The Portland daily press., 1885-04-18
UNFORTUNATE REPUBLIC.
The Disastrous Revolution which
Has Scourged the Isthmus.
A Review Of Its History, and Some Of
the Consequences.
Good Work Done by United States
Officers and Men.

O1AC6rS anu M6n,
PANAMA, April ae long and disastrous rev.
oiution whicl epopulating and running
the republice since vember last has led to the
most awful consequences which up to the present
has stained the annals Of the revolutionary Spanish
America. The correspondence hence has already
described how Gen. Santo Domingo villa was sent
from Bogota, the capital to take charge of the ma
tional garrison here and how the command of these
men enabled him to force himself into the presiden
cy Of this State, Then the outbreak of Gait
an and capture by him of the most important of
the Atlantic ports. When this occurred Gen, villa
VINO was both president Of Panama and commander
OF tne army on the coast had to choose which Office
ne would retain, and he choose the military position
Ihen after raising all the money he could he left
Carthagepa with majority of the Panama garrison
leaving Or. Pablo Arosmena as President and Gen.
eral 0ov1ma as commander of the troops.a
Gradually the latter found himself without mon
ey to pay his men and urged President Arosmena to
raise forced loan On the President refusing GEN
0ovlma requested him to resign, declaring that he
would assume command as the civil and military
chief of the State.
DR.. Arosmena at once left the Isthmus and Goyi-
ma proclaimed himself although he had men.
Rumors of approaching strife at once become
rendering danger Imminent. Gen. Aizpuro, who
had previously been President of the State CON-
menced to establish camp at Farfon, little viii
lage on the beach, situated about three miles from
this city and although at first apparently successful
he returned on learning that the Project Of Aspi-
wall with all the soldiers and police he had had left
that city for the scene Of conflict this sde This
left the Altar tic port of the Ishmus without a sin
gle representative of either State or national gov.
character to occupy the barracks and prisons and
with arms he obtained to seize the town. Troops
Wnleh came from Aspinwall had skirmish with
Aizpura's men at Corozal fonr miles hence by rail
and were successful in forcing passage and REIN
forcing the few men who were penned up in this
CITY. This raised the strength of the garrison to
$50 men, who patrolled the street nightly and kept
constantly onsthe iaert fearing that Aizpura would
sooa make another dash.
solely and entirely due to Govima having ordered
the abandonment of the city, created CONSERVATION
tnere he at once imposed lseries of forced terms
upon all his polical enemies and commenced prep
arations to resist should he be attacked. At the
came time he made violent threats as TO what he
would do If he was interfered with, declared that
he was acting for himself that he would not recog-
nlze either of the governors in Panama, and that
foreign consuls and n-ofwar should recognize
nlm as the legitimate authority in the port. This
declaration produced imuch friction between him
and United States Consul Wright Mr.. Connor
the agent Of the Pacific Mail Co., and all who had
business withThe so-called government. Finally,
the alarm increasing, the Galena was moored along
slde Of Upper Mole, although subsequently, she was
WlGhdrawn. Soon Preston had motley crowd OF
between 500 and 400 men under arms. Among tho
number were Jamaicans, Haytiens, Martinicicans
Greeks, Italians, and id fact renegades of all
tonai1tie5 ready to commit any crime if they could
profit thereby. Many were armed with rifles Of
all descriptions and many with shot guns. Barri-
Q1r6CLloQ q
Haytien general named Portugal, and within them
the guns brought from Porto Bello were placed.
As the days passed the excitement increased. In
some way Preston managed to maintain an appear
ance OF order among his men who had the town
completely under their control through terror rath
er than otherwise. On Monday, March 29th, the
Pacific Mail steamer arrived with arms and am
munition on board consigned to ''0rder," and of
the approaching arrival of which the government
mere having been informed had prohibited their de-
livery 10 tne rebels or whatever the forces OF
preston may have styled themselves The vessel
mad scarcely reached her mooripgs when Preston
presented bill of lading and demanded their de-
livery. This was refused. Then Mr.. Connor then
acting agent Of the Pacific Mail Comp in Aspin-
wall, was arrested and taken to the calaboose
whilst the wharf and vessel passed into the hands
OF Prestop's people. Later in the day Capt. John
M. Dow, general agent of the Pacific Mail Com
pany, reached Aspinwallr and 3 conference fol-
lowed, at which Capt. Dow. Mr.. Connor Consul
Wright and Lieut.. Badd and Cadet Richardson of
were present. Capt Dow refused to deliver the
munitions of war or whatever the bill of lading
presented by Prestoa covered, after which Preston
ordered all 60 be taken to prison.
