The morning call., 1893-09-17

-AiA SASoA ASA "oANs SiAs SaAlC0 buC LII
officer.
Then clear and sharp the sound of a
gong was heard. 1t came from the Islay's
englne-room and meant ''halI-speed
ahead"
Look out there, you'll get caught"
1t was the second officer warning the
Darge's crew, for the state boat was drift
ing toward the paddle-wheelS, which. with
cOnvulsive effort, began to turn. Danger
caused the sailors TO resume their oars
anu they backed water furl0usly. Then
the Gfflcer in charge. ordering them to pull
ahead, called out TO the Islay:
Stop her, in the name of the President.
gu are carrying our executive off," and
the barge dashed up 10 the 1slay, which
was by this time forging ahead.
At this moment Prado appeared at the
stern. He looked happy. indeed radiant.
and smiled to those in the little boat below
him as he took off his hat.
My cOuntTvmen," said he, waving his
hand, II am going TO Europe to buy IRON
clads and munitions of war. Adios.'
Ilng-a-linga-lug" rang the bell in the
englne-roOm. Off darted the Islay at full
speed and the barge was soon left behind.
hen 1t returned to the mole. PradO.
President of Peru. had run away He had
| told no one of his intention save one or
TWO secret agents, who had under fcti-
tlous name secured his passage and had
conveyed to the Islay his personal effects
AID several bags of gold and silver This
money. he said at Panama, he intended
to use for the purchase Of munitions OF
war. but to this day no such act has taken
place.
The report that Prado had fed was at
hrst ridiculed in CallaO and Lima. The
natives called it 'bOla," term with
which they characterized the MANY rumors
lying about at those times, and the for
elgners laughed heartily at "such an
absurd story" The boys who had wit
messed the event from The she'll were ridi-
culed when they repeated the story at the
dinneF-table. and | know that Lovejoy's
father rOundly scolded his son for per-
sisting in telling what he termed - lie.
But there were three men in Lima who
believed the report of the aids when they
returned 10 the carital. To two of these
men this report was made officially. They
were General La Puerta. Vice-President
of Peru, and General La Cotera. Minister
OF War The third man was eating in
restaurant when spy brought him the
Information.
"BravoP' he shouted upon hearing it.
1.-The time has come"
lie was Don Nicolas de Pierola, man
whose name has figured in Peruvian his
tory since that date, indeed the same man
whom the cable announced a mouth ago
was preparing again TO capture Lima.
PleTOia was then in his prime, and had
host Of followers. They were of the dare
devil set; lot of wil0 young officers and
society swells In Lima, who were opposed
10 the conservative individuals PradO had
summoned to be members of his Cabinet.
PierOla, at the time, was at the cad OF
cavalry regiment, every man of which
would follow him TO the grave. His first
move was to order this body OF men out of
the barracks to suburb of Lima. 1t was
accomplished successfully, but General
La Cotera, whose suspicious were aroused,
ordered the barracks closed half hour la
ter, and also the gates TO the palace.
PIerola, however. succeeded in inducing
two regiments of infantry then In camp
on the outskirts to join him, and by IL
o'clock at night he had quite an army ar
rayed IN field on the broad road leading
to Callao. A few moments later a battery
of artillery galloped up. 1t was COM
manded by Captain Garcia y Garcia and
had been stationed further down that
road. The officer in comman had Joined
the revoluiiOulsts the moment he had
heard OF Pierola's prouunciamento, for at
8 o'clock Don Nicolas had written a doc
ument announcing himself as the head of
the Government and calling upon all loyal
subjects to rally round his banner.
La Puerta and La Cotera had been kept
Informed of the dOings Of the early night
hours. In the palace yard and barracks
they had mustered larger army than the
revOlutnnists. But could they trust the
soldiers? They knew the popularity of
Pierola.
That night two balls were being given in
Lima. ln large house just opposite the
cathedral and fronting the plaza there was
much gayety as the small hours were
chimed OF by the sweet bells across the
way. Hundreds of guests were present.
None knew of the momentOuS occurrences,
Of the scenes that were being enacted near
by. They had heard the rumor about
PradO and had laughed at it, They wOn-
dered at his absence from the scene of
gayety; but attached no importance to
this, believing business kept him at the
palace.
Music for the waltz drowned all other
sounds, else they might have heard the
tramp. tramp of soldiers as they marched
hurriedly across the plaza.
A shot rang out then volley. Crash
went glass in this house of gayetv. The
music stopped. "A revolution % they
cried, and down into the basement ran the
frightened guests. They knew what it
meant, for they had been through such
scenes before.
The sharp reports of musketry kept up.
bullets whlzzed through the air, and soon
the crash of heavy ordnance was heard as
the artillery joined in the battle. Pierola
had marched his forces into one of the
narrow streets and vas fighting behind a
barrieade. La Puerta and La Cotera had
sailed forth to meet him. 1t was their
army that had marched across the plaza.
For an hour the struggle went on. Men
dropped by scores 10 die where they fell,
and stray bullets whiStled into homes
where they dealt death or wounds TO
women and children. Then what La
COtera had feared cana 10 pass. Company
after company deserted the ranks OF the
Government troops aud jOued Pierola's
forces. At o'clock. Pierola. mounted on a
black horse, forced his way through the
barricade. and followed by his stanch
cavalrymen charged on the Government
forces. They stood for few minutes,
then swayed back and La Cotera, seeing
defeat al hand, had the recall sounded and
retreateO to the palace. The doors were
ba-ricaded and he was safe for time.
Six hundred bodies were found when day
broke, ali lying in the plaza and the mar
row street. How many were wounded
was never known. But until the sun rose
Pierola's cavalrymen rode through the
streets and shot at every body seen.
In CallaO that morning, December Is.
when citizens arose they saw the guns i'm
the castle trained, not toward the sea, but
on the Lima road. And looking out in the
bay it was noticed that the rfled pieces on
the men-Of-war were pointed Inland aud
not in the direction from which the arch
enemy, Chile, might be expected 10 come,
TIM