The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-22
WARS HORRORS AT LIMA
Captain Smiths Story of the
Desperate Fighting in the
Peruvian City.
AMERICANS WERE THREATENED
Two Attempts Made to Burn the
Legation and No Heed Paid to
the Consul's Protests.

SAN DIEGO, CAL, April N.-The rev.
enue cutter Commodore Perry, Captain HI.
d. Smith commander, arrived this morn
ing from New York, after most eventful
voyage.
The Perry left December 20 and touched
at Barbados, Bahia and Montevideo on
the east coast. At the latter port the Brit
ish cruiser Wild Swan, now with the
Royal Arthur en- route to Corinto was en-
countered and the two vessels left for the
strait together. The Perry outsailed the
Swan, the latter catching up at Sandy
Point.
Terrific weather was encountered in the
Strait of Magellan, but the Perry finally
got through and took the inland course up
Smyths Channel. There its coal gave out,
and at one time it looked as though the
vessel would be lost. Fog obscured the
coast and there were only sixteen tons of
coal left. Captain Smith ordered the fires
put out and hove to.
Finally the fog lifted, and the Wild
Swan was seen making its way out of the
channel into the Pacific. The Perry fol-
lowed suit and managed to reach Port
Corral, where it arrived with only four
tons of coal. Replenishing the supply
there, it made Valparaiso, sailed thence to
Callao, where it arrived on March "a.
"We found the country in an uproar,"
said Captain Smith. 1.-THE American Con-
sui, General Leon Jostremski, came on
board and asked for assistance, saying
there was danger of American lives and
property being destrsyed, and that the
legation at Lima had been almost burned
by the revolutionists. placed at his dis
posal twenty-five men and a rapid-fring
gun, holding them ready for immediate
work at signal from the Consul.
II visited Minister Mckenzie at Lima,
and found that city in deplorable condi-
ton. Fifteen hundred men had been
killed the day before, and the streets and
buildings were filed with the wreck of
battle. The American legation is situated
over the commercial house of Grace 81 Co.
The firing of the building was supposed to
have been done out of revenge, because
Grace sold two vessels to the Caceres Gov
ernment. The fire had been put out, but
while the Perry was lying at Callao an
other attempt was made to burn the build
ing. Mckenzie agreed with Jostremski
that the interests of Americans were en-
dangered, and urged me to stay until the
provisional government was more firmly
established. / did SO.
"The streets in front of the legation
were barricaded, and on either side had
been placed the guns of the Caceristas and
Monteneros, or revolutionists. The shots
rebounded and went through the walls of
the legation building, and one shot mar
rowly missed Mrs. Mckenzie. No atten-
ton was paid to the protest of Minister
Mckenzie. He could not enforce his de-
mands, as the Perry was the only Ameri-
can vessel at Callao.
cat Lima were evidences of fight on
every hand. The streets were Uttered
with lime to destroy the stencil made by
the bodies. Windows were broken, houses
honeycombed with bullets, and many were
burned to the ground, and devastation
and destruction were to be seen everywhere
The revolution was evidently bloody
enough to suit the sanguinary people of
that country. / went to the Governors
house. and there in the courtyard were the
bodies of 300 men, slaughtered like rats.
l looked to see a plague break out in the
city.
when I returned to Callao I learned
that Caceres was fugitive on board a
French frigate lying beside the Perry.
Every effort was being made by the pro-
visional leaders to get hold of him. His
life would have been snuffed out like a can
die if he had been given up. He applied
to me for asylum, the Perry being the
only vessel in port, but as l was under or
ders to proceed north I refusedto take him
southwark to the ports where he desired to
go. There was much excitement about the
affair and it looked as though Caceres
would be captured by his enemies. He
finally managed to get on board German
steamer and made his way to Iquique
~ received letters from Minister McKen-
zie and General Jostremski that the revo-
luton was concluded and the Provisional
Government established, and accordingly
sailed on March 20, arriving at Acapulco
April 10. There l received orders to pro-
ceed speedily to San Francisco to outfit for
the.Bering Sea. We will leave at daybreak
Tuesday morning"