Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-12-28

| Vera Cruz. The MeXicans stood in thei,
| doors and booted them out of town
During the period Of occupation, they
had ransacked Mexico thoroughly, from
iehauntepec To Chihauhau, and taught
tie Mexicans more tricks than they had
learned before i'll Il hundred years.
I'VE were bad enough before they
came the Nexicans naively say "But
the French taught us new deviltries.''
Lett with "no choice betwixt disgrace
and death" MaXimilian seems to have
deliberately chosen the latter-despite
the efforts of his friends and the en-
traties OF his heroic wife. Mr.. Seward
Is known to have recommended that his
life he spared. Juarcz replied, "a
great and powerful nation, like the
| nted States, can afford to he merciiul
| Mexico is too poor and weak"
The place Of execution it dreary lit
tie hll, sparsely covered with thorn
scruh and prickly pear, and strewn with
rusty brown volcanic stones. They call
1t the sierra de las campdnds, the hill
Of far bells: it is not quite "a mile out
ot Queretaio. The three doomed men
welr taken from the convent, which had
served as their prison, ont to this desc
late spot, in three of the public coaches
a priest accompanied Maximilan
The spectators tell some rather pathetic
incidents of the morning. The priest
became so affected that he fantei TAX
ing Il bottle of smelling-salts from his
pocket, MaXimiian kindly assisted to
reviv.' him. From some cause the door
of lis coach stuck fast; he stepped
lightly out through the panel, having
lowered the glass drop.
Tie entire patriot army was drawn
up, on and around the hill; and. wall
OF "dObes had been laid up behind
vii" { the unfortunate men were to stand,
to l'reive the bullets of the firing party
II was SO arranged that Maximilian
should stand in the centre; and the wall
had been built little higher there, he
being the tallest OF the three. But
when they got out, Maximilian said to
Mi anon:
You shall have the post OF honor,
general; you shall stand at the centre
and at your left"
And half-playfuily, half-affectionately,
he placed Miramon in the middle.
T.;e officer in command of the firing
party ;nterposed and said,. at cannot
be so, senor."
"!-nrely so tritiing request as this
need not be refused" Maximlian said,
gently.
One o; the Mexican generals sitting
on his !'n-se a few PAGES away waved
his hanI in token of assent, and it was
80 arranged.
When they had taken their place,
Maximii.an made a few quiet, unaffected
remark. 1t was the lot of men in his
station in life, he said, to either live for
the goo of the people, or to be mar
tyrs; tat he had wished well to Mexico,
and that he earnestly hoped that his
blood would be the last blood shed in
civil dissensions.
A few dOubloOns still remained in his
purse; he handed it to the officer and
asked him to distribute them to the SOL
diers Of the firing party-''To the poor
fellows who have this last disagreeahla
duty to perform for me-
H., then placed handkerchief over his
beard that it might not be burned by
the powder; for the squad had been Or
derel to stand very close. within six CIR
eight feet. This was his last act be-
fore receiving the fatal discharge. All
three met their fate bravely and decent
ly; and they suffered greatly. The first
fire was not fatal and had to be repeated.
The adobe wall has crumbled away;
but pits for three black crosses have
been excavated on the spot where they
stood. Some time, perhaps more be-
fitting monument may be reared on the
sierra de las campanas, commemora-
tive Of this peculiarly tragic and pathetic
episode of nineteenth-century history