The New York herald., 1872-08-20
A Savage South American Rcvolu-
tion-Thc Horrible Events in Peru.

ttOn-Thc H0rr1ble Events In Peru.
In to-day's HERALD will be found the
official report of the officer commanding
the United States naval forces off Callao
Peru, detailing the lamentable occurrences
OF Lima, full account of which was
published in our issue of yesterday.
Humanity revolts at the contemplation Of
such sad scenes as are presented in the recent
occurrences at Lima and Callao. Rarely have
events of equal ferocity .disgraced savage life
as those witnessed in the streets of the capital
city of the Peruvian Republic in the fourth
week of last July. Lima, the seat of the
highest Spanish civilization on this Cont
nent in the midst of its usual quiet which
was only slightly enlivened by the session of
the National Congress and the preparation for
the near marriage Of President Baltas daugh-
ter, was suddenly thrown into CONSERVATION
by military revolt Startling as the outburst
of an Andean volcano was this coup of the
War Minister, Gutierrez A favorite, owing
his exalted station to the partiality of Senior
Balta, he in moment fills the plaza before
the Executive Mansion with troops, plants
artillery to command its doors, and,
throwing the President into prison,
procures himself to be proclaimed
Dictator This occurred on the 22d.
Gutierrez, replacing loyal officers by his
brothers and others whose fidelity he could
trust, held the army. The navy, officered by
some of the foremost men of the Republic, re-
fused to obey his orders and retired to the
| ,,o,tb of tl,a bo rl,or nc CoIIoo Nu<;o~ror G,d
ing the public treasury weak, resorted to the
usual arbitrary methods to secure funds for
carrying on his government Foreign bankers
placed themselves under the flags of their lega-
tions and the diplomatic corps refused to
acknowledge the new administration without
matters were thus unsettled, on the 26th some
divisions of the army mutinied, leaving their
commanders powerless. brother of the
usurper, threatening an assemblage of citizens,
was shot. To avenge his death another brother
sought the imprisoned President, shot him re-
peatedly as he stood unarmed and powerless to
resist, and then mercilessly butchered him with
sword thrusts. This monstrous act of mali
cious ferocity caused the entire population Of
the capital to rise against the Dictator and his
family. Putting himself at the head of
o battalion he took refuge in neigh
boring fort, while the citizens organized under
the Vice President, Zevallos. The coward
Gutierrez, who had raised this storm of civil
war, while attempting to flee in the disguise
of peasant on the 9th, was discovered, rid
died with bullets, pierced with swords and
hacked with knives by the maddened mob.
His lifeless body, dragged through the streets
by cord tied to the feet, was hung on lamp
posi- in the plaza Soon the body of his
brother was suspended near. Subsequently
both were hoisted in the presence of ten thou
sand people to tho top of the cathedral tower,
and dropped one hundred feet to the grou nd
After this they were covered with petroleum
and burned to ashes in the principal square of
the city. Two other brothers of the usurper
were slain, as were several hundreds of Others
in the conflicts, which terminated in the COM
plete victory of the people over this attempt of
a military dictator to seize and hold the reins
of government in defiance of the popular wish
recently expressed by the ballot box in the
election of Seior Prado for President.
This has been signal triumph
of the people and of law but
the sanguinary measures by which it was
effected have placed an inefaceable stain on
the history of republican Peru and disgrace
] upon our age. They tell us that the bloody