The Philipsburg mail., 1897-11-12
A BRAZILIAN TRAGEDY.
Changed Career and Furnished tht
Rebels Leader.

With recent dispatch from Brazil
comes the announcement that Antonio
Conselheiro has been killed by Govern
ment troops. Simple in itself, this an
nouncement means much to Brazil It
means that the revolutionary troubles
in that republic are undoubtedly at AN
end, at least for the time being. 1t
means that the man through whom
thousands of lives have been lost is no
more that the one person who has
done more than any other to drive
Brazil to the verge Of bankruptcy has
been removed, and that a promise Of
peace hangs over the big South Amer
lean republic. And it means, too, that
one OF the most remarkable figures in
the history of that country has laid
down his life, sacrifice to his con :
victions
Conselheiro was the leader of the So
called fanatical movement in Brazil, a
strange combination of man of God, a
warrior and diplomat, "man who
would be King Millions of dollars
had been spent to crush him and thous-
ands of lives paid the forfeit at the
point OF his sword. This "fanatic, -
this "crazy man, this self-styled" good
Jesus,'' who fought for God and the
King as he expressed it, has been
matched against the greatest military
genius of Brazil aud had not been
found wanting. He called women as
we'll as men into his army, women,
who, if anything. fought more saw
agely than did the men and died to
win the favor of their chief.
The series of incidents which led t.
the remarkable achievements of this
man and his death are dramatic in the
extreme. Several years ago Conselheiro
was happily married and lived with
his wife and mother in the town of
Aracaty. on the northeastern coast of
Brazil. There be worked peacefully
and quietly, with, SO far as known,
no desire to participate in the scenes
of blood which marked the last year
of his career. This continued until
his mothers a woman of violent temper,
conceived a hatred for his wife From
that IN oment his mother became the
evil genius of his life
By every possible means she tried to
separate husband and wife. The hus-
bands devotion remained unshaken,
however, through months of torment,
his love for his mother compelling him
to submit to her abuse and taunts.
Then came the day when his mother,
seeing no other way to accomplish her
end, told her son that his wife was un-
faithful to him. The great intensity
of Conselheiro's nature was aroused,
but he did not believe. He demanded
proof. This his mother undertook to
furnish.
At his mothers request Conselheiro
left the house a few nights later with
the statement that he would not return
until next day. This was part of the
mothers plot. Taking rifle Consel-
heiro concealed himself in the shrub
berry where he could see into his wife s
room through an open window. There
he waited, torn by doubt and fear,
until he saw mans form appear in
the doorway of his wife's room and
start toward her. She extended her
arms to the intruder.
Goaded into all the ferocity of his
nature by this sight Conselheiro in his
hiding place raised his rifle and fired
There was scream, and the stranger
in his wife's room fell dead at her feet
Then, like savage. the husband went
crashing through the shrubbery, threw
himself into the window Of his wife s
room, flung her aside, stopped over the
body Of his victim and gazed into the
face Of his mother. She had carried
her plotting against her sons happi-
ness too far. Crazed by grief Consel-
heiro turned his back on his old home
from that hour, leaving all he loved be
hind him-his mother dead, his wife
across her body on the floor.