St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-06-11
MISCELLANY.
A GIRLS STORY OF THE CHILA N
RESURRECTION.

Post Office Box" of Harper's Young
People she artlesslv gives the best
explanation of the CHILEAN insurrec-
ton which has, to our knowledge
yet been published.
CHILL, So. AMERICA, Apr. 9, 81.
After the long time that has passed
without my writing to the Post
Office Box, | wish l could write as l
have done before-of my happy coun-
try life. of studies and amusements in
the city-but all has changed. My
country is now in the midst of the
saddest OF all wars, civil strife. l
think it will be interesting to you
and to the readers of Harper's Young
People to hear something of the pres
ent situation in Chill, and of the rea
sons which have obliged the peaceful
inhabitants of this country to declare
war against the president, Don Jose
Manuel Balmaceda.
For many months past the presi
dent had separated himself from the
best men OF the country; he called to
the Ministry men without position
and of bad reputation The Con-
gress exacted their dismissal, which
the president refused, and ordered the
closing of Congress. Itwould be too
long to describe all that took place
during the winter, or to write at
length all the abuses committed by
the president and his ministers. Ac-
cording to the constitution of this
country the president has to govern
with the Congress, but Balmaceda
openly violated the constitution and
the laws The time was approach
ing for the elections, and the people
wanted to elect their own president,
but Balmaceda had his own candi-
date, one of his favorites, whom the
people and the Congress refused to
accept.
Balmaceda saw them very deter
mined, and in December suppressed
all public meeting. One night the
conservative party was holding a
peaceful meeting in the rooms of their
own club, and Balmaceda sent armed
soldiers to attack it. The members
were not armed, so they had to dis
perse. A boy, nineteen years of age,
Isidro Ossa, running away from the
soldiers, was shot dead in the street.
This imbittered matters very much,
for his father belonged to one of the
oldest families in Santiago, and is
very much respected by all.
The president went on from one
abuse to the other, the people trying
by every possible means to arrange
matters between him and the Con
gress, but he refused everything. On
the 1st of January the deputies and
senators signed solemn act, exact
ing the abdication of Balmaceda, and
on the 7th of the same month the
CHILEAN men-of-war turned against
the president, and declared them
selves in favor of the Congress and
of the people. This movement was
to have been seconded by the troops
on shore, and then it would have
been only a revolution of a few hours,
but one of the military chiefs advised
the government, who took most
active steps to suppress the rebellion,
ordering the imprisonment of all the
deputies and senator's who had signed
the act. Those who could escape
went on board the men-Ofwar, others
hid, and some were taken prisoners.
Now began a reign of terror; the
president declared himself dictator
and the country under martial-law.
He ordered the closing of the courts
of justice, of all the public schools,
all clubs. all the prin ting offices, dis
solved the Naval schools, the board
of health-in one word, all the civil
ization of the country disappeared.
The prisons are crowded with gentle
men and young men.
A secret revolutionary committee
was formed in Santiago, meeting
now in one place, now in another
constantly in danger and actively
working for liberty. The fleet count
ed at first with few resources, but
quickly organized an army of recruits
on the island of Santa Maria, in the
south of Chill, the young men from
Santiago, Valparaiso, and other
cities escaping in disguise, in open
boats and as they could, to the fleet
Meantime, on land, the suffering was
terrible, and success seemed almost
hopeless, for the dictator had all the
army, and continued recruiting the
1aborers from all the esta ties by force.
All the houses and estates Of opposi
ton gentlemen were searched for
arms, and many of the sons fogged
terribly to oblige them to declare
where their fathers hid. Our dear
old home, San Gabriel, of which |
have written so often, was entered
by an armed force of rufianly sol
diers, who searched and pillaged the
house, took all the finest horses, and
conveyed as prisoners to the town of
Linares our overseer and two of our
men servants. Fortunately we were
not there AS the soldiers have con-
tinued visiting the place, it has been
impossible for us to return there, nor
&c ~ cafe -, Santiono have
spent this sad summer on another
farm.
In Santiago the opposition founded
two free newspapers, called La Revo-
1ucion and Ell Constitutional l can