American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-23
VOLUME 2.
ASSASSINATION OF PIzARRO,
THE coNoUERER OF PERU.

Pizarro completed his eonquests after
=, the death of Almagro. Having acquired
the province of Chareds, in which the
4 rich mines of Potosi were situated, he di-
4 yided them among the conquerers, not
forgetting his brothers, one of whom, FER
dinand, was at that time prisoner IN
Spain. His brother Genzoles had driven
the Inca Nance to the Mountains ana
became Governor of Quito, and no form
idable opposition to his schemes now'eN-
g isted. fI4 1Hf
IL piza,ro now set about to secure and es-
r tablish his authority; but the means
which he employed were as itpolitie as
they we're cruel He not only discharged
all the officers whom he suspected Of hav-
ing any regard for Almagro, but, cen
scious of his own injustice, and fearing
The injurious effect of their complaining
against him, he took measures to prevent
utheir return to Spain. Thus deprived OF
employment, and under the ban of the
government, many of them suffered the
greatest distress, and were compelled to
live upon the charity of such OF their
countrymen as had the courage to extend
aims to them. 1t is related that twelve
of these prescribed persons, all men OF
good family, resided together in house
2, given Ltllcnl by a Senor de la Presa, and
7that having but one cloak among tnem all
-i,hey were compelled to go into the street
ono at time BY turns. De Ia Prrsa dy-
ine, Pizarro turned them out of the house,
and at the same time published an edict,
prohibiting every one, under the severest
penalties, from aifording them or their ad-
herents the least relief.
Thus rendered desperate, they became
fatal to Pizarro for, seeing no end to
their miseres but their own or his destruc-
tion, they resolved upon the latter.
These distressed veterans were among
the brayest among Almagro's followers ;
and, eonspiring with their old comrades,
nulnbergof the most daring repaired
two or three at time to Lima, where
they found friends who concealed them in
their houses until their numbers reached
two hundred. They then determined to
seize the first good opportunity to execute
their design In this they were delayed
some time by the hope that new COM
missioner, some of whose attendants had
already arrived, would come from Spain
to investigate Pizarro's conduct, and that
he would be compelled to do them justice
without putting tt EN- under the necessity
of raising an insurrection.
On Sunday, the 26th of June, l54l,
however, De Rada, one of the principal
conspirators, had private intelligence that
they were discovered, and that Pizarro
was about to have them all put TO an g-
nominious death in few hours This
information he hastily communicated to
such of the conspirators as he could most
readily find on which, feeling there was
no time to be host, they repaired, one by
one, to the number of nineteen, to the
house of young Almagro, which was on
one side of the great square, from thence
they marched with drawn swords through
the marketplace towards Pizarro's pal
ace, crying out. Long live the king,
but let the tyrant die !"
1t is remarkable that though there were
more than thousand people in the square
they met with no opposition, nor did Pi-
zarro have the ls4st intelligence of their
coming until they entered his palace, the
doors Icing open.
When the first news of the disturbance
reached him he was sitting with only
one or two of his people, and ordered
Francis de Chaves, his lieutenant-g ge neral,
to secure the great dsop,~@hich he neg
lected to do, supp9sing it was only some
difionlty among the soldiers, which his
own presence would easily quell so that,
going forward, he met the conspiators on
the great staircase, and, demanding the
cause of the commotion, was answered by
the, daggers of two or three of them in
his bosom, caused him to drop instantly
dead. ai :.
Pizarro, hearing them in the gallery,
had no time to put on hfs armor, but, seiz-
ing his sword and buckler, defended the
door of his apartment with resolute cour-
age, supported By his halfbrothes, Don
Francis de Alcantara, and two pages, the
rest Of his company and servants having
fled at the beginning of the iesurrection.
AT length one of the conspirators, pres'k
ing home, bore down and killed Don
Frances de Alcantara, and the rest ad-
vancing with renewed ,vigor, Pizarro was
driven before them, and at last, sinking
with faintnassxfSon, kba loss of hlnod a.as