The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-10
PARAGUAY.
1vvr ur.

.biof on,dneer of the army of Lopez, we give
-, come extracts which will show the
roodor what manner of man Lopez was, and
what kind of ruler he made
Tbc Growth OF Tyranny in Paraguay.
when Francia the first Dictator, gained
mower. he instituted SO perfect system of
Peioroge that no one saying q word to his
nearest relations could feel safe that it would
not be reported to Francia. Every one sup
posed to be against the government, even
only in thought, was thrown into prison, and
some of them shot Especially the more IN
anential men of the country, and their
nroperty confscated Francia was In con-
tintal fear of being assassinated; and when
he rode in the streets every one was obliged
10 hide. even women, for his escort used to
beat every one found in the streets when his
Excelency passed.
He closed the whole of Paraguay, 10y land
and by water to all communication from
abroad. placing guards and piquets allaround
the frontiers. He prohibited ingress and
epress, both of persons and goods and any
one attempting to leave the country, or
TO send money out of it, was shot. A ship
was now and then allowed TO go to Paraguay
with goods. for which Francia paid in yerba
1.-THE tea of the country, but any other for
eigners who came within his grasp he de-
tanned in the country.
He made a law prohibiting the intermar-
riage of whites blacks, Indians, and mulat-
toes: and declared several of the chief fami-
lies. whom he dislked, to be mulattoes, so
that thev should not malTy-for no white
Paraguayan would degrade himself or herself
by marrying with one of a lower caste. He
expected thus to exterminate those families
but the Spanish law of Legitimacy enabled
them to marry after his DEATH and so legiti-
Matte their children. Marriage generally was
discouraged by Francia, and hence arose the
immortality to which the lower classes gave
way, though rarely the higher. Their morals
were not. however, in reality so bad as would
he supposed: for although the marriages were
not celebrated in church, the women were
nearly as faithful as if they had been regu-
larly married. with the difference that as the
tie was not irrevocable, when two people
found they did not agree well they separated.
Francia died in 1910, 81 years of age. He
was buried under the altar i'll the Encarnacion
Church, at Asuncon but mis- remains were
afterwards dug out and flung into the river
by men whose families he had wronged
Three of the principal men of Paraguay were
to have been shot the morning he died. but
the order for their execution was never car
ried out
A Congress was assembled, and Carlos An
tonic Lopez and Rogue Alonzo were chosen
consuls. The second of these was a good
man, and well spoken Of 10y all who knew
him; but he had not strength of mind enough
to keep up with Lopez, who soon turned him
out and remained alone in the government
At first they both signed in one line, denoting
equality of power. Soon afterwards Lopez
signed first and Alonzo underneath him, as
second; but at last Lopez said to Alonzo,
''Andate, barbara Go away, barbarian) and
had himself elected President for ten years
by a congress which he called together in
1874.
The Lopez Family.
His family was poor when he first entered
the Government, and he himself, in Francias
time, was poor lawyer glad to get a dollar
fee Carlos Antonio Lopez was married to
Dona Juana CaTillo. Both of them were
''white,' and both extremely stout They
had five children: three sons-Francisco So
lanO Benancio, and BenignO-and two
daughters-Inocencia and Bafaela-all of
them very stout. Lopez l began his reign
by pushing his children's fortunes in a most
unscrupulous wap. He made his eldest son
afterwards Lopez ID General-in-chief of the
Army and Minister of War. From an early
age this young man was entrusted with a
great deal of the executive power by his
father, who used sometimes to pay him an
official visit, on which occasion the folding
doors were all thrown wide open with a rush
as he used to take his son by surprise His
second son, BenanciO, was made colonel and
commander OF the garrison OF ASuncion. The
third, Benigno was made major in the arnv.
but not liking it, was promoted to be admiral
of the fleet. This post, however he also re-
signed, prefening rowing life. He was the
great favOrte of the old man. Each of the
sons had a separate house and establishment:
and they were all noted for their libertinism
especially the eldest and the youngest.
This unlimited authority of Lopez. which
the sons also exercised under his auspices
made people very much afraid of saving or
doing anything to incur their displeasIIre
They all got rich very quickly, by every means
in their power. They used to offer q price
for cattle far below the market price and
which people were afraid to refuse. They
then sent the cattle to market and sold them
at any price they liked. as no one was allowed
to sell cattle in the market when anv belono-
ing to the Presidents family we're there
Ihey also bought property at the same low
prices, from private people and from the Coy
eminent. The ladies of the family established
an exchange, where torn paper-money. which
would no longer pass, was bought at a dis
count OF siXpence in the dollar, and by their
connection with the eGOvernmentthey changed
h at Ihe treasury Tor new paper of the full
value, They also lent money on ieweIrv at a
large profit, and anything they liked thev
kept, without any reference to the owners
wishes.
Habits of the People.
The Paraguayan costume was, for men q
tall black hat such as is at present worn in Fin
rope, a shirt with the front and cuffs beonti
fully embroidered, a pair of white drawer.
with foot of fringe down to the ground anf
three or four inches of embroidery above tbe
fringe. Over these a ''chiripa,' or sort of
sheet wrapped around the legs from the waist