Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1891 — THE DICTATOR OF CHILI [ARTICLE]

THE DICTATOR OF CHILI

CROSS CRUELTY OF TYRANT BALMACEDA. Tortures Rivaling Those of the Inquisition Practiced on Political Offenders Fingers of Victims Pounded to Pulp and Tacks Driven in Their Hands—PoorPlace to Talk. Many startling facts in connection* with the revolution now raging in Chili, which throw .•ght upon the ferocity and despotism of Balmaceda, are given to* the public by three gentlemen, two of whom are Chilians, who arrived last, week. The stories show that Balmaceda is well termed “the tyrant” In Santiago, where his headquarters are, no one l dares to utter a word against him. He has caused a cross of red tobejaintedi on the houses of all people whom he suspects of being not in sympathy with him, and into these marked residences his police and soldiers go at any hour of theday or night They ransack the rooms on the ground that they are looking for revolutionists who are supposed to be hidden there. The soldiers demand wine and food, and after having as good a. time as they wish depart only to repeat the offense at some other marked residence. If a laborer is caught on the street going to or from work without a tag showing for whom he is working he isgobbled up by the soldiers of Balmaceda and impressed into his service. This system exists in Valparaiso alsa. One of the gentlemen re. erred to was walking along the street past a jail yard He* heard some terrible shrieks from some one on the other side of the wall. Heinquired of a soldier the cause and was itold that some of Balmaceda’s soldiers were punishing a man who had refused to work for him by driving tacks and pins into his hands and lingers. The pext day he saw a horrible punishment meted out to a Chilian who had been overheard to say that he was willing to work his hands off for the revolutionists. The poor fellow’s hands were placed on a b’oek and his fingers pounded to a jelly by a big mallet in the* hands of a soldier. He was then told that he could go and work his hands any way he wanted to for any one. The New-Yorker denounced the affair to a iriend—a resident of Santiago who* was with him. The next day his friend was missing, nor did he show up again. The New York man returned to Valparaiso, and just before he sailed he received a message from his friend saying that he had been locked up by Balmaceda’s men, accused of being a revolutionist sympathizer. The weak point of the revolutionists is the lack of arms and ammunition. The forces of the revolutionists number at present 3,000 men, fully armed and. equipped. Could the necessary arms be secured the number would at once be increased to 10,000 men. There are now at Huas -o, Valenar, Frairina and Carrizal bodies of men—in a 1 some 9,000 —whoare only waiting to get arms and ammunition before they take up the march against Balmaceda. At the smaller p'aces on the coast as far north as Arica, are similar bodies of would-be soldiers. The arms for these men were cn the Itata, and had they secured them, with what ammunition the Itata carried, theChilian revo ution would have been sotted* in short order. Balmaceda’s army consists of 25,000 men, well equipped. Of these only 3,000 are of the old regular standing army; the rest are recruits forced into the service. “Balmaceda,” said one the gentlemen from whom these details are obtained, “calls these men volunteers. To give you an idea of how voluntary the serv.ces of these men are I have seen batches of them numbering from twenty-five to titty each brought into Valparaiso tied to each other and surrounded by soldieis with fixed bayonets. This I have seen more than twenty times. 1 also saw a. letter from the intendente of one of the southern provinces written to Balmaceda, in which the intendente said: ‘1 regret being unable to send you a larger number of volunteers, owing to the scarcity of handcuffs’; so you can see what sort of fighting material Balmaceda has to count on. He pays the officers of his army extra wages to keep them in good humor and to have them rule the troops with an iron hand. “Before we left Valparaiso I was almost convinced that Balmaceda would win the fight* so great did his power seem, but the further north we got the more I was impressed with the numbers and determination of the revolutionists.” The generals of Balmaceda’s army, as well as the principal officers, are said to be superior in military training to those of the revolutionary forces.