Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1882-03-07

gro rode up to the open door. He
was armed with lance, from the
extremity OF which Heated a scar
let peDnon (this color being the
badge OF the Government forces,
as white was that of the revolu-
tionists), q bell-mouthed blunder-
buss which dangled from the sad
die bow, huge revolver, and q
long, straight ns0chete, or cutlass.
Barely saluting the AlcaIde, and
without dismountipg, he placed
dispatch on the end of his lance,
and handed 1t to me, who sat near.
est to the door. /, in time, handed
it to the official, who opened and
read it, remarking, as he finished
its perusal, "where are the prison.
ers?" "Abeut two leagues outside
of the town the escort fell upon
and killed them,n was the calm
reply. "You are the officer COM
manding the escort, are you not?"
eyes," "Wsll, according to this
dispatch you are to deliver to me
two prisoners charged with being
suspected (only suspected, miDd) Of
taking part in the late rising.
Where are they?n "What do
know OF corpses!n This was said
with the utmost GOODNESS, and with
an indisoribable shrug of the
shoulders. "Then,n said the ~
calde, "you will go TO jaiI;" and,
calling upon the bystanders for
aid, he rushed to the door. The
mounted man endeavored to ride
of, but the crowd barred his way.
Dropping his lance he drew his
asdchete, and, skillfully mansuver-
Ing his horse, evaded seizure while
gradually working his way out of
the throng which now filled the
street. The day before General
Trujillo, Commsnder-in-Chie of
the Government f0rces, and later
President of the Republic because
of his success In coDquering the |
insurgents, accompanied by a
small force, had arrived in town.
He, and two Of his staff, now APP
peared upon the scene, and, some |
soldiers coming up with their ri.
fles, the fellow was dragged from
his horse and lodged in jail. For
some years the dea b penalty bad
been abolished in Colombia, but
martial law had been proclaimed,
and inter 0rn,G silent lcges. AS
usual, the mob cried "Crucify him,
cruelty himv' and an officer of the
staff assured me that General
TrUjillo would have the assassin of
helpless prisoners shot at day.
resk. But these were empty
words from q hOt.headed young
captain; by day-break he was rid
ing toward the front, accompany
ing the candidate for the Pfesi-
dency, who left the matter to the
civil authorities, these having no
right even to keep the murderer in
Jail.
The coroner is an official un-
known to Colombian law, and the
0l0QIde acts In that capacity also.
On the afternoon of the murder the
alcalde sent out for the dead bodies
which the escort had left by the
wayside, for the purpose of verify.
ing the the crime and giving dc.
cent burial to the victims, and
they were brought to the plaza
tied on q hurdle drawn by a sorry.
looking mule. The'eyes OF the poor
wretches were staring wide, as
though in mute surprise at tie I'M.
expected suddenness of their TAX
ing-off. The severed left hand of
one was tied by cord to q button.
hole of his shirt, with devilish Gun.
ming a mschete-stroke had wider
ed his mouth to the ears, the CORY
ohasm being filed with broken
teeth, and in two places lance
had passed through his body, clad
only in the shirt and tr0wsers end.
ing ut the knee which constitute
the apparel Of men Of his class.
The other corpse had but two
wounds - two strokes OF the
machette, crosswise like an x, had
laid open his belly, and from the
bloody gap protruded portions of
the entrals which trailed along the
ground as the hurdle moved. Such
was the fate Of two miserable
peOnes, arrested solely on suspl. {
Glen, but whose lot it was to fall
into the hands of neighbors, pOssi-
bly, kinsmen.
The commander of the escort re. /
manned in the city prison, u white
elephant to the. city authorities;
no attempt was made to arrest his ,
men, come of whom l saw in the
center of listening knots Of open.
mouthed fellows engaged in relat-
ing the details Of the tragedy. The
machete of the commander of the
escort came into my pOssessien;
on attempting to draw it I found
that it was glued with blood to the
leathern scabbard-the brute had
not even wiped the weapon.
Within q week the stirring events
of the campaign, and the plotting
going on among certain acquaint-
ance of my own, who were waiting
impatiently the hour when they
might OPPORTUNITY throw of all
disguise In order to rise in arms
rs they did very soon sfterward-
had banished from the converse.
ton and the thoughts OF the gener-
al public all remembrance of the
late atrocity. Some ten days after
1t, occurrence heard one morning
tue sound OF the drum aud the fife,
and FASTENED to the plaza. l found
u crowd Assem- bled there, surround
ing the men of the battalion which
had been left in &c rrison by Tru-
lille. The soldiers stood at ease,
forming three sides OF hollow
square about the great door of the
prison, and were uns rmed; the cor
porals, however, bore each q small
bundle of coffee twigs, about four
feet in length. While l was in.
curing of q bystander the mean
ing of all this, 1 caught the eye of
my friend, the AIcatde, who beck
oned me to where he stood with
the officers of the troops within the
hollow square. As took my
place beside him, the prison door