Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-11-29

oSiihiuB DlOW.
The Tigrero straightway set a trap, in
which several of the principal chiefs of
the insurgents were caught and made pris-
oners.
These three points occupied, they wait
ed. Colonel Lupo had attacked the San
Lazaro gate SO vigorously and unexpect-
edly, that 1t was impossible to prevent
him burning it. A very obtinate fight at
once began, and the colonel, after brave
resistance, had been at length compelled
to retreat and fall back on the main body
of the insurgents, who were masters, or
nearly SO, of the center of the city.
All at once the terraces In Tacuba
street, looking on the Plaza Mayor, were
covered with sharpshooters, who began a
tremendous fire on the insurgents collect
ed beneath them.
The artillerymen, who had hitherto
fired at long range, now brought up their
guns almost within pistol shot of the
streets, and, in spite of the musketry fire
of the insurgents, bravely posted their
batteries and began hurtling showers of
canister among the defenders of the barri-
cadcs.
Almost simultaneously the troops faith
full to the government appeared in the
rear Of the rebels. The insurgents felt
they were lost, for they were caught be-
tween three fres still, they offered a
courageous resistance, for, knowing that
if they fell alive into the hands of the
conqueror they would be mercilessly shot,
they allowed themselves to be killed with
an Indian stoicism, and did not yield an
inch Of ground
The general was in a terrible rage !;
without hat, his face blackened with
gunpowder and his uniform torn in sew
eral places, he leapt his horse over the
corpses, and dashed blindly into the thick
| Of the government troops, followed by
small. band Of friends. who bravely let
themselves be killed at his side.
The fight was positively degenerating
into a massacre, the two parties, as un-
happily always happens in civil wars,
fought with the greater fury and OBJ
stinacy because brothers were contending
against brothers, and many of them, for
whom politics were only a pretext, took
advantage of the medley to satiate per-
sonal hatred and avenge old insults.
| However, this could not 60 on for long
thus, and it was necessary to get out of
the situation at all risks. General Guer-
zero, unaware Of the occupation Of his
house, resolved to fight his way thither,
barricade himself, and obtain an honor
able capitulation for himself and his COM
rades.
No sooner was the plan conceived than
the execution was attempted. Don Sebas-
tian collected round him all the fighting
men left, and formed them into a small
band-for the canister and bullets had
made frightful ravages in the ranks of
the insurgents-and placed himself at
their head.
Forward, forward" he shouted, as
he rushed at the enemy.
His men followed him with yells of
| fury. The collision was terrible, the fight
| fearful; for four or five minutes a fune-
real silence brooded over this confused
mass of combatants, who attacked each
other so savagely.
At length the Presidents troops fell
back slightly, the insurgents took ad-
| vantage Of it to redouble their efforts,
which were already superhuman, and
reached the generals house. The doors
were broken open in an instant, and all
rushed pell-mell into the court yard. They
were saved, since they had at last reached
the shelter where they hoped to defend
themselves.
AT this moment frightful thing hap
pened; the gallery commanding the court
yard and the stairs were entirely occu-
pied by soldiers, and so soon as the in
surgents appeared the muskets were
pointed down at them, a tornado of fire
passed over them like the blast of death.
and in second mass of corpses covered
the ground.
The insurgents, terrified by this sudden
attack, which they were so far from anti
cipating, hurriedly fell back, instinctively
seeking an outlet by which to escape.
The tumult then became terrible, and the
massacre assumed the proportions of an
organized butchery. Driven back into
the court yard by the troops who pur-
sued them, and met there by those who
had attacked them and now charged at
the bayonet point, these wretched men.
rendered senseess by terror, did not
dream any longer of employing their
weapons, but falling on their knees before
their executioners, and clasping their
trembling hands, they implored the mercy
of the troops, who, intoxicated by the
smell of blood, and affected by the horri
BILE murder fever which seizes upon even
the coolest man on the battle field, killed
them like oxen in the shambles, and
plunged their sabres and bayonets into
their bodies with grins of delight and
ferocious laughter, and felt horrible
pleasure in seeing their victims writhe
with heartbreaking cries in the last con-
vulsions Of death.
General Don Sebastian, though wound
ed, and who seemed to have been pro-
tected by a charm throughout this scene
Of carnage, defended himself like lion
against several soldiers who tried In win