Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-12
The True History Of the i-Pr0testant
Riot In Pnehia. MpXicO

Riot III Puebia, Mexico
MEXICO, Dec. 9-The true history of the
| late impious outrage in Puehla upon Chris
tians needs to be told. 1t should be uBder-
stood that Puebla, with d population of
about 1000, lying 80 miles from this city,
on the road to Vera Cruz has long been
celebrated as a place of extreme fanaticism,
bigotry, hatred of foreigners, and a blinded
adherence to the doctrine of religious des-
potism, by union of Church and State
| But some time ago few persons there who
had abandoned this doctrine applied to the
Evangelists of this city to send them a mis-
sionaTy, with supply Of Bibles, Testa-
ments, religious books, and tracts, in the
this application, Don Gabriel Ponce de
Leon, Of this city, a man in the middle
rank of life, devoted heart and soul TO his
cause, and of unimpeachable probity, went
to Puebia, taking books, Bibles, &c, with
him.
Senor De Leon rented a room and went
quietly to work, aided by his brethren in
that city. In a few weeks they built up a
congregation of over 70 members, and the
indications of rapid growth in numbers
were decided. But in the meantime the
Mexican priests were not idle.
On Sunday, Nov. %, when but ten of the
congregation, all men, had entered their
room, situated at the head of flight of
stairs, rising from long corridor or side
hall, the adjoining streets were quickly fill
ed, as If by concert, with great crowd,
many armed with stones, knives or pistols
The outer hall door, on the ground was at
once locked, from the inside; six of the ten
worshipers in the upper room escaped by
back way or window; but the other four
closed and barred the door With chairs
and then braced themselves against the
chairs The mob burst open the lower
door, and about sixty of them rushed up
stairs, demanding admittance, which was
refused. Sometime was spent in trying to
force the door. when pistol was fred
through il, the ball passing near Senior De
Leon. About the same time hole was
broken in the door, through which the ac-
tive leader of the mob "a savage ruffian
whose name Is Uriarte) put his head and
demanded admission. Being refused, after
several repetitions, he said he was an officer
and spoke by authority, and that those
inside should not be hurt. The door was
then opened, when they demanded all
&c Two of the Eyanoelists
boldly confronted the ruffians, telling them
at their peril not to lay violent hands on
the Word of God that they were Evangel-
ical Christians, peacefully and lawfully
worshiping God, under the guarantees of
the Constitution and laws of their native
country. Nevertheless, three large boxes
of Bibles, religious tracts, &c, were car
ried into the street and there burned, torn
to pieces and destroyed, some being car
ried away. Sixty dollars IN money, the
proceeds of Bibles sold, and SOM personal
effects, were stolen. The brute, Uriarte
seized Mr.. DeLeon and led him down stairs
to be stoned by the rabble, but, on approach
ing the outer door, Y as himself so badly
wounded by large stones aimed at De Leon
that he fell and the intended victim eg-
capped by a back door into another room,
where he found another savage trying to
shoot his young friend Senor A. Morales,
one of the four Evangelists. He rushed
upon his would-be murderer to save his
friend, when the villain fired his pistol at
his head, burning his face with powder
The scoundrel ran out and De Leon and
Morales assembled by stairs to the top of
the hat-roofed house, to find that the build
ing was surrounded by r2en o2slsdders.
thus proving a preconcerted plan to pre-
vent their escape. But, by a tremendous
leap, they reached the top of another house,
and3then passed from one flat roof to anoth-
er, till, jumping from house on to privyz
they entered an open courtyard on the Op-
pOslte side OF the square. Here were few
of the mob, from whom Morales received
wound on the head from a stone, cut
from a shoemaker's knife, and aBother from
a hatchet; but both escaped. One of the
other Evangelists, Don Julian Jimenez, was
cut on the head with a hatchet and left for
dead; while the fourth, Don Derroteo Men
deza, was beaten and badly bruised. but
he fought like tiger, and knoked down
several OF the mlscreants. In the meantime
the police appeared, but were driven away.
Reinforced, they returned and made some
twenty arrests in the hall, including the
wounded wretch Uriarte. But, from some
cause unexplained, the mob conceived that
some Of the Evangelists We're in their crowd.
and got to fighting among themselves, by
which about fifteen were bruised and
wounded. The place rang with the devil
lsh cries, death to the Protestants ~
Death to the Liberal Government that
tOlerates them p death to foreigners r'
Life to Maximilian p &c An armed
force appeared and charged through the
crowd to restore order, killing one of the
moo; but throughout the afternoon the riot
ers fingered in groups, repeating their saw
age cries. Foreigners, as soon as advised
Of the riot, remained in their rooms; but
some, not knowing Of the outrages, ran
narrow escapes; and an old Englishman
named Miller, who has lived thirty wears
IN this country, and reared family in it,
who scarcely speak English, was severely
stoned IN passing along the street The
worst feature remains TO be told. The
bloody mob of ignorant, half-civilized
brutes, it is boldly asserted, was melted
and led by two men who wear the robes of
priests of the ''so-called" Mexican Catholic
Church, though on this occasion they were
IN the garb Of citizens. I have thousands
of esteemed friends any loved relatives who
belong to the Catholic Church of the Unit.
ed States, whose souls would revolt at such
enolmities as these.