The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1908-02-08
P0rtu6al's Ruler and Heir
Shot by Terrorists
Child of Nine Years Mounts the Bloody Throne of the Bsanzas
"A Graphic Description of the Bloody Deed
People on Verge Of a Revolution

Saturday evening, Feb. 1st,
while the King and Queen of Por-
tugal, accompanied by the Crown
Prince and nine-year-old Prince
Manuel, were returning to their
royal palace from their country
seat, they were attacked by
body of men armed with car
bines, and King Carlos was in
stantly killed. The Crown
Prince was mortally wound
ed and died in a few minutes.
Young Prince Manuel, now sue
cessor to the throne of the Bra
ganzas, was wounded, but will re-
cover. Two of the regicides were
shot down by soldiers, and three
were captured. The Queen was
untouched.
Premier Franco has resigned
tn -otorship of Portugal. This
fore = hand of the monarchical
party, at the head of which is nine
year-old Manuel, son of the late
King Carlos, and now king by
right of the Braganza succession.
Prince Manuel, the younger and
surviving son of the late King
Carlos, has been proclaimed King
by the Council of State. The Queen
Mother, Queen Amelie, will prob
ably rule as Regent during the
minority of her son, who is not yet
nine.
The following graphic recital of
the assassination of the King and
the Crown Prince has been OBJ
tanned from an eyewitness:
The royal carriage in which the
King, Queen, the Crown Prince
and his brother Manuel were rid
ing was a little in advance of the
other vehicles. While passing be-
tween the Ministry of Finance and
the Ministry of Public Works, a
tall, slender man with black
beard, wearing a long black man
tie, suddenly leaped out from
the crowd on the sidewalk of the
Praco Do Commerce., and, jump
ing to the step of the carriage,
reached over and thrust his re-
volver forward until it was close
to the body of the King. Then,
with cruel and deliberate aim, he
emptied the contents of it's cham
bers into the Kings neck and back
all this being done with incred-
ible swiftness. The King quiv-
cred as the bullets penetrated
his body, clutched his throat spas
medically with his right hand and
attempted to rise, and then, over
come, fell back on the seat trem-
bling and shaking.
Frightful commotion ensued.
From far and near one heard deto-
nations, and there was the sound
of the firing of many guns. A mad
revolt seemed to have broken out
in the city, and there was fighting
in many places. The populace
shrieked in terror. Women and
children were trampled under the
feet of terror-stricken men who
rushed wildly away from the vicl-
nity of the royal carriage and the
expiring monarch. .-.
The coachman of the carriage
quickly recovered his presence OF
mind. He piled his whip turlously
on the fanks of hish orses and
headed their plunglng step Ii the
! direction of the open arsenal gate.
In this dreadful moment of
panic and confusion the specta-
tors who yet kept their heads saw
Queen Amelie standing up in the
carriage as it clattered toward the
open gate, and the assassin still
clinging to the carriage step. Her
Majesty sought to shield the body
OF the King, her husband, while
with a bouquet of flowers she
rained frantic blows on the assas-
sin, trying vainly to force him from
the carriage step. The roses broke
from her grasp and fell to the pave
ment, leaving a trail Of crimson
color behind the carriage.
Finally, the assassin jumped