Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-07-04
ALL PRISONERS KILLED.
Further Recitals of the Horrors of
Civil War in Chill.

Civil War in Chill.
Citizen Suspects Secretly Beheaded--The
Capture of Iquique Described by an
Eye-witness--Terrible Scenes.
The startling stories of the cruelties and
despotism practiced by President Balmaeeda,
instigator and chief figure in the Gillian war,
as given in recent dispatches, is completely
overshadowed by the facts presented and now
made public for the first time The informa-
ton is obtained from prominent Chilians who
just arrived in New York on the steamship
City of Para
The most prominent of the arrivals was
Don Pedro Mount, who is the accredited
representative of the revoutionist PARTY iii
Chill. Accompanying him were Sgnor Santa
Ciruez, who commanded the ironclad Huascars
slgnor Naras, prominent reyolutiunist, and
several English merchants, who have resided
In various parts of Chill for several years,
From these gentlemen the incidents here given
were obtained.
Don Pedro Mount when shown the article
referring TO the Balmaceda cruelties said that
the actual truth far exceeded the published
account of the affair.
From Mr.. William Shell, prominent
merchant of Iquique, graphic account of the
pombardment and destruction of portion of,
that city was obtained. He was in Iquique
during the fight there, and tells the story of
lf The fight began at $50 o'clock in the
morning. We had been expecting that the
troops of Balmaeeda would attempt TO sack.
the city and had made what preparations fort
defense we could. Nearly all the English
residents had left the city with their families.
Many OF the citizens were gathered in force at
the custom house, which is near the main
plaza, and at the quartet, or prison.
Col. Soto, in command OF the Balmaceda
troops came galloping through the streets
considerably III advance of his men. When
ne came opposite the quartet and found it i'll
possession of a body of armed citizens he
wheeled his horse and shouted to his soldiers
"A la plaza, muchachoes!' ('To the plaza
Doys!) The troops started on run TO the
main square. | was Standing on corner
opposite the custom house at this time. As
Tue troops entered the square Il man on the
roef of one of the houses nred two shots from
ms revolver at them. They returned the fire.
and the fight began in earnest. The troops at
once attacked the custom house and prison,
and small attachments of them went through
the streets shooting at small bodies of citizens
VINO were Fastening to the assistance of the
men at the custom house.
The fight IN town continued until clock
III the afternoon. Meanwhile the warships of
the revolutionists, that were anchored in the
harbor-namely the Blanco Eucalada
Magellances, ESmeralda, and the Abtoe--
were throwing shells into the city, endeavors
ing to dislodge Balmaceda's forces. who
occupied the main plaza. As this place was
the objective point of the shells from the war
vessels, all houses in the vicinity suffered to a
greater or less extent My own house, which
. tha MIA Il a..
wife had Just removed the baby from the
cradle IN one of the rooms when a shell came
through the wall and exploded. entirely
wrecklng that portion of the house.
When the firing had nearly ceased sent
one of my servants with some coffee to the
men who were defending the custom house.
A shell exploded in front of him as he went
blowing him into eternity. AT this juncture
hre was started in the block adjoining the
custom house, with the purpose of smoking
out the reYolutlonIsts, who were conferred in
that building and on the roof. The fire was
extinguished, but Balmaceda' S soldiers drove
the hremen off and started il again. when it
kept burning until nine blocks, in which were
the most valuable buildings in Iquique, were
destroyed.
while the fire was in progress big force
OF men, under cover of a heavy cannonadng
were landed from the feet. Then it was that
Balrnaceda's force retreated. The men from
the fleet assisted the citizens in extinguishng
the flames and caring for the dead and
wounded. The nextday Col. Soto surrendered
TO the revOlutionist forces, and Iquique has
since been the official headquarters of the
Constitutional party. The only further dis
turbancc III lquique since has been the setting
hre TO Il house by two renegades, who, for
their crime, were taken TO the plaza and shot"
From another gentleman who arrived from
Chill on the same steamer with Don Pedro
Mount and party-SenOr Jose Gonzlles-addi-
tlonal horrors of the revolution are learned.
Senior Gonzales said: "Balmaceda is practic-
ing crueltes unheard of in the history of
Chill. friend of mine, who was a promi.
nent citizen of Conception, Senior IerranO,
and his son were put in prison bepatse they
refused to obey the dictates Of the tyrant.
Being imprisoned failed to break theft spirit,
80 Bamaceda had the father taken out into
the yard Of the Jail and mercilessly tortured.
After being brutality fiOgged the tendons of
his arms and legs were severed to render him
helpless for life This horrible cruelty was
purposey practiced within eaishOt Of the son,
who was aftertard subjected to the same treat
rient before the gaze of his father, now fast
dying from loss of blood and the result of the
terrible ordeal. Neither Of them survived the
horrors of the torture which was inflicted upon
them.
another of Balmaceda's atrocities came to
light by the merest accident. Since the be-
ginning of hostilities number Of well known
citizens Of Santiago have mysteriousy diSap.
peared. In many cases they have left their
residences to be gone an hour or two, and have
never returned or been heard from. The Ill
innate fate of two of them was, however dis
covered by the accident referred TO before |
left Santiago. Three bodies were taken one
Sunday to the principal cemetery for burial
The burial permits being irregular, the ceme-
terry authorities would not admit them. The
bearers went back to town to get the proper
changes made in the permits
"While they were on this errand the men
in charge of the cemetery, suspecting that
something was wrong, opened the coffins and
discovered that all the bodies were headless.
Of course this created great excitement and
the news spread rapidly through the town.
Examination of the headless corpses showed
from marks on the bodies that two of them
were prominent residents of Santiago while
the third one was never identified. 1t was
afterwards learned that these men had been
arrested and executed by order of Balmaeeda"
The same gentleman also stated that Sin all
the fights that had taken place in the province
of Tarapaca, Balmaceda had not taken a
single prisoner His orders to his officers
were to shoot all prisoners as fast as taken, as
they had no time to bother with them nor food
to give them On the other hand the Consti-
tutional party had taken great many prison
ers of war, and they filled the steam transport
Amazonas with wounded men and sent them
down the coast to Caldera, five days jour.
ney. Balmaceda's officers at Caldera refused
to receive their own wounded men who had
been fighting for Balmeaedas cause. This
steamer load of poor wo inded soldiers had to
be taken all the way back to lquique, another
five days journey. There they were taken
ashore and cared for by the residents of the
town. Many of them died because of the long
sea trip, where they were crowded together
without proper care ami attention.
'1n Pisagua lot of lsborers who had been
on spree and who went through the streets
of the city hurrahing for the revolutionists,
were at once arrested by Balmaceda's soldiers
and thrown into prison. Every night for
week two of these laborers were taken outand
shot and their bodies thrown back into the
room occupied by their comrades, who were
told that such would be the fate Of two Of their
number each night.
SUDDENLY STRICKEN BLIND.
Strange Addiction of a Mother While AZ