The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-12-11

| Will she pause When she shall find IL?
VIII she know it? Who can say?
.s- -Scrid'er for November
COUNT POMBAL'S CAREER.
On the I'd of August, 1878, a horribl.
scene TOOK place on the Amazon parade
ground, near the Portuguese capital, the
city of Lisbon.
Thirty-two prisoners, heavily ironed
were led out on foot to that sinister place
which was popularity known as "The
Field of Blood" For here took place thu
executions of political prisoners, which
had become frightfullv numerous since
Joseph Emmanuel assembled the rova
throne of Portugal, and Jose de Carvalhe
Count PombaD had become the kings
! prime minister. -. -s. 10.
On this occasion, besides q full regi
ment of infantry, many thousand specta
tors had assembled on the parade grounds
the most of the victims that were to be
slain were popular young noblemen that
had aroused the suspicious or incurred
the ill-will of the all-powerful prime
minister.
so great, however, was the terror with
which the hearts Of the people Of Lisbon
were filed that no one dared to utter q
syllable when the mournful procession OF
doomed men came in sight. They pre-.
sented truly pitiful appearance. Few
OF them were over thirty years old. All
were livid, not few shed tears and
groaned and sobbed aloud.
Upon arriving in front Of the soldiers
they were ordered to hneel down. The
clanking of their chains produced hor-
rlble sound as they obeyed the order.
Some, however, were SO dszed that they
remained standing,
"Kneel down" shouted the comman-
der of the troops.
They knelt down, too.
-, "a priest! A priest!' walled one of
the victims.
"Ah! suppose you would like to
have aJesuit attend you!'' exclaimed the
commander. mo. His excellency,
Count Pombal, has expressly forbidden it.
Die now the death of traitors to your
country and to his majesty, our gracious
king, Joseph Emmanuel
Sixty soldiers stepped forward and
began firing at the kneeling victims.
The scene that now ensued beggars
description. The soldiers were bad
marksmen. They cruelty wounded but
did not kill the wretched men. The lat
ter rolled convulsively in the dust Some
yelled in their agony, others moaned and
g1oaned piteously.
Shocking to relate. ten minutes
elapsed before the last of them was dead.
The spectators had witnessed the
bloody butchery, shuddering and in the
most profound silence.
Grave-diggers buried the victims where
they were lying, the soldiers started back
to the city, and the crowd slowly dis
persed.
1.-TWO well-dressed men walked slowly
from "The Field of Blood" toward Lisbon.
"Dom Rayrte," said one of them at
last, "this Count Pombal is monster of
cruelty
Dom Rsyrte shrugged his shoulders.
'Dom Avila," he replied, II think
Count Pombal is a blessihg for our coun-
try. Leok what he has done for Lisbon.
Three years ago, owing to that terrible
earthquake, our beautiful capital was
almost in ruins. Count Pombal has re-
quilt it more magnificent than ever"
"But our jails are crowded with prison
ers of state, Dom Ravrte-"
"Who is to blame for it but the nobil-
ity and the Jesuits!'
''Ah, yes. Pombal is a philosopher"
said Dom Avila bitterly. !.
.'And he is right. A new era is dawn
ing upon the nations"
THE new sun is rising blood-red in
Portugusl."
1T is the fault of Pombal's victims
themselves. They would kill him if they
could and dared.'
"They will first try their luck upon the
weak king, who is q helpless tool in the
hands Of Pombal; and tell you the last
hour OF Joseph Emmanuel is drawing
nigh
''You know it2''
II do know it."
'sIf you are the recipient of such trail
t0rOus secrets, Dom Avila, our acquain.
lance must cease
II have no objection, Dom Rayrte."
They parted with sardonic bows.
Dom Rayrte solicited, an hour later, at
the palace Of the prime minister, an in
terview with Count Pombal.
The latter was unquestionably gen.
Jus, and he believed that, to carry out his
grand ideas of reform, it was necessary
for him to crush the Portuguese nobility,
and to expel the Jesuits from the country.
As tor the king, he was like wax in the
hands of his great minister. Joseph En-
manuel Of Portugal was man without
brains. He hated government cares, and
all he cared for was women and wine.
He would go of nights in disguise into
the streets Of Lisbon in quest Of amorous
adventures, and had repeatedly thereby
got himself into very unpleasant scrapes.
Dom Rayrte told Pombal what Dom
.Avila had said to him. ii