Morning journal and courier., 1890-11-06
EXECUTION IN MEXICO.
An Omcer and Private Killed I'm Pub
lie on the San Lazaro Plain.

An O"ceE ahu fThN8tc AhAIco HI uD-
lie on the San Lazaro Plain.
from the Richmond Dispatch.
CITY OF MEXICO, Oct. 15.-On the night
of the 18th of August successful attempt
to escape from one of the military bar
racks of this city was made by five privates
and a sergeant. In their way stood only a
brave lieutenant, a beardless youth of
twenty-three years, who was slain, and
the five men who disgraced the uniforms
they wore made good their escape. So far
as is known, only two have been captured,
but how they paid the penalty of their
crime must be told you.
On or about the 25th of September the
sergeant, Zeferino Martinez, and one of the
private was captured in the city of Puebla
and at once brought back to this city for
trial. They We're tried by court martial
and on the same day sentenced to be shot.
This was on Saturday. An appeal to the
highest military tribunal of the land be-
ing allowed, the case was reviewed and the
sentence of the lower court affirmed on
Monday, and the death sentence was car
ried out on Wednesday, October 1. The
executions took place before the entire
garrison of the Federal district and the
public The place selected was the plains
of San Lazaro, on the southeastern SUBJ
urbs of the city, and the hour was s o'clock
O. m.
From the first dawn of the day the
streets leading that way displayed an un-
usually active appearance, and the clank-
ing of spurs and saddles, the marching of
infantry moving from every quarter of the
city, the clatter of cavalry and roar of
heavy artillery wagons, suggested the ad-
vent of some great military fete. Civilians
representing all nations and classes of So
ciety crowded and jostled each other on
the sidewalks, and in the streets all man
ner of vehicles logged along. Arriving at
the edge of the great fields the crowd be-
gins to concentrate. Housetops, trees,
telegraph poles and all other high points
of vantage are lined with a mass of human
ity. Regiments, companies and battalions
are flung into their respective places.
At last the troops are all in position.
Ten thousand men drawn up in double
line around an immense hollow square, at
one end of which is mound of earth
which had previously been used to stop
| the balls in target practice. The still morn
| ing air is broken by the clear clarion notes
| of abugler-'tAtencionl" 1t is taken up
| in turn by each body of the soldiery, ring
| ing and reverberating across the great
plain and breaking the silence with a note
that is pathetic and a voice that is almost
human-a long, last wall as if of depart
ing soul. Twice is this sounded. ''CaIry
arms!" and now one end of the column
opens and the sad professions enters that
parallelogram from which two of its num-
| Der will never depart alive. First come two
i stretchers. mounted on wheels and drawn
i by mules; then three coaches in which are
| the prisoners, priests and members of q
Catholic society-all under an escort of in
/ fantry, cavalry and mounted police
The prisoners, after being driven to the
| opposite end of the square from that at
which they entered, alight in front of the
mound, kiss the holy cross, embrace the
priests, and at once two soldiers approach
| with handkerehiefs in their hands. They
are now standing in front of the mound
and facing twenty-five infantrymen at q
distance of not over fifteen feet, with load
ed muskets at "ready." The private is
| blindfolded by comrade, but the ser
geant, q splendidly made fellow, standing
full six feet, disdains all help and ties the
handkerchief over his own eyes with ap-
parently less concern than that of the
spectators. A puff of smoke, bang, bang,
followed almost instantaneously by two
pistol shots, and it is all over. The ser
geant fell stone dean, never quivering, but
the private's body twitched slightly, neces-
stating two tiros de gracia-an officer
placing a pistol against his head and firing
twice in rapid succession. All this had
been done In an incredibly short time
within three minutes from the arrival oi
the condemned men it is all over.
The order to march is given at once
bands play and the entire troop is filed b,
the bodies lying just as they fell. As eaci
company reaches the spot the order il
given "Look to the right"