The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-01-12
FRANCISCO SOLAND LOPEZ.
The Character and Habits of the Late
Dictator Of Paraguay.


lister to Paraguay, has completed his book on
the history Of that country, and his expert
ences as a diploma1ist under difficulties. From
{ advanced sheets of the book we copy the fol-
! lowing sketch Of the
/ CHARACTER AND HABITS OF LOPEZ.
! In person he was short and stout. His
height was FIVE fee, four, and though always
inc!ining to corpulency, his figure in his
younger days was good. He dressed with
great care and precision, and endeavored to
! give himself smart and natty appearance.
His hands and feet were very small. indicat-
ing his Indian origin His complexion was
dark, and gave evidence of n strong faint of
Guarani blood. He was proud of his Indian
As be could no, pretend to be of pure Spanish
blood, lie would rather ascrbe his swarthv
color to a mixture with the Indian than the
negro race. Hence, he was as prone to talk
of his Indian ancestry as ever were the de-
scendents of Pocahontas He also had MANY
taste. peculiar to the savage Before going
to Europe he dressed srotesquely, but his
costume was always expensive and ella poratly
finished. He wore enormous CAV spurs, such
as would have been the envy of gaucho, and
the trappings of his horse were so completely
covered with silver as to almost form a coat of
mail. After his return from abroad, he adopt
ed a more civilized costume, but always in
dug ID in gorgeous display of gold lace and
tri yht lint He Hnap
and had a good command of language, and
when in good hunor, his manners were courte-
Gus and agreeable His eyes, when he was
pleased, had mild and aIniable expression :;
but when he was enraged the pupil seemed to
d;late till t included the whole iris, and the
eye did not appear to be that Of human be-
ing bat rather Of wild be st goaded to mad
ness. He had, however, gross animal look
that was repulsive when his face was in re-
pose. His forehead IVES narrow and his head
small, with the rear organs largely developed
lie WAS an ihveterate smoker of the strongest
kind Of Paraguayan cigars. His teeth were
very much decayed, and SO many Of the from,
ones were gone as to render his articulation
somewhat difficult and indstinct He ap-
parently took no pains 10 ieep them clean.
and those which remained were unwholesome
in appearance, and nearly as dark as the cigar
that be had almost constantly between them.
His face was rather fat, and his nose and hair
indicated more of the negro than the Indian.
His cheeks had fulness that extended to the
jowl, giving him sort of bulldog expression.
In his latter years Lc grew enormously fat;
so much so that few woull believe that true
photograph Of his figure WAS not a caricature.
He was very irregular in his hours Of eating;
but when he did eat the quantity consumed
was enormous. He was gourmand but not
an epicurc. His taste was for rank and greasy
food, and the dishes he prefe rred would have
repealed delicate taste. His drinking was
in keeping with his eating. He always kept
\ large stock Of foreign wines liquors, and
ale, bu. he had little discrimination in the use
Of them He, however drank enormous guam
titles of them all, and WAS altogether so gross
and sensual in his habits as to be a very I'M
comfortable patient for his physicians. His
excuses were constantly bringing On ill-,urns,
and at last brought on chronic i-affirmity that
must have soon ended his days, had he not
persisted by a lance. Though he habitually
drank largely. yet ne often exceeded his own
free limits, and on such occasions he was liza
BILE to break out in the most furious abuse of
all who were about him. He would then in
dulge in the most revolving obscenity, and
would sometimes give orders for the most
barbarous acts. When recovered from such
debauches he would stay the execution of his
orders, if they had not been already enforced
But it was so dangerous for his subordinatcs
to hesitate in their obedience, that, when he
came out of his drunken fits, it would gen.
eral be too late the victims would be already
executed.
Of the three most noted tyrants of South
America, Francia, Rosas, and the second Lo-
bez, all have been distinguished for one quail
ity, that is, personal cowardice. Francia WAS
in such perpetua. fear of his life that he kept
himself constantly surrounded by guard.
and imagined that an assassin lurked behind
every bush, or wall, or building he passed.
Rosas was IA notorious coward. Many instan-
ces in which he showed the most craven fear
are we'll known to the older residents of the
Plata. But the cowardy nature of Lopez was
SO apparent, he scarcely took pains to con-
ceal it, He never exposed himself to the least
danger, when he could possibly avoid it. He
usually had his headquarters so far in the
rear that a shot from tho enemy could never
reach hD At Paso Pucu, however, the
allies got in his rear, and so invested his en-
tire camp that at rare intervals stray shot
or she'll would fall in the vicinity But it was
very seldom anything Of the kind occurred,
and nobody was ever hit within many yards of
his house. Nevertheless such II thing wa.
possible, and he therefore had another house
built close adjoining the one in which be lived
surrounded on all sides by walls of earth
at least 20 feet thick. and with a roof Of the
same material so thick th-t no shot or she'll
that might light upon it could ever penetrate
deep enough to do any damage. While
all was still along the enemy's lines,
] Lopez would bravely remain in the adjoining
house; but so surely as any firing was heard
in the direction Of the enemy's nearest bat
teries, he would saunter out in feigned care
lessness, trying hard to disguise his fear, and
stink into his hole; a'.d n OF show hi. face
again outside until the firing had ceased. For
several months before the Abandonment Of