National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-08-08
A Mexican Story.


Horrible Cruelty 10 Child.
The San Diego World tells n stor,
of horrible barbarity that We have neve
seen equalled. 1t says
The Pacific Mail Southern coas
steamer California put into San Dieg,
to coal Little dreamed those who wen
down to the wharf of the Pacific Mai
Company of the terrible story which
was told of mere child OF eleve,
years, who was on board, named Lol
1 Arroa.
On n stretcher in the steerage lay
girl who certainly was not twelve year
of age. As the experience is witt
Southern females, she was far advance,
to womanhood, and the lines of he
form indicated a sensuous and beautiful
physical development. 1t is well tC
dwell upon such engaging characters
tics as the poor creature retained, foi
the ruin which had been wrought upon
her is almost too fearful to detail, and
the storyof the atrocity is such as could
hardly be paralleled elsewhere on earth
in this nineteenth century. Lola mus,
nave been beautiful girl, for her form
retained grace and symmetry that ma
ture must certainly have carried to com.
pletion in her face.
This child-woman was n charred ruin.
A fire brand had been held to her nose,
burning it almost completely off. The
blistered flesh was still angry and in
famed, giving an indescribably loath-
some and pitlable aspect to the poor
creature. Her cheeks were one mass Of
charred flesh, pulpy and erubescent
with the recent passage Of irebrand.
Her eyebrows and lashes were burned
off, and her eyeballs We're scared by the
blasting flame. Liberal rs is the en-
dowment of the Mexican woman with
wavy masses of black hair, not a hair
was left upon Lola's head. One is
obliged to recur to some of the terrible
pictures of Dante or Spenser to get an
idea of the fearful and yet appealing de-
formity of this poor girl. The auto de
fe was merciless thing in the old days,
but that was carried to a decent end and
left merely mass of calcined rubbish.
Here the destruction was as complete,
but the victim was allowed to live to
be an object of horror during a life
time, instead of a thing of beauty and
a Joy forever, as nature intended her to
be.
The story of Lola and her mother is
incredible. They were taken ON by the
California at Mazatlan on the 4th of
July. They had been living at the vii
lage of Copala, about fifty miles from
Mazatlan. A word as to the mother may
not be amiss. She has noble features,
a clear skin, and splendid masses of
blue black hair.
They lived on the outskirts of Copala
On the 18th of June, Antonio Murillo,
one of the lieutenants or under chiefs
of the ruffian Lozada, with small force,
came into the neighborhood of Copala.
The Arroa house was detached. The
husband, wife and Lola were its sole
inmates. They seized upon the mother,
doubtless attracted by her personal
charms, and the child Lola. The hus
band Offering resistance, he was shot
down and the house fired.
Hurrying swiftly from the scene of
blood, mother and daughter were swept
with the brigands, who were on horse
back, toward the mountains. The TRACE
dy was enacted about four o'clock in the
afternoon. The brigands haF been
riding all day, and after going, rs near
as the mother could guess, twenty miles
from Copala, they camped fort night.
They We're too tired to think of aught
utsleep that night and after dispatch
ing a hastily prepared meal and quatfing
literally of mescal they lay down to
sleep, binding the mother to one of the |
brutes and the child to another, The |
mother watched her chance, and when |
the ruffians were in the deep sleep OF |
fatigue she succeeded in slipping the |
vithes which bound her and making her
escape. arriving the next day at Copala
with bleeding feet.
She did not release Lola, because she
vas afraid of arousing the rutfians, and
lid not think the child could make the
Quincy. She thought, besides, that
Lola's tender years would protect her
rom abuse.
The brigands, on awaking next morn
ng and finding the mother gone, vented
heir fury in blows upon poor Lola.
they pursued their journey to the
and from thence sent in
demand for ransom for Lola. They
made it so large that it was beyond the
ability to pay it. A govern
nent force was sent in pursuit one week
rom the day of capture, on the Goth of
Tune. The ruffians not receiving the
'ansom demanded, took irebrand and
,eared the child as we have described.
The object undoubtedly was to put her
o lingering death by the most tiendish
ortures, protracted from day to day.
The government forces came upon Mu
lilo and his band in the night time,
outed them and rescued the MANNED
md ruined Lola
Mother and child left a country of
uch atrocities and horror, and are now
III their WAY to San francisco ON the