The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-28

In the following letter, addressed to the Lon
don Morning Star, ex-Minister Washburn paints
no very pleasant picture of Lopez, the leader
OF the Paraguayan hosts:-
Sir:-Having observed in one OF the morning
papers OF to-day a letter signed &c. s. and w.
Brandon" in which occurs the sentence, awe
believe that Mr.. Washburn has long since retracted
his statements as to President Lopez" / beg that
you will allow me the space in your columns
published in regard to the merciess tyrant
OF Paraguay has ever been made by me. At
the moment / was leaving that country sent
back letter to Lopez telling him that the declara-
tions he had published from his two brothers, his
Foreign Minister and his Chief Justice in regard to
his pretended conspiracy, all false and that he
knew it, and that If any one of them were ever to
escape from his power he would deny that he mad
ever made any such declarations protest that he
had made them nnder torture, and that the only way
to prevent them from exposing and denouncing his
unnatural crueltes was to Kill them Shortly alter
ward published in the newspapers of Buenos Ayres
that he would certainly destroy every one of them
What then wrote as prophecy has since been full
filed.
Lopez has tortured and shot his Foreign Minister
Jose Berges and his own brother, Benigno Lopez.
He has shot his Chief Justice, Andres Urdapilleta
also the Bishop of Paraguay and nearly thirty
priests. He has shot his brother-in-law, General
Barrios; his other brother-inlaw, Saturnino Bedoya
expired under torture. He logged his sister, the
vile of General Barrios, until she was nearly dead
and he forced his mother to make public declara-
ton that she had no child but the brutal monster
who had murdered one or more, and tortured with
inhuman cruelty her other children.
These terrible facts are known to be true and are
vouched for by every Englishman who had escaped
from the tyrants power. They all speak from their
own personal knowledge or from their own expert
ence and sutierings, and as one has contra
dicted any specific statement they have made it fol-
lows that the recent publications in the newspapers
denying in general terms the atrocities that l. and
all Others who are competent to speak on the mat
ter assert have been manufactured by Lopez's
agents in Europe, to subserve the interests of that
disgrace of the human race.
But these apologists OF Lopez do not so far as
have seen, deny any of the specific crimes charged
against him. They only say that his oifenses have
been exaggerated that he has not killed his mother
that he has not killed his Vice-President, re-
ported some months ago. But no denies that he
has killed his brother his Foreign Minister his Chief
Justice, his two brothers-in-law his bishop, and
many priests, besides nearly every foreigner (over
500 in number in Paraguay eighteen months ago.
None OF the admirers Of Lopez will deny what /,
and several others now in England, know to be
true. The few English and other foreigners yet
alive in Paraguay are permitted to live by Lopez
because they are useful to him. But If one of them
shall escape to confirm and add to what and others
have said OF his crueltes and crimes, they may like
those who have already escaped, thank the fortune
OF war, and not the protecting shields OF their own
CHARLES A. WAsHBURN,
Ex-Mnster of the United States in Paraguay.
No. Wells street, Jermyn street, London, Sept. H.
The Truth About the Paraguayan Captives.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
1t has been lately stated in the London cores
pondence OF the leading Rio journal that the
Government were unwilling to publish any
River Plate papers during the past session, for
fear OF endangering the lives of British subjects
who are with Lopez in Paraguay. If there was
evaporated, before the end of the session, when
the River Plate correspondence was given on the
motion of Mr.. e. Potter. From various no.
tices in the new work on Paraguay, by MIR. Mas
terman, which confirm and are confirmed by
Mr.. Thompsons late narrative we cannot feel
so sure of the safety of our countrymen. Mr..
Masterman himself was put TO the torture, and
had a very narrow escape of death. He men,
tions an Englishman Watts, whose contract with
Lopez had expired, and who was imprisoned and
shot, leaving wife and several children. To
Mr.. Masterman's thrilling story is appended
statement by Mr.. Alonzo Taylor, another Eng
lishman, also imprisoned and tortured, who
vouches for the execution of Watts and another
Englishman named Stark, and the death of a
third from cruel treatment
/ saw Mr.. Stark, a kind Old gentleman, and a
British merchant He had resided in Asuncion
many years, and greatly esteemed and respected.
He looked very Ill and detected. was not allowed
TO speak to him; but saw him logged, and often
treated very brutally other wavs He was shot,
with a batch Of other prisoners, about the beginning
of September, 1868 John Watts another English
man, who was chief engineer of one of the gun
boats, and Manlove, an American, were shot on the
same day. To the best Of my knowledge only two
Engshmen were shot by Lopez; the other, Mr..
Oliver died from starvation and exposure as did one
OF my companions the day after my arrival.
Mr. a. Taylor's statement, made at Buenos
Ayres in January, is furnished by Mr.. Russell
Shaw, civil engineer, now in London Mr. Mas
terman was formerly of the medical staff of her
Maiestys Thirty-second Regiment; so that there
are means of testing the credulity of the new
witnesses to the barbarlties of Lopez.