The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-07
THE ATROCITIES OF LOPEZ.

ouayans. by George Frederick Masterman,
which has Just been published in London:-
IL appears from the statements scattered
over MIR Masterman's volume, that Lopez
massacred 1900 to 2000 prisoners of war in
one day; that he shot his younger brother
after having him cut almost to pieces; that
he had the husband of one of his sisters
shot in her presence, after the husband OF
his other sister had died under torture; and
that when his two sisters, whom he forced to be
present at the execution, gave vent to their
feelings he had them hogged in a manner
outraGing decency and humanity. A thou
sand. and even two thousand, lashes are said TO
have been given to some of the pri-
soners. Others were taken to the
front of the army, and then in
formed with regret that some movement
them. One prisoner was crucifed horizon
tally under Mr. Masterman's window. On the
march an old man happened to fall; he was at
once stripped and thrashed by two corporals
till he staGgered to his feet, and hurried for
ward as fast as his fetters would permit; then
when he stumbled again, an officer, after
striking him several times with his sword,
stamped on his head till his white hair was
dabbied in blood. The torture to which most
of the prisoners, from Lopezs own brother
and his former ministers down to the hum
blest rank, were subjected, reminds us of
passages in Mr.. Ainsworths "Tower Of Lon
don We quote the description given by a
friend of Mr. Mastermans:-
''The torture is as follows, and this is how
| suffered it: ] sat on the ground with my knees
up, my legs were first tied tightly together, and
then my hands behind me, with the palms out
wards. A musket was then fastened under my
knees; six more of them tied together in q bun
die, were then put on my shoulders, and then
they were looped together with hide ropes at
one end: they then made n running loop on the
other side, from the lower musket to the otler;
and two soldiers hauling on the end of it, forced
my face down to my knees, and secured 1t so.
The effect was rs fOOws:--Frst, the feet went
to sleep, then tingling commenced in the toes,
gradually extending to the knees, and the same
in the hands and arms, and increased until the
agony was unbearablC. My tongue swced up
and thought that my jaws would have been
displaced; l lost all feeling in one side of my
face for a fortnight afterwards. The suffering
was dreadful; should certainly have confessed
if | had had anything to confess and | have NO
doubt many would acknowledge or invent any
thing to escape bearing the horrible agony Of
this torment. remained two hours rs | have
described, and considered myself fortunate in
escaping then; for many were put in the iuU-
gudydnd twice, and Others six times, and with
eight muskets on the naQe of the neck
Mr. Masterman himself was tortured thus
till he tainted and to avoid q repetition of
such sutferings, he made what professed to
NC IL luul COll6SSlOu. AS he knew nOJnlnS
against the persons whom he was required to
implicate, OF course he had to invent, and
any failures of invention were stimulated by
the temperance of the bundle of ropes and
muskets. 1t may be question for moralists
whether Mr.. Alasterman was right in thus
giving way or was bound to resist to the ut
most We do not feel called upon to express
an opinion further than this, namely, that
much as we admire the early martyrs, we can
i'll Il
position at all analogous. II was merely
for the satisfaction of Lopez that he was
called upon to invent. The people whom he
was required to implcate were either dead or
safely out of the country. Perhaps it was not
necessary for him to boast that he did lie
more than was actually indispensable, while
Others liedfreely. There we come to question
of degree, which is still more likely to involve
us in casuistry. It seems indeed, that one of
Mr. Mastermans fellOw-prisOners gave in on
the mere threat of torture, invented recklessly,
involved everybody else in his confessions,
and boasted about it afterwards. II foated
with the current, says Mr.. Mastermau:
sometimes battling and struggling with my
whole strength against it; but he swan
vigorously. Except in saying that believed
In the existence of plot, that Mr.. Washburn
was the chief of it, and that l had been in
vited to join it, the whole of my evidence was
vented exactly in proportion to the pressure
put upon him; and, more than this, with a
hardihood scarcely credible, he informed me
that he had supplied every missing link in the
evidence, not only against Mr.. Washburn, but
all the accused, excepting myself, then in
existence and, worse than ALL was proud of
it.. We presume he was only proud of it
because it saved him from the muskets, and
he thought it was best to act on the motto
pecc0 ,10rtiter ''Was there any truth
in your depositions?" asked Mr.. Masterman
of another fellow-prisoner. ''No, no-lies,
all lies, from beginning to end" was the
answer. ''Why did you tell them?" asked Mr..
Masterman, as he himself says, rather un
necessarily. '"lhat terrible Father Maiz,
was the reply, tortured me in the ltrUgyay
ana on three successive days, and then
smashed my fingers with a mallet." AS Mr.
Masterman was only tortured once, and his
fingers were not smashed, this prisoner might
have blamed him in turn for yielding toe
readily. But instead of that, he told him he
had done well to confess. 1t was in the same
spirit that the relations of all who deserted
from the Paraguayan army were forced tC
publish letters, cursing and disowning them
wife who thus dsclaimed her husband wa
asked by Mr.. Masterman how she could hav,
written such letter. ''lo save my children,
she replied ''It is all false; you know L love
my husband dearly, but, senor, what woul(
your"
The picture of Mr. Masterman gives us o
his life in prison is far more cheerful thar
these scenes of horror. He was confined
indeed, in a dark and damp CELL and he coulC
get no sleep at nights, because the sentrie
had to cry out at the top of their voices ever,
quarter of an hour to show that they werO