The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-14
THE sACKING OF CALI.
Fuller Details of the South American
Massacre and the circumstances That
ah IN


Led 20 IL.
The Panama Star and Herald has the fol-
lowing in reference to the sack of Cali, in adj
dition to the details already reported by tel
egraph:
1.-The biennial elections which took place
last year for the presidency of the union
and the nine federal states Unto which the
country is divided). gave rise TO a revolution
in the three Atlantic states of Bolivar, Mag
dalena and Panama, and to a split in the
dominant liberal party, which hencefOrth
became divided into two hostile sections.
The administration of PARA had not been
inaugurated when symptoms of violent
conservative reaction became visible, and in
July last q revolution broke out, headed by
the conservative governments of the foreign
states of Antioquia and Tolima.
"From the very commencement of the war
the province of Cali has been the chief
stronghold of the liberals, and the source
whence the government drew its greatest
supply of men and of means. The town of
Cali is by far the most important one of the
Cauca 1t occupies the center of the valley
formed by the river of that name, and COM
mands the road to Buenayentura, which is
the only port on the Pacific available for the
introduction of arms, ammunition and such
reinfOrcements as the federal government
might be enabled to send in case of urgent
need. The inhabitants can be roughly est
mated at about 10000, of which more than
two-thirdS may be said to consist of a vaga-
bond population OF black and mixed blood
imbued with intensely communist doc
trines, the remaining third being for the
most part of Spanish origin. There is also a
sprinkling of foreigners of all nations.
con the 18th of December last, at Z o clock
in the evening, a band of SOME 80 men,
mostly unarmed, under Carlos Patino,
entered the town and united under the
uaopactarv of Santa I ibraIo cifuafn1 ahorrf
two blocks from the principal plaza. This
building has been used for some time past as
a barracks and depot for government stores
and ammunition. The result was the cap
ture of the town by the conservatives. On
the whole the liberal inhabitants suffered no
particular annoyance beyond the loss of
some fire arms, horses and saddles.
"The hapless town was, however, to fall
into the hands of General David Pena, who
had already been associated with deeds of
cruelty and outrage that will render his
name forever infamous in the annals of his
country. He had started from Popayan
few days before the rising TO join the army
on the frontiers of Antioquia, but he had
only made two days march when, on the
18th of December, the news of the rising at
Cali reached him. At the same time he
heard that the government, fearing the con-
sequences of his return to Cali, had detached
General Thomas Rengifo who belongs to the
same school as Pana, but is nevertheless a man
of natural good sense, to take charge OF the
expedition. Pena determined none should
share with him the glory. as he termed it, of
DISCRIMINATING the Goths and delivering his
native town.
'His first step was consistent with his
ordinary mode of recruiting his men. The
doors of the Jail of Buga were thrown open
and its crew of oOnvicts, ruffians stained
with bloodshed and crime of every kind, IN
corporated with it's own troops, already con-
sisting in part of the sweepings of the pris-
ons The mans doctrines were known;
slaughter, robbery and destruction followed
i'm his footsteps, and for leagues around
bands of negroes, demoralized by drunken
ness, by vice. and by habitual depravity,
hocked to his standard. Each town, each
village, furnished its contingent, aud by the
time he reached Palmira, the center
of the tobacco growing district, hun
dreds Of fugitive liberals from Cali itself
had joined him, composing a motley crowd,
variously estimated at from 1000 to 1000
Pmen large proportion mounted and armed
with lances, others with rifles. guns and old
musl<ets; all carrying cptlasses and many
axes crowbars and other implements of
which they had. stripped the estates and
plantations on their line of march, leaving
desolation behind them, threatening annihi-
lation to all whose skins were not as black
as the hearts of these ruffians.
"At daylight on the oath of December, the
small body of conservatives at Cali, observ-
ing Pena' : approach, furiously attacked his
advance guard, but their number was so in
significant that they were soon cut to pieces
What followed is Undesirable. The inhabi-
tants. awakened by the firing saw the lib
erals pouring into the town by all the prin-
cipal streets leading into the plaza with
cries of Death to the Goths; long live Pena.
Down with the shameless Goths.' In a dense
mass of mingled horse and foot they advanced
on the municipality-a dusky crowd of yell
ing miscreants, bedizened with red ribbons
and streamers, made mad with drink and
thirsting for blood and destruction.
while few were breaking down the
doors of the prison where the liberals who
had been taken on the 18th of December
were confined, the majority spread in every
direction in search of plumber. A momen-
tary check, however, was caused by loud
explosion inside the municipality, and the
confusion now increased tenfold by the
shrieks of the prisoners in that building. IL
soon appeared that the conservatives, antici-
pating the probability of defeat. had deter
mined to blow up the magazine and bury
themselves and their adyersaries in the
ruins. Most fortunately for the town, only
a few boxes of cartridges Ignited; still the
| shock blew out one side of the municipality.
causing the death of the reckless partisan
who deliberately fired the train.
LAS these events were taking place. Gene
raj Pena rode in after his men. Like them
he was the worse for drink, and now he de-
liberately ordered the town to be sacked,
| giving his banditti five hours license to slay,
| TO rob, and to outrage the defenseless inhab-
itants. IL is needless to say his orders were
but too Enthusiastically obeyed."