The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-02-16
A DIPLOMATIC RETREAT.
How the Representatives of Eng.
land and the United states
fastened Away from
lima

fastened Away from
Lima.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11.-A mem.
Der of the diplomatic corps present
makes the following statement:
"The surrender Of Lima, Peru.
which occurred on the 18th of Jan,
uary, 1881, was made notable to
Minister Christiancy, of the United
States Government, as we'll as the
entire diplomatic corps, from the
several narrow escapes they had
from being killed, the facts of
which have not yet been made gen
orally known.
"On the 18th of that month, at 9
p. m, Minister Christiancy, with all
of the diplomatic corps resident in
that city, embracing those of the
English, French, Spanish, etc, lega-
tions, went out TO Milaflores, a vii
lage five miles distant from Lima,
to receive from President Pierola
his answer to the terms offered by
the Gillian General Bagucdano
through the committee of the di-
plomatic corps, consisting of Mr..
Pinto. Salvadorian Minister, Dean
of the corps, and the French and
English ministers. The two armies
were drawn up in line of battle
hard by. but an armistice had been
arranged to terminate at II mid
night to hear the answer.
''Pierola and his staff were at
breakfast in q house, and commit
tee was waiting for HIM to come
out, when a single heavy gun was
discharged, fired through inadver-
tence. and in less than q minute
battle was raging, There was an
immediate stampede of the commit
tee, and in fact of the diplomatic
corps, who, en- masse, looked any
thing but dignified, and who flung
diplomacy to the winds as all strove
tooth and nail, heel and toe, to
reach Lima or anywhere where safe
quarters were te be had.
The English minister, Hon. Spen-
Ger St. John, wrote to his home
government graphic description
of their flight, concealing nothing
nor setting down aught in malice.
He says in his report: THE corps
divided, one party making for the
railroad train they had left but a
little while before, whilst another
party sought to gain the railroad
track far ahead of the train; MI
Christiancy, the United States
Minister, who was with the latter,
advising that course, saying that
though he was not actively engaged
in the late rebellion in his country,
yet he understood flanking. ] join
ed the Christiancy party, and the
race for life commenced. The shot
and shell came thick and fast. and
our party displayed all the leg &C
tivity each one was capable of.
Shells would explode in front of us,
causing temporary hault, when an
enormous solid shot in our rear.
blowing up the ground for rods and
throwing the dirt over and around
US, would give sudden impetus to
a forward movement, and we would
again hasten toward Lima.
"The United State Minister felt
badly. Aged, tall and Of a figure
rot adapted to gymnastic exercises,
he made but sorry work, and l felt
for him deeply, The perspiration
rolled off him, and at times his legs
would totter and he but fcebly stag
gered on. 1t looked very serious
for us, but l endeavored to cheer
him up.
"After narrow escape from a
round shot l cried to him, keep up
a good heart, your excellency, re-
member Your wife at home. Oh,
d--n my wife, was the startling re-
ply. but I noticed with much salts
faction that the thought seemed to
give him renewed vigor, for he had
moved on with increased speed, do
ing excellent work for while.
Through deep marshes, over
hills, climbing walls, etc, we push
ed on toward Lima, the shot, the
shell, the dirt flying all around us.
The distance from Lima to Mllafore
is but five miles, but we must have
travelled over twice that distance to
reach the capital. 1t was late when
we got there, Mr.. Christiancy, our
leader forlorn, detected and in an
exhausted condition, the rest of us
but little better
In dispatch, No. $50, dated Ii
ma, January %, 1881, sent by Mr..
Christiancy to Secretary Evarts. the
proof sheets of which have just been
issued at the government printing
office, may be found corroborative
evidence of Mr.. St. Johns epistle.
The dispatches and all letters and
communications in reference to Chill
ian and Peruvian affairs for the past
year and more are being published
and will soon be issued in book
form, a volume making over six
hundred pages. In Mr.. Christian
cy's dispatches, after stating pretty
much the same as Mr.. St. John. the
going out to Milafores and the I'M
expected firing of heavy gun, he
goes on to say:
"The diplomatic corps fled to the
rear toward Lima for their lives.
Some reached the railroad train, but
others, like myself, endeavored to
strike the railroad ahead of the
train, but being cut off by walls and
bitches, were compelled to walk
devious course back to Lima. 1 was
one of the latter unfortunate class,
was under the shells of the CHILEAN
fleet and army, falling thick around
me for two hours before could get
out Of range. climbing perpendlcu
lar walls between fields and around
chacras and old buildings, wading
water courses and travelling some
eight miles to get four miles ahead.
until my muscular powers were en-
tirely exhausted; finding on my re-
turn some six or seven hundred ref
ugees, women and children, in the
legation, who had sought asylum
there, and before 9 o'clock at night
over twelve hundred, which increas-
ed next day and night to over fif-
teen hundred of all nationality, and
all this while more than half the