Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-07-02
THE DICTATOR OF chill
GROSS CRUELTY OF TYRANT
BALMACEDA.

Tortures Rivaling Those OF tho Inquisi-
tion Practiced ON Political Offenders
Fingers of Victims Pounded to Pulp and
Tacks Driven I'm Their Hands-PoOr
Place 20 Talk.
Many startling facts In connection
with the revolution now raging in Chill,
which throw light upon the feroclty and
despOtism OF Balmaceda, are given TO
the public by three gentlemen, two Of
whom are Chilians, who arrived last
week. The stories show that Balmaceda
Is well termed "the tyrant" In Santi-
ago, where his headquarters are, no one
dares TO utter word against him. He
has caused cross of red to be painted
on the houses Of all people whom he sus-
poets OF being not in sympathy with him,
and into these marked residences his po-
lice aud soldiers go at any hour of the
day or night They ransack the rooms
on Che ground that they are looking for
revolutiOnists who are supposed to be
hidden there. The soldiers demand wine
and food, and after having as good a
time as they wish depart only to repeat
the Offense at some other marked resi-
dence.
II laborer is caught on the street
kO Ik W VI WOIh NlbnOul u Tag
showing for whom he is working he Is
gobbled up by the soldiers of Balmac eda
and impressed into his service. This
system exists in Valparaiso also. One
OF the gentlemen re erred to was walk
Ing along the street past jail yard He
heard some terrible shrieks from some
one on the other side of the wall. He
inquired of a soldier the cause and was
told that some of Balmaccda's soldiers
were Furnishing man who had refused
to worh for him by driving tacks and
pins into his hands and fingers
The next day he saw horrible pun
ishment meted out to Chlian who had
been overheard to say that he was
willing to work his hands off for the
FsXanIaatt2qPoGtstsy PoG The pQor fellows hands
hands of soldier. He was then told
that he could go and work his hands any
way he wanted to for any one.
The New Yorker denounced the affair
to a friend-a resident of Santiago who
was with him. The next day his friend
was missing, nor did he show up again.
The New York man returned 10 Val
paraiso, and just before he sailed he re-
ceived message from his friend saying
that he had been locked up by Balma-
ceda's men, accused of being a revolu-
zionist symUathiZer.
The weak point Of the revolutionists
lis the lack of arms and ammunition.
The forces of the revolutiOnists number
at present 5000 men. fully armed and
equipped Could the necessary arms be
secured the number would at once be in
creased to 10, 900 men. There are now at
Huasco. Valenar, Frairina and Carrizal
bodies of men-in all some 9,000-who
are only waiting TO get arms and am
muniti0n before they take up the march
against Balmaccda. At the smaller
places on the coast as far north rs africa
are similar bodies of woud-be soldiers.
The arms for these men were on the
Itata, and had they secured them, with
what ammunition the Itata carried, the
Chilian revocation would have been st-
tied in short order.
Balmaceda's army consists of $4,000
men, we'll equipped. OF these only 1900
are of the old regular standing army:
the rest are recruits forced into the
service.
~Balmaceda, said one the gentlemen
from whom these details are obtained,
~calls these men volunteers To give
you an idea of how voluntary the services
of these men are have seen patches OF
JHeIn nuHnDcTlHk lTOn twenty -HNc W uily
each brought into Valparaiso tied 10
more than twenty times 1 also saw a
letter from the intendente Of one OF the
southern provinces written to Balmace'
da. in which the intendente said: Il re-
gret being unable to send you larger
number Of volunteers, owing to the
scarcity of handouts; so you can see
what sort of fighting material Balmace
da has TO count on. He pays the officers
OF his army extra wages to keep them in
good humor and to have them rule the
troops with an iron hand.
"Before we left Valparaiso l was al
most convinced that Balmaceda would
win the fight, SO great did his power
seem, but the further north we got the
more | was impressed with the numbers
and determination of the revolutiOnists.
| The generals of Balmaceda's army, al
well as the principal officers, are said tC
be superior in military training to those
of the revolutionary forces.