The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-25
ALF0ASO'S ESCAPE,
History of 0tero Gonzalez, Who Tried to
q, Assassinate the King and Queen Of
Spain at the Gates of the
Royal Palace,
Madrid Correspondence of the London Stand :

| About ten months ago there eane from a
| village near Mondonedo, In the province Ut
| Lugo, far away across the mountains ng Can
| tahIla. n Iad of nineteen summers who lik q
| many OF those sturdy, lahorious ,nta,ntaln-
| GERS, thought he could seek a fortune In tho
capital of Spain. AusttlaIi1 and Gafleians
when they do not GROSS the Atlantic to e,ui-
CRATE in the pampas OF Buenos Ayrea, or to
seek doubaons In Havana, speed their wsy by
| diligence aud rail to Madrid, where they are
seen In the fish market. In the
| fountains, carrying water about or as
the sefappninted corps of commission
| ers Of the Gastilian capital harder
and more lahorious race cannot be met
with, and their probity is az proverbal a.
their energy In boarding up to return To the
native glens and villages II their sierras near
| the restless Bay Ut Riscay. The lad that
came from Lugo left behind him an aged
and widowed mother He brought will him
a brother, about thirteen years old, whom he
/ placed In some trade here and he himself
| started modest pastry cooks shop with
money lent by ~ relative, q porter ut one Of
| the government offices. At first tho young
Aalcan prospered. but with winter his trade
slapkeued, and hts relative, Disguised with
drew the money and the stock, SO that tho lad
was east upon his own resources Instead of
/ turning letter or water carrier, he took to
| ,averIs and low bars where he brooded over
/ hts bad prospects In even worse company. II
| was In one uf these fits nf dependency that
he met two low and ill-famed barkeepera
who iokingly. and half In earn ct, jpered at
his idees OF suicide, and ineituated that II he
| were Indeed 81 desperate IA to believe that
life was not worth struggle he might at
| least become famous by rlsking, like Mon
| east, his burdensome existence In taking
away that OF king. This Infamous sugges-
! tion-against which. however, ita supposed
authors now energstioaily protest ranked
| In the mind OF the peasant, until at last he
conceived the atrooious design OF carrying IL
out. A pistol was In his possession fort
nIttI
cn,neiIy trying 1t he wounded n mule near
the Atoeha, and was prosecuted by Its In
oensed owner The dread OF this prosecution
| and his increasing distress hastened on the
| CRISIS aud the prisoner himself eonfesses that
for days he had observed and studied the
movements Of his sovereign.
WAITING HIS OPPORTUNITY.
At last he noted that almost every day the
/ King, after ~ drive or excursion returned to
the palace at nightfall. very often, indeed
| without any guards. The rsgioide decided to
commit his crime ON December 40, and he
loaded hia double-barreled pistol and started
for the Plaza di Oriente, as the square In front
Of tho palace Is styled. He waited about the
gardens, which were full NJ nurses and chill
| dran and fixed upon the Principe gate IA the
most eligible spot for the commission of his
crime Before tho gate arc two large sentry
boxes from which tho soldiers paea to tho
road twenty yards off, and between the boxes
and tho palace Ia n space sufficient for q man
sening arms 10 passing carriage under the
pprtifo. As night began 10 fall the regicde
noticed tho crowd gathering, ~ In the dis
tanca toward the Mayor strest-a movement
announcing the arrival OF their maj asttes.
The wuuld-be assassin hurried to the sentrss
aa he saw the King approach and, unnntlosi,
ensconrnd hi.uself between the box and the
wall King Alfonso and Queen Christina had
driven out before =. 1t being ons Of the mild
est afternoons that we have sssn In this So
vare winter The glorious sunshine had
brought ont large crowds OF lonugers In tho
streets aud the Retro alive with fine
equipages and taams, As uana the throng
Of carriages had gone to the drive. where the
King aud Queen took several turns, His
Majesty hlpself was driving handsome
phaeton, and his pair of young and fiery
horses were not very traetabla. The Queen
looked quite happy aud lovely as she returned
the many marks or aympathy that greeted her
In tho Retro. Toward dusk Kiug Alfonso
drove hack by the Puarta del Sol aud down
tho GaIs Mayor to deboneh by the Armory
ealare. Mt the principal entrance OF the palace.
Just rs no nented the armury his animals
grew uneasy, and he pushed on to enter by
the Pusrta dol Principe. Bahnd him we're
two servants In plain royal liveries and ahead
| ~ singIe oniritter, Thus he approached tho
spot where the assassin was hiding, and
sackcninG the pace of his horses. the King
wheeled them to enter under the pertco slow
ly on account of tbs bgstandere. just as the
, horae had come nbreist OF the sentry box
the regiede sprang out and, leaning on tho
very carriage. fired his tlret shot mt the King.
His Majesty stooped slightly, and gathering
his reius firmly, dashed the carriage un-
, der the portiCo as tho Queen uttered ~ cry,
essping her royal partIors arm RI n second
bullet whIz2ed past smuggling tho hair Mt the
hack Of the head of ono Of tho royal servants
behind tho Qneen. Fhan. in his turn. as he
pulled up King Alfonso. We arc told. lent
down auxtously and kindly to see
II his youthful bride was hurt. Though
painfully shocked and awfully alarmed
ut this abomnable and dastardry
ly outrage her Majesty was able, with the as
, sistance OF King Alfonso, To alight and he
slowly assisted her up the great staircase.
, King Alfonso never in the whole SC me lost
bis presence OF mind. and calmed the fsars
OF the palace attendants and OF many Nom
bers OF tho Foreign Office, who had all rushed
into the courtyard around the phaeton.
) 0HKIsrINEs DISTRESS.
As soon as her Majesty WAS able to reach
the great saloon In the first floor OF the palace
she sank, nearly overpowered by emotion, on
n chair, where che was soon surrounded by
all tho royal family and by her household
, The Princess OF Asturlas, the Infantae Paz
and Eulalia, CountesseS Nniera, LlOrefte and
. CaderoD, and her own Austrian physician
were In attendance and the Queen soon tran
qulizsd all, confessed that her fearful alarm
, had been for Don Alfonso, who WAS nearest
the reglcide. The royal antechambers In less
than an hour began to I'LL with an eager and
anxious crowd of grandees, diplomats and
State funGti0Darle6, VINO came 10 congratulate
. their ma je3ties on their escape. Ladies' O
rank focked to the palace, and In the Lore
Chamberlain's office people OF all classes,
; workmen and ecclesiastlc3, men and women,
, eagerly came to inquire after their sovereign
! This manifestation and sympathy for the
King and Green was as general as inc OK
!; preston OF horror against the regtclde's deed
Until late hour many people stood before
; the palace and In the Plaza do Oriente
3 discussing and condemning the Offense
: against the young and lovely foreign Princess
who ONLY month ago arrived in Madrid as
bride, with all the hopes and illusions tina
exist at the threshold Of life even on the steps
of a throne. The King and Queen had at frs
determined to abstain from going TO tht
theatre that night on account OF the death o
! the President OF the Cortes, Senior Ayala, bu
after the attempt His Majesty decided TO e
to the Royal Opera House, which is situated
opposite to the palace In the Plaza de Oriente
There King Alfonso and Queen Christine me
one Of the most enthusiastic welcomes from