carefully
closed--these men cody set themselves to
the task of saving the property of the church
when it became evident that the fire was be-
yOnd control. Here is a list Of the articles
Which Jesuit priests regarded as be tter
worth saving than human lives--and we
may a. we'll state here that the list is fur.
nished by the Valparaiso Paeria of Dec
emher IS: .EEa
"To-day we have seen images of saints,
silver ornaments, and paintings. in the al
joining honSes, that had been saved in the
midst of the confusion We have seer q
large image, with its gilt framework, in the
segar shop on the corner of the SQUARE; we
have seen thousands of trifling objects that
were got out instead of the perishing victims
--inanimate stocks instead of human beings.
AS at distance some may doubt whether
this be exact, we have taken the pains to
form hasty Inventory. 1t is the following ::
An old wooden settle eight yards long.
Two old wooden settles. .a,
4 Ahcc piHitS oh CIVIL, Will iidlibcS.
Some cane-seat chairs. ....-.t..
Do. gilt. s-us f..- ~. a.g
| A haIrcloth sofa. ..r
Do. wooden. ...-.-...
The bureaus of the vestry, with decorations.
Two wIne-stands. ,.......-
Books and candelabras.
Three round tables. .......s .
] Chalices and wine stands. ~ .
Mattnss and carpets Of the vestry.
| Benches Of Do. .sg q..-e5 -.s t......t.,,.,
| A cruelfx.
| Brooms and busters.
A chest and old tables.
Altar candlesticks, etc., etc.
! "All these things are in the house of Jose
Ignacio Larrain, where they were deposited.
Besides, there are two apartments filed with
articles from the vestry.
A correspondent of the Patria puts the
following queries: as9
"Who saw priest at the fire that was
not busy in getting out old mattings and
leathcrn chairs, while Two thousand souls
were in tho agony of death
"Who has seen priest offering spiritual
or material aid to the city in its consterna-
| ton on the day subsequent to the catatrophe?
Where are the circulars of the metropo-
Titan, his visits to the dying, or the CON-
mittees appointed to aid the orphans caused
by this desolationg .ff s.,,.
1.-Two thousand dead are in the cemetery
waiting for the pit to be opened, in which
they may be hidden out of sight in earth
bosom and, while for the burial of a veal.
thy lady the priests came down like rain TO
the chapel, for this helpless portion of the
population, whose case makes such tender
appeal, not solitary prayer has been had." !"
We depart from our usual custom in Civ.
ing SO much space to this event, both on ac-
count Of the unprecedented horror of the
catatro2he, and because it furnishes strong
evidence of the tendencies of the Romish
superstition. Here were deluded followers
of blind idolatry lying absolutely at the
mercy of a grasping and cruel priesthood
The women Of Santiago died in torture that
pampeled Js'uits might roll in. luxsry and
while the flames eagerly drank up the poor
creatures life-blood' the priests ran out the
back way to drag from the reach of danger
few paltry vestments and trappings Of Pa
pal state. We do not wonder hat the sen.
tinels posted at the ruins by the Govern.
ment drove back Ugarte and his accomplices
with the butts Of their muskets, nor at the
report which reaches us that mo event has
ever occurred in Chill which has dealt So
heavy blow to the priests as this dire and
unutterable calamity" y F-
SoME TRUE WoRDs.--In the late debate
in Congress on the proposed tax upon whis-
ky, Mr. Kelley, of Pennsylvania, said:
The last gentleman VINO addressed the
committee (Mr. Chandler) told me that pow
erty and guant want stalk through the city,
of Philadelphia and other Northern cities
and he ascribes it to taxation. l deny this
allegation, and | challenge the observ alton
Of gentlemen, challenge the records of ,ur
Savings Banks, challenge the number Of
houses being built in every town and city
in the North, to prove that there never was
n Saa SON m urao tar or,s,a.:xx