Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25
A SCENE OF DESOlATlON
Christmas Day on a Battlefield Near
Lima.
The City Was in the Hands of the
Chilean and Peace Had Not
Yet Come.
Written for The Evening Star by Mrs Marguerite


Written for The Evening Star by Mrs. Marguerite
Dickirs.
Peace brooded over the scene but good
will toward man seemed a phrase of
mockery on that Christmas day in Peru in
1888, which memory brings back so distinct
ly Now those level stretches between the
mountains and the ocean doubtless bloom
again as the rose. titled by the gentle
peasant and owned by those charming
Peruvians, to whom Times gentle fingers
have brought balm to heal the wounds war
made and which then We're all fresh and
bleeding. Lima was in the grasp of the
Chilean, and it was one of her officers who
kindly offered to show us the battleflelds
about the capital and explain them.
Explanations, however. We're not needed.
for the trained eye; the enemy came
from the southwark. and, marching north
along the coast upon narrow strip of
level land which lies between the noun
tainS and sea, was escorted by his NEIL
of-war. finding the first defenses of the
capital at line dra Hn from the summer
resort of Charillos to the foot hills; there.
plain TO be seen, was the line of sunken
forts, with their useless sand bags thrown
here and there or broken by shot; bitches,
and the thick adobe walls dividing the
fields, pierced here and there for muskets
that the forces attacking the forts might
be enfiladed. 1t was the remains of these
tered the bones and remains of many of
these who fell on the day of battle over a
year before. Decay is slow in this land
of no rain. and some of the sights were
horrible. Bones. decayIng clothes and one
pair OF shoes in particular, out Of which the
shin bones still stuck upright as IL the
man had died leaning against the wall and
even his dead bones declined to lie down
before the foe, but still stood, the toes of
the shoes turned toward the enemy.
As for Charities. the beautiful city where
the wealthiest Liman means had their sum-
mer villas; where wealth, beauty, luxury
and whole-hearted happiness had reigned
when saw it before; war had passed over
1t and literally hardly one stone remained
upon another: such utter destruction
seemed incredible. There was no noise but
the lazy flap of the yultures' wings ashore
and the scream of the sea birds flying along
the deserted beach where the waves washed
the ruins of bath houses and cafes. This
was nine miles from Lima. Nearer yet was
the inner line of defense, which rested its
right on the town of Mirafioress. and here
similar scenes met the eyes. except in the
town, where some flowers yet bloomed and
a few houses showed white amidst their
gardens while the sound of water running
in the open aceQuias was a treat TO the
ears, as its limpid purity to the eye. We
paced about for hours on sure-footed little
horses and saw all, wandering over fields
where the grass, and even flowers, were
spring1ng up, trying to hide the bones and
make the land once again lovely, and
thereby to cheer the heart of those whose
native land it was, and who love it with
passionate fervor.
Peace had not yet come, but on that
christmas day, which seemed so dark and
gray and sad one could hear the rustic OF
the wings of the gentle messenger who
should unite the triumphant Chilean who
had borne his banners to the heart of the
enemy's citadel, and the Peruvian who
having lost much, yet had fought for and
retained his honor, and. having that. could
accept terms and treat as man to man
and
thanks to God for His gift of Christ, the
Prince of Peace.