The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-11-16

hat II he did not come above the squadron my
smiiy could not get on board Of mas sleaie Sn
therefore, urged him very strongly 10 ioice TUG S,p,
sde. NY great obiec, was to get my wife ana chpa
0ut OF the country, and II the wasp WAS olse ul0.e
Inc military lines eogn 90 o. no c M cy Marsb
Lopez, II on the arrival OF the steamer 1t should
appear to be my duty to dose. was disposed, how
aver 70 remain a. shew None a. Of hundreds or
thousands. They all seemed to think that in
any contingency my house anu person would
he lnviolabe. did not fully share this OPINION but
nevertheless thought II could get my family away
SO much would be gained, and then ~ would be my
duty TO remain With this view went down to san
Fernando TO see President Lopez and confer with
him in regard TO the passage OF the Wasp above the
Brazilian squadron. found him reserved and though
evidently he desired that the Wasp should come
through and before leaving TO return to Asuncion he
promised TO forward my letter to Captain Kirkland
by nag OF truce, and gave me letters TO enclose to his
commanders at Humaita and Curupalti. 10 allow the
Wasp TO pass without mLestati0n In my CONVEX
sations with Lopez, he expressed great dissats!ac
house. My communication to Captain Kirkland
being despatched returned TO Asbucion. The
Wasp, however, did not at that time 20 above the
squadron, and wei were then all left In uncer-
tanty whether or not anything would come TO our
rescue ere 1t was too late. The arrests OF foreigners
continued but for what object OF for what offence
no one could imagine. The few people saw were
more frightened and shy than ever. Nothing, how
ever, OF Importance occurred till on the 10th OF June
Portuguese Consul, Jose Maria LeteiPereira and his
vie, who came to ask the protection OF my house
ana nag. or the events that followed this refer
you for information to the correspondence already
published. First the government desired to know II
the said Lete Pereira was in my house. replied In
the affirmative, but denied the right OF the govern
ment to question me as to the persons In my Lega-
ton, and that If it knew or suspected any obnoxious
to be Within It, asspec haora aeYa s1aud
Some two weeks passed after the first can
Tor him was made before 1t was repeated and, IN
the meanwhile we all began to cherish the hope
that he would not be molested. His whole offence,
SO lar as then knew, or know now, was the crime,
which among civilized men would be considered
vena, If not meritorlous, OF spending all his own
money and all he could borrow, to relieve the prison.
ers who fell INTO the hands of Lopez, relying on
after the war; on the morning OF his coming TO my
house. however, he mad received notice that his con-
he had previously been cautioned that Lopez was
badly affected towards him, he considered the with
drawal OF his exequatur US oat prelude 10 ila'
prlsonment irons and starvation. lie, therefore,
fled with his wife to the Unhed states Le-
CATION hoping to find shelter and protection.
II was accorded him without hesitation, though
regarded by me as an unwise and imprudent step
on his part. On the 1ltn OF July, however, the
dream OF security was dspeed by the receipt OF the
letter from the Acting Minister OF Foreign Relations,
Gumeslndo Benitez, in which the government de-
manded the dismissal on the following day not only
that did not belong to the Legation. Perelra and
The English left accordingly, though II told them
AL that did not send them away ana that II they
deliver up one OF them until some specific crime was
alleged against them" They all thought however,
it best for them TO CO. and the English requested
me to go ana see Colonel Fernandez, the military
commander ut ASunclOn the men Offering 10 resume
work in the Arsenal and requesting to be advised OF
the points to which the women and children would
be sent. The house was surrounded by as many
as forty policemen, and the English were afraid
OF being taken Immediately to prison. Fernandez,
however pledged me MS word OF honor that they
should not be molested by the police, but should
be wei treated and said the men would be again
taken into the service on condition OF making new
contracts. The men had made the offer only be-
they thought would he better to 20 10 work
than go 10 PRISON. They accordingly left the lega-
ton in the afternoon and were directed to the rail-
way station, where they were most miserably pro-
vided for. Notwithstanding that Fernandez had
pledged his word Of honor that they should be we'll
treated They remained in that situation for about
a week, when. they disappeared, and 1 know not
women and children were sent to a village about
TOUR leagues from Asuncion, called 81. Lo-
reuzo, and that the men had, like most OF
the other foreigners in Paraguay been taken
in irons 10 the army headquarters. Leile
Pereira left about live p. NJ. OF the same
day and was arrested as soon as got In the street.
