The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-02-11

A P1oUs cANNIBAL.

PIOUS CANNIBAL. sss
Garcia Moreno, President of the Republic
of Ecuador. Fries Woman's Brains in
{; Blood aud Eats Them - Htt-
Panama Correspondents of the San Francisco
......r e.r Chronicle. -fsst.fg
Ofall the republics in South or Cen
trail America that of Ecuador is the
most backward, despotic, and bloody.
Under the sway of its president, Gar
cia Moreno, this republic presents a
monstrosity. With a republican form
OF governments universal suffrage and
free press and free speech engraven
upon its constitution, it has neither
one nor the other. Moreno is tyrant,
and, from all accounts, as bloody q
tyrant as eyer desecrated the earth. He
is the idol of the religious element of
the country, and Ecuador is intensely
religious. The monks are the FORE
most men of the nation they are. in
fact, the masters who ownMoreno. He
in turn is their master. They play the
Mutual Admiration society, and be-
.tweensthem the country is stepped in
infamy and Ignorance They have
set up barriers against all advance
ment, have throttled the press, and
whoever dares to express an opinion
against the existing order of things
finds his bastile. The old fable of the
'sMan with the Iron Mask has .
dreadful Significance. One editor is
playing the role there, and for over
seven months has been incarcerated in
a filthy hole for daring to say that
President Moreno was guilty of grave
otfenses against the country. prs
His holiness the pope must read
with rare pleasure the solemn acts of
the free and independent republic Of
Ecuador. His faithful devotee, Presi-
dent Garcia Moreno, has, as cabinet
members, learned Jesuits, and they
have prevailed upon Moreno and the
republics Legislators to enact certain
class of laws, whereby religion, NOR
ality, and order are to be preserved.
The first and most remarkable edict is
that which divides the army into four
divisions, with such fanciful titles in
detail as "Division of the Son of God"
division of the Good Shepherd"
.'HoIy Lancers Of Death" "Warriors
of the Blessed Virgin" etc. In thus
organizing the army, the republic was
first, with great pomp and solcmnity,
put under the protection ofthe ''Sacred
Heart of Jesus" President Moreno
is commander chief, and every
officer and soldier is sworn to uphold
and defend the t'holy Roman Catholic
church," The organization of this
army has created derision among the
other republics of South America.
Some journals, however. look upon it
in grave light and consider that it is
the renewed effort of the clergy to get
political as well as religious power in
their hands. They have thoroughly
this in Ecuador, and it
being so, what is 70 hinder them from
pushing their Lonquests into neigh
boring republics? AS will be seen
hereafter they are making the effort.
A Peruvian paper gives an account
of most atrocious act Of brutality
perpetrated by Garcia Moreno. 1t is
nothing else but cannibalism. This
Nero of South America held oil invet-
crate hatred toward q prominent citi-
zen and his family. He has his own
characteristic and bloody way of put
ting his enemies at rest. In this last
case he had disposed of all except a
woman. Her he had arrested and,
guarded by a file of soldiers, led to
his two bastiles-one constructed for
himself in case of emergencies, the
other to put his "friends' out of the
way when desirable. In the latter
bastile the woman was beheaded, and,
horrible to relate, Garcia had her
brains fried in her blood to eat them.
This, he said, forever cleansed the
country of its enemies. AtrOcious
and brutal as this act of cannibalism
seems, the history of the man guaraI-
tees that he was capable of it. The
Spanish journals are giving wide cir
culation to the heinous deed, and
some of them call upon the civilized
governments to interfere and punish
the monster. The acts, however, will
go unchastised and Moreno will con-
,inue his brutalities. At latest ac-
counts he was arresting and imprison-
ing men, women, and children. All
who will not bow down to himself
and the olissrchy at his command are
mark ed as the enemies of religion, and
as such are to be shown no mercy. A
reign of terror exists reign of SUI
perstition is impending. Think of it,
in this day and age; the people of
Ecuador are thronging the churches
praying for rain and invoking the AL
mighty God to protect the pope and
Carols Moreno from their enemies. 1t
is not our desire 10 bring the good
pope into obloquy by coupling his
name with such monster as Moreno.
We simply state fact, and let the
reader draw his own conclusion.
WHAT is gratitude? Gratitude is
the memory of the heart.
Whit il hone 2 IInne is The blossom