, 1890-09-18
BARRUNDIA'S DEATH.
Story Of a Passenger on the
Acapulco.
II WAS A MUST COWARDLY CRIME
The Sympathies of All the Amori-
can Passengers With the
Hounded General.

NEw YoRK, Sept. 12.-Tbe Pacific Mail
steamship Colon, which reached mere to-
day, brought some of tho passengers
who were on the steamship Acapulco at
the time OF the killing OF General Bar
rundia One of tho eye witnesses of the
tragedy told the story to the Associated
Press. 1t appears that General Barrun-
dia came ON board at Acapulco, Mex.
lie was understood to be on his way 10
San Salvador. He was attended by two
soldiers and body guards. When
the ship arrived at port ot
Guatemala the authorities de-
munded that Barrundia be surrendered.
Captain Pitts preemptorily refused to do
SO. They withheld the clearance papers
for twenty.iour hours but finally allowed
rived at San Jose two boat loads OF
soldiers were sent oil from shore to see
that no one without proper credentials
lett the vessel. Within pistol shot OF her
were two United States gunboats. Cap
tain Pitts had telcgraphed their com
manding officers from Champerico re-
questing assistance, but the dispatch
had not been delivered. Now he made
personal appeal for help. The response
was that they could do nothing without
orders from the port captain.
The next day the ship was again invad-
ed by commundante with u special
force Of men and another boat load OF SOL
diers. The Guatemala commanuante
produced an order OF arrest, signed by
American Minister Miner and made
u formal demand for the delivery OF
Barrundia. Then no directed all the
cabin passengers to DO ordered between
de, ks. When this order was ex-
ecutci, the entire force proceeded
70 Barrundta's room, Captain
t,I,
When the room was reached Captain
Pitts, after deprecating the necessity Of
nlrrendering his passenger, read the
order tor arrest Barrundia had quietly
met them ut the door, but at once divin.
ing that all was over reached into his
room Tor revolver, and making the re-
mark, Very good" fired. The bail just
with the Guatumnlan command.
ante, ran TO his room, locked
the door and hid under the bed, leaving
the man, hunting to the special officers.
Bdrrundia was shortsighted man, and
being very nervous, was unable To do
any damage, although he chased the
men out of the saloon firing wildly.
AT last they dropped him, riddlsd with
shotun the hurricane deck. The brave
CommHndante thcreupon came from his
hiding place, walked up 10 the dead man
and fired bullet into his skull.
ne dead body was rolled up In piece
of canvas and conveyed Oh shore in one
OF the boats the other boat, convey ing
the gallant perpetrators of the deed, with
their reyolvers openly displayed, made
detour around the war ships.
Still the affair wds not over. The
Guatemaleans.h had had 20 wipe their feet
little more on the suffering ship, and
she was not allowed to proceed
until the baggage belonging to Barrun-
dia was searched, presumably Tor evi-
dence discriminating. This was sub
mltted to the American gunboats, still
si.ent not hundred yards away. In
deed. at the time OF the tragedy, an off,
Ger from one OF them was on board the
Acapulco. The Americans on board
were fun of indignation and shame at
the whole affair. Captain Pitts.
IL was generally held, was partly
excusable, seeing that he had applied
in vain to the warships for assistance,
and was confronted with an order from
the American minister. The passengers
condemned the action of the men-of-
war, for they maintained that in any
event they might have taken charge OF
Barrundia until some definite expires
sion of will had come from Washington.
They also condemn the action of Min
lister Miner, who, they thought, had no
Tlnht tn sion tha IN