or his subsequent rate know nothing. On the same
day wrote letter 10 Benez, advising him that the
Portuguese Consul and the English had left vounta-
Carreras or Rodriguez and they preferred to stay in
the Legation, and as such was also my wish, pre-
sumed no objection would be made to II. by sunrise,
however, the next morning, ! received another
letter, still more urgent demanding that they
should leave my house BY one O'Clock OF
against them, and / told them that they might
20 or stay, as they thought best, but that
they would have the protection Of my house
aud Nag until they were taken By force or I'LL
direct crime Was laid to their charge. They both
SAID that II would promise 10 remain u the end OF
the war they would not deliver themselves up, rs 1t
was impossible for any specific charge 10 be brought
against them and they did not believe that Lopez
would venture 10 take them out OF the Legation by
force But could not promise to remain To the end
OF the war and they therefore said IL better that
they should 60 al once tnan 10 enrage Lopez by re-
nalEing whea at last they would probably fall into
hfE M ~et iA. lnff nf
twelve NJ. OF the 18th OF July, but not TIL had
shown them my letter OF the same date TO Benitez,
IN which gave my reasons Tor believing taat the
them, and that In regard TO Rodriguez, even II 1t
had they had no right 10 touch him, as he was en-
Titled TO diplomatic immunites.
Tais letter sent the same afternoon to Benitez,
and as all were then gone who did not belong To tile
Legation thought that should be LETT to dismal
peace. Before night, however, came another letter
that 1 should likewise send away two
members OF my Legation, r. G. Bliss and G. +. Mas.
terman, whose names as such mad long before been
gwen IN to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
AT THIS point made stand, as you will see by
the published correspondence, and, BY fencing and
nghung 10 the best OF niy ability, saying some nat-
tering things about Lopez, sept them with me Ill
my nual departure. l admit that 4 purposcy pro-
ionged the correspondence. in the hope OF saviag
these two men, Iney were arrested, however, as
they started 10 accompany me TO the steamer al the
moment OF leaving the legation, taken by force from
my side and their subsequent fate may be guessed
al from what shall hereafter relate.
IA the meanwhile We could hear scarcely anything
OF what was going on. Win the exception OF the
consuls, who occasionally Came IN from Luque, no
one ever came to my house, and my Paraguay an SER
wants II they learned anything, feared TO tell It.
dld learn, however, that about the time that the
great sweep was made from my house, the brother
OF the President Nenancio Lopez was carried or IN
irons 10 the army headquarters Ills other brother,
Benlguo had been called below long before; aad
when visited his EXcellency, Ut san Fernando, III
the cary part OF May Don oengno, and the Minister
ol Foreign Affairs, Berges were botn close prison.
ers, as was the Presidents bloner-n-law, saturnino
Bedoya. The old VICE President sanchez, who had
previously been q prisoner, was then allowed 10
leave MS mouse, but neither he nor any faraguayan
dare approach me or be seen with me.
FOR tine wc feared II was the intention OF Lopez
to cut tue tnr0ats OF all the foreigners, we knew
but tle Oh any arrests at that time OF Paraguayans
II they were arrested they were taken or quietly
that we might not near anything OF Il Tor weeks or
months. But while tue English who had been In the
legation were detained In toe railway station the
train came IN one night at midnight full OF prison.
ers. The English could see nothing, as no light
was allowed IN the station; but the cianking OF the
chains and the sghs aud groans OF the prisoners
as they were forced from the cars and driven for
ward towards the bank OF the river were distinctly
audible. They were all embarked In steamer for
san Fernando before daylight. A few days after |