The Potteries Examiner : — 1872-02-17 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

MASSACRE IN SOUTH AMERICA.  The Liverpool, Brazil, and River Plate Royal Mail steamer Tycho Brahe has arrived from Buenos Ayres with dates to January 9. The Government of Buenos Ares bad received despatches from the Tandil district, where the most horrible atrocities had been committed early last month. It appears that on New Year's morning, about three o'clock, the inhabitants were alarmed by shouts and cries of " Death to all foreigners" proceeding from a crowd of from 50 to 100 men, who assailed the prison and overpowered the guard. An Italian happened to be pressing at the time, and he was trampled to death under their horses' feet. About a mile from the plaza they came upon a troop of bullocks, carts, and drivers, and murdered nine of the drivers, who were Basques, besides woundingtwo others,who were natives. Taking the road towards Buenos Ayres, they killed a pulpero and his servant, after which they divided into , two bands, one of which went towards Mr. Chaparro's store, and the other towards Mr. Henry Thompson's. At the latter place they killed Mr. William Gibson Smith and his wife and the shopman. Mr. William Stirling was left for dead, but, although fearfully wounded, is likely to recover. At Mr. Chaparro's store the band murdered 18 Basques, Mr. Chaparro, his wife, and four children, the eldest being eight years and the youngest only four months. Afterwards they pushed on for Mr. D. Ramon, Santa Marina's, at which place they were overtaken by the neighbours and National Guards,who shot six or seven of the malefactors, and captured as many more. The Buenos Ayres Standasil says : "We are in possession of still further details, but they are of too shocking, too revolting a character to be published. The Chapan estancia, so far, has proved the Cawnpore of the day; and we tremble when we look forward to what the next raid may bring, as these bloodhounds are out in all directions, and, to use the words of a countryman just arrived from the south, the 'conspiracy is spreading like wildfire.' It is some relief to know that in so terrible an emergency the Government has played its part well. Without waiting for official data, without employing the required formalities prescribed by the Constitution, Governor Castro has called out the National Guards, and despatched a trusty and experienced officer to the south with the same power as if the country were invaded by a foreign foe. We mnst now await the result, but the tidings are too awful for us to remain silent. People who left by train for Chascomus have been so stunned by the intelligence they received outside that they have returned to the city rather than proceed to the estancias. The Sepoys of Sandil have risen to murder the foreigners. Their bloodstone can slake the thirst of Gaucho fanaticism, and the lives of our countrymen are set on the cast every hour. Strange that this Tandil massacre should have come like a clap of thunder upon us, when it appears that for sin months past there have been parties who knew well what was going on. Stranger still, that this treacherous conspiracy against foreigners should have for its leader a Chilian. There is something dark and incomprehensible in the whole horrid story, something so terrible in the onslaught that it eclipses the massacre of Glencoe and rivals the sepoy revolt in India of 1857."