ana sent on board the Galena, after being advised
that the prisoners would be retained until the arms
were delivered, and that should an effort be made
to aid the men from the man of war, the hostages
would be shot. For this reason no men were land
cd. Later, Preston informed Consul Wright that
unless he ordered Capt Dow to deliver the arms he
would shoot all the prisoners at sundown, and the
necessary order was then given.
commander Kane, of the Galena, at this stepped
forward, and took possession of the Colon in the
name of the United States, and after moving her
rom rom her wharf made her tast to the Pacific mail
dock Then Preston marched Capt. Dow and Mr..
Connor, with some troops, to Monkey Hill, two
miles outside of Aspinwall, where an engagement
TOOK place with the troops sent hence to attack
Preston, in which the latter was defeated and re-
tired to Colon, During this engagement Dow and
Connor succeeded in eirecting their escape and by
Daylight, after much suffering, had succeeded in
reaching their vesseIs in the bay. At this time the
whole availa Jle force of the Gaena with machine
gun, a 3-inch rifle and 12-pound hswitzer was on
OCCuDTiQQ IJOita1
late, the Panama railroad office and the Pacific
mali wharf and office.
pering some l2O, advanced upon the town, and a
heavy ire ensued. The scene in the town beppars
description. Bullets were flying in all directions.
and the terrified populace, abandoning homes and
fortunes, we're seeking safety in Eight The town
was entirely constructed of wood and the bullets
board. - '-i' -iouseS a. = 'N0s n"u O'en 0afa-
When defeat became certain to Preston, fires
commenced Many declare that Preston personally
nred the government house where the first fire
originated while others assert that the Haytien
General PORTUGAL was the author of the outrage.
He is the same man whe fred Jacmel in Hayti some
months ago. He is now, together with companion
q prisoner on board the Galena.
Directly after this one IRE had started dozen
were set In d1Herent directions. strong wind was
blowing and pandemonium Of fire, robbery, shout
ing ana misery enSued. All who could, fed on
board the ship. Fe| saved anything. For days
thousands OF The pepulace occupied fiat and box
cars which were hurriedly run oRt along the Pana-
ma railroad track, The United States marines and
salkoEs arc TSpOTCeu TO nave acted admirably.
Troops from the English gunboat Lilly were also
landed and assisted in keeping guard, but were
Wlthdrawn after the canal company had formed
guard for protection of their property. This guard
caught many Of the plunderers as did also the men
OF the Galena and all caught red handed were i'm
mIlediately tried, and on the following day shot
F1fty-eight persons, among them it is believed,
were several innocent persons, were thus summa-
riiy despatched. During the fight between the
some 20 or so persons were killed, while many
more were wounded. All these were burned dur
ing the tire, and the charred bodies of all yet en-
cumber the streets. Flames flashed through the
houses, in hundreds of which powder alcohol and
general merchandise were stored in immense GUAM
usies, and frequent explosions followed which add
ed terror to the scene. The panic stricken popu-
lace were almost without provisions or water for
two days.
Conferences had been held during the previous
days by the commissioners sent here to discuss mat
ters with Gen Aizpuru, but he however, demanded
the unconstitutional surrender.of Gen. .Govima and
threatened to attack the city unless he surrender ed
GoV1ma, however, declared he would remain inside
the city and await results. By daylight, armed
men OF Aizpuru's band had captured the steeples
outposts. They then dashed from chnrch to church
and from street corner to street corner a heavy
and continuous rife fire being meanwhile kept up.
Most of the houses in Panama are built of stone,
and afforded better protection to non-combatants
than the buildings in Colon did. Ultimately the
barracks in which Gen. Govima had shut himself
were surrounded, and at o'clock in the afternoon
he surrendered. In all, persons were killed and
about an equal number wounded.
Cry OF MEXICO. April 17.-Despatches received
in this city state that the total number of rebels
captured at and after the burning of Colon by the
Colombian government troops will reach 4OO Au-
thentc reports state that on Wednesday officials Of
the Colombian government selected 100 of the
worst rebels imprisoned at Colon and placing them
on board OF 9 steamer, carried them out into the
and drowned.
THE OLD WORLD.