The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-12-13
A BRUTAL RULER.
How President Barrios OF Guatemala Was
in the Habit of Treating His People.
The late President Barrios of Guate

The late President Barrios of Guate-
mala, who is said to have made the
best ruler his state ever had, was fair
specimen of the Central American ex-
ecutive, saws a letter from Costa Rica.
His ways of enforcing allegiance were
as cruel as effective; he ruled by no
law but his own will. and the people
having borne the might of tyranny for
nearly half century--rendered the
most abject obedience.
A case in point is that of Senior Guz-
man, merchant of Inezaltenango.
who had served as colonel under
Macmillan in Mexico, and had subse-
quently dabbled little in politics, but
never Extensively. This merchant was
one day walking on the highway, in
the regular course of his business,
when he CHANGED to meet President
Barrios riding in his carriage. The
two gentlemen saluted one another
with politeness and each passed on his
way. An hour later Guzman was ar
rested by order of the president and
thrown into prison, and until after
Barrios' timely taking off (more than
two years afterward. though he had
no trial and no charges had even been
preferred against him and he himself
was entirely ignorant of the nature OF
his offense-he was still incarcerated
and had been made to suffer the most
atrocious treatment. A chain was
riyeted to his leg which had actually
worn into the flesh, and at Barrios'
command more than one thousand
lashes had been administered to him
from time to time.
An American gentleman who had
spent much time in Guatemala tells me
that when Barrios had any motive for
reprimanding citizen, whether an
editor, an official, or private indi-
yidual, whatever his political or social
station. he summoned the offender to
his office; then, after stating in the
presence of his aides-de-camp the
cause or pretext of complaint, he would
address the most insulting words to
the victim of his displeasure and cut
him across the face with rawhide
that was always at hand. if the man
resisted, the aides-de-camp pitched in
also, and it frequently happened that
the unfortunate fellow was nearly
killed by the heavy kicks and blows he
received, and after the ignominous
punishment bore on his face the marks
of shame and in his heart the convic-
ton that only by silent submission
could he escape a repetition of the in
dignities.
Among hundreds of stories that are
told concerning the methods of this
model president is one about a lawyer
named Don Juan Andrue, who was
employed by the government to de.
fend the poor. He was applied to by d
political prisoner who had already
passed fifteen months in Jail, no char
ges having been preferred against him
during all that time, and who was adj
vised to make an appeal for his liberty
when the new "libcral'' constitution
went into effect. He did so, getting
Andrue to draft the appeal, and asking
only for trial, Two days afterward
Andrue was summoned to appear be.
fore Barrios, who asked him:
why did you interfere in this mat
ter?"
'.By the constitution the man has a
right to appeal to-" replied the lawyer.
II am the constitution" said the
president, Il am the law" and, seizina
the ever-present horse-whip, he dashed
the lawyer across the face, afterward
kicking and beating him in a furious
passion. Next day he had Andrue
publicly whipped, and the kigh-spirit-
ed young aristocrat took the disgrace
SO deeply to heart that he lived but q
week. The poor prisoner. in whose
behalf he had interfered, was remov-
ed to the penitentary, where, for three
successive days, he was tlogged in the
most brutal manner, until after the
third whipping he, too, died.