The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-09


Horrible Details of the Recent shocking
Massacre N the Valley of the Gauca-A
Drunken General Incites His Troops to.
Unparalleled Acts eff Atrocity - The
Town of Cali, I'm Colombia, DESTROYED
and Its Inhabitants Butchered. Robbed
and Burned.
A letter to the Panama Star and
Herald, giving details of the recent hor-
rible scenes at Cali, in the GAUGE, says
that Gen. Pena, who commanded the
Liberals, was drunk, and gave his drunk
en- soldiers five hours freedom,
during which they gave themselves
ND to every excess. Neither age.
nor sex were spared. Many Conserve
tives were dragged from their hiding
places and killed before the eyes of their
wives and daughters, who met a worse
fate before they were killed in turn.
Eighty. seven houses in the center of
the city were plundered, and the
churches robbed. The murders num-
bered several hundred. Foreigners
lose $50, 900 to $500, 900 in Cali alone.
In the suburbs these scenes were kept
I'D for several days, and the country
nearly ruined. Palmira escaped the
fate of Cali by paying $500, 900 ransom
The houses of the Italian Consul, and
of an American merchant named Mac
Cune, were plundered. Fears were en-
tertained that the civil war will degen-
crate into war of races. The foreigners
are flying.
The letter detailing the massacre
continues: "Crowds of furies in the
shape of women of the lowest class, in
many cases with their offspring at their
heels, swarmed in the streets, bounding
the excited mob to break down all doors
not immediately thrown open. ALI
shawls, handkerchiefs, table covers,
petticoats, and everything bearing the
distinctive colors of the invaders. all
| trusted to a broken reed for safety. BY
midday most of the stores were
cleared of their contents. Men,
women and children were staggering
in every direction under the burden of
their spoils, and were in turn maltreated,
knocked down, and sometimes even
killed, and deprived by their fellow
thieves of the proceeds of their rober-
les. Barrels and cases of wines and
spirits were turned into the streets, and
saturnalia of drunkenness began that
will never be forgotten by those who
have had the misfortune to witness the
deplorable scenes. Alter the first rush
On the stores had procured them an
abundance of drink, bands of frenzied
men patrolled the town, firing and hack
ing e., cry living creature, but unsatlated
with the slaughter in the streets
they poured into the houses of the Liber-
ais and Conservatives alike, mostly,
though, the latter, and continued the
work of murder and destruction. All
Conservatives were rutll]essly killed, and
many Liberals who tried to arrest the
barbarians In their progress or to shield
friends or relatives, and persons sus-
pected of sympathiziug with the Con-
servatives, or of having no decided
opinion in politics, shared the same fate.
But all horrors are as nothing compared
with the still more frightful excuses
perpetrated in the suburbs and on the
estates in the surrounding cOun-
try. There murder, lust, robbery
and incendiarism have continued
unchecked for days together. All
small shopkeepers have been deprived
of house and home, all estates ravaged,
cattle driven away or shot, hedges torn
down, cane-felds burned, and even
machinery destroyed so as to render it
useless to its owners. The Government
at Bogota has condemned the acts of
Gen. Pera, but, owing to his popularity
and influence In that region, it was i'm
| possible to remove him. There were no
foreigners killed, but their property has
been confiscated In the most shameless
manner"