The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-10
81 HAVE DONE MY DUTY
THAT WAS COLTS REPLY TO
SENORA'S REPROACHES.
HE NARROWLY ESCAPED LYNCHING
The Assassin Pretends to Have Been So
Called Ayenger of the Fiends Of
Barcelona Who Were Shot in
the Back.

the Back
Madrid, Aug. 9.-The assassination Of
the Prime Minister of Spain, Senior Can
ovas Del Castillo, was undoubtedly cold
bloodedly premeditated. Coli deliber-
ately watched for an opportunity to kill
the Spanish statesman and he only fred
when he had no chance of missing. In
fact, the assassin who was arrested al
most Immediately after the Premier fell
at the feet of his wife, has declared as
much to the examining magistrate. The
Prime Minister fingered for some time
in agony and passed away with a cry
of "long live Spain"
Further details of the assassination
show that Senior Canovas Del Castillo
and his wife were present yesterday
morning at the celebration of mass in
the chapel attached to the baths. After
mass the Premier was reading and con-
versing with some reporters when the
assassin approached and fired three shots
at him with a revolver, hitting him in the
forehead, chest and left ear. The wound
ed man fell to the ground crying "as-
sassin!! Long live Spain"
The Premier was carried to his room
and expired at 1:3O p. M, after extreme
JUNCTION had been ministered to him by
a priest of the Dominican order.
The murderer, who was Immediately
seized by people who were in the vicini-
ty OF the scene of the crime, was Sc
verely handled and might have been
killed had it not been for the protection
afforded him by number Of civil guards
who soon ran to the scene Of the assas-
sination.
Sonora Canovas, wife Of the Premier,
who was but a short distance away from
her husband when the crime was COM
mitted, rushed to his side, upon hearing
the shots. As the Premier lay dying
on the ground she bitterly reproached the
murderer for his crime.
Coli, in reply to the agOnizing words
of the distracted wife said
IL respect you because You are an
honorable lady, but have done my duty
and am now easy in mind, for have
avenged my friends and brothers Of
Montjuich."
Montjuich is the fortress of Barcelona,
outside of which the anarchists who have
been sentenced to death for recent out
in the back. The anarchists recently ex-
ecuted outside MOntjuich, were the last
batch of the iends who were guilty of
throwing a bomb on June z, 1885, into
a religious procession about to enter the
church of Santa Maria De La Mar, upon
the occasion of the Corpus Christie cele-
bration.
Twelve persons were Instantly killed
and about fifty others wounded, several
Of whom since died from the injuries.
For this crime twenty-six anarchists
were sentenced to death, and many of
them were executed. The condemned men
invariably shouted Long live anarchy
| just before the orders to fire were given.
Coli has confessed that he killed Senior
Canovas to avenge the Barcelona an
archists, and the insurgent leader Don
Jose Rial, who was executed at Manila,
Philippine islands, on December 30th
last as the instigatOr of the Philippine
| rebellion. Dr. Rial denied that he was
a rebel leader, but he admitted that he
had drawn up the statutes of the Phil
ippine league.
In COLTS room the police found to-day
a large double barrelled pistol. 1t APP
pears that when he left the house yes
terday he carried a parcel, which is be-
lieved to have contained a bomb. The
theory is that he hid this some where in
the fields.
A dispatch from BalcelOna says that
Coli arrived there in December, 1895,
coming from Marseilles. He was en-
ployed in the printing office of the Re
view Social Science, managed by the
anarchist engineer Tarrida Marmel,
formerly imprisoned in Montjuich Fort
ress at Barcelona.
Coli was implicated in the terrible
crime of the celebration of Corpus Chris
ii, although he left Barcelona a few days
before it occurred. He was denounced
to the police for completely but he had
already disappeared.
In appearance Coli is of medium
height, wears full beard and spectacles.
and his demeanor is that of a quiet, law
abiding citizen. He says he is satisfied
with having done "his duty" and asserts
that he had no personal grudge against
the Premier, and was merely obeying or
ders received from his superiors in the
Scarlet Society, to which he belonged.
He frankly processes anarchist doctrines.
says he was sentenced in 1895 to Is
months Imprisonment in the Jail at
Lucera, Italy, and claims that he escaped
from there to Marseilles. from which
port he made his way to Barcelona