Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-01-09
A REBELLION IN PATAGONIA.
The Gillian Convicts at Putna Arenas
Murder the Garrison Chief and Burn
Half the Town.

Murder the Garrison Chief and Burn
Half the Town.
A story comes to us to-day from Val
paraiso by way of Panama Of a formid-
able outbreak in one Of the most re-
mote, secluded, end dismal regions of
the inhabited globe. We were about
to say of the habitable globe, but it is an
open question perhaps whether Punta
Arenas or Sandy Point in Patagonia
ought to be called habitable, spot.
Near by it, indeed, and within sight of
it's desolate roadstead, can be made out
on the blacklist OF hills the miserable
ruins of Port Famine, abandoned in
despair more than quarter of a cen
fury ago In 1850 the CHILEAN govern
ment with the Argentine republic ever
since the expulsion Of the Spaniards
from South America, came to an agree
ment with the sister republic and occu
pied under that agreement the eastern
shore Of Brunswick Peninsula, in the
Straits of Magellan, erecting there a
small fort to overawe the natives, and a
series of buildings for the purposes of
a penal colony. For many years the
place to which the Punta Arenas was
given remained penal station and
little more. But as soon as steam nav
igation began in earnest through the
Straits, coal depots were established
there, and a trade began in guano and
skins with the Pantagonla. A few shops
and drinking places for sailors grew up;
some adventurous Swiss colonists were
sent there to try their hands at plant
ing and mining, and the place gradually
assumed something like the aspect of a
town. 1t contains at thefpresent time
less than thousand inhabitants, III
Guiding the convicts; and as the eli
mate during a great part of the year is
intensely cold and harsh, it is not at all
an inviting residence. The post of gov
ernor has acquired during the last four
or five years some little importance in
consequence of the increasing jealousies
between the CHILEAN and the Argen-
tines; and four years ago there was
some expectation Of hostilities there
between the CHILEAN garrison and a
body of Argentines believed to be on
their way under the command of Ore
Illus the First, the French King of
Arancania,o to seize the post. The
criminals sent to Punta Arenas have
been of the worst sort, and. there can
be no doubt that they have been treat
ed with great rigor 1t is this fact which
seems to have led to the outbreak now
reported from Valparaiso. The tele-
gram informs us, under date of Novem-
Der % from Chill and Of December Is,
from Panama. that the rebellion was
organized solely for the purpose of ex-
terminating Captain Guizlade. chief
of the garrison. The governor was at
first entirely unable to quell the re-
bellion. The rebels after cruelty assas-
sinating the captain, set fire to the
buildings, including the hospital with all
the patients In it. The church and the
house of the priest have escaped injury.
The rebels stole $1,000 from the trea-
sury and robbed all the houses of COM
merce. In the confusion they were
killing each other. OF the houses COM
posing the colony, only about half re-
main standing. The total number
killed is forty, with fourteen wounded.
The CHILEAN navy is small but eff
cient, and there can be no doubt that
order will soon be re-established. The
rebels on the approach of the men-of-
war which have doubtless already been
despatched to bring them to terms will
probably make for the interior, where
they are likely to fare as badly at the
hands of the Patagonians as they posi-
bly, could at these Of their civilized
brethren.