The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-13

Strange Events That Surrounded
the Deaths Of the Barrios,
Uncle and Nephew.
On Eye-WitDess OF the Assassination of Reyo Borrios

position to his demand for Francesca.
True to his word, Rufino Barrlos
married Francesca Aparicio two years
from the day he first saw her in que
zaltenangO. Not long after ms mar
rage Barrfos conceived the scheme or
the unification of Central America In
this he was prompted by his little con-
vent wife who was even more anpl-
tious than her husband.
''In the wears of revolutions and in
trigues that followed Reyna Barrlos
was his uncle's right-hand man. In
the spring of 1885 President Ru1no
Barrios proclaimed the unification or
the Central American republics before
the people assembled on the plains
about Guatemala city. Young Reyna
Barrios, risen to the rank OF general.
led the artillery in review past ms un.
Gle. The President appointed himself
Dictator amid wild cheers.
That night there was special per
Torrance at the opera-house here. 1
don't think there had been ever such
gay and brilliant audience assembled IN
this city. The officers were there in
their brilliant uniforms, the ladies In
evening gowns cleaning with jewels,
and in one of the boxes blazing with
diamonds sat Francesca BarrioS, on
one side of her her husband, the DC
tator. on the other, his nephew, Gene
raj Reyna BarrioS.
We'll, at the close of the perform
ance the curtain was rung down, and
in huge letters across the bottom was
the name 'Barrios.'
THE people went mad. They cheered
Rufno Barrios, Dictator of five Central
American republics. They sang praises
Of his wife, Francesca Aparicio Bar
rios. They applauded loud and long
for General Reyna Barrios.
What a contrast was this scene to
the Kisses of the other night at the
same theater.
Each one of the Barrios family was
then called upon, and their words were
cheered to the echo by the audience.
Suddenly the shouts of JOY changed
to cries of terror. In some manner the
curtain caught fire from the footlights,
and the flames burned off the name Of
the Dictator before the fire could be
eXtinguished.
1T was prophetic!
The next night General Barrios, with
20 900 men, Reyna Barrios second in
command, marched against Zaldiyar
President of Salvador, and on the Sal
vadorean frontier the Guatemalans, af-
ter a severe struggle. routed the Sal
dorean army. Dictator BarrioS rode ut
the head of his victorious army and
enjoyed but one brief moment of tri-
umph, for the next he lay dead, shot
by a concealed Salvadorean.
But another Barrios lived, and from
Minister of War he rose to be Vice
President and finally to the Presidency.
Francesca Barrios, with the i'm
mense fortune left by her husband, took
her children and moved to New York.
She has married again and is now the
Warehouses Vistabella. They say she
will never forgive President Reyna
Barrios because during the last revo-
luton he ordered her brother. Juan
Aparicio, killed. Aparicio was supposed
to favor the anti-Barrios party, but it
had never been proved"
Zollinger- got up here and left the
room. a Spaniard who had sauntered
over to US said: Don't you know that
that fellow who just left has charge of
the Aparicio plantation. They say he
was very fond of Juan Aparicio."
He is fine appearing chap intelli-
gent looking, too,' said the American.