Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1890 — TERRIBLE ELECTION RIOT. [ARTICLE]

TERRIBLE ELECTION RIOT.

Peruviac Indians Barn a Town and KillOne Hundred Person#, i A correspondent at Lima under date of! Feb. 12, received on March 14th, writes:; “The antagonism existing between Senors Rosas and Morales Bermudes, the two 1 ' candidates of the Constitutional party for, the Presidential- nomination is probably greater now than it was at the beginning,-' for the friends of both remain firm and the agitation in the provinces has already assumed grave proportions. From Puna news has been received of a collision -.between the Rositas and the Bermudistasj resulting in the loss of a number of lives - and the pillage of many houses by drunken Indians. Recently both Bermudez and! Rosas arrived at Haunta, in the province of Ayacucho, were, under most serious auspices, they started an electioneering strife, and an armed collision between the two parties was the result. It is alsoi stated that a battle has taken place in the! streets of Haunta and many on both sides! were killed, among them being the chiefs of both parties in the towm mentioned, namely, Senor Deputy of Congress, and head of the revolution, and Dr. Urbina, chief of the Rosas party. The prefect of Ayacuchd informed the government of the fight, and the leaders of the parties have been held l responsible. Luckily no other part of the republic is similarly disaffected, the general! feeling being that the time has passed to resort to such extreme and turbulent measures.

“Another account gives the following; details of the Huanta fight: Urbina,having] seen five members of his family fall at hid side during the eight hours of the combat* left with, the remaining members to seeki refuge at the Matriz oChurch. There hei found a number of women, children and old people. The priest,before the horrible; tragedy took place, exhorted the Indians toi desist, in the name of humanity, from! their horrible mode of procedure,but when! the Indians are drunk they are most f urii ous and are incapable of reasoning. Ast they drew near the church, threatening toi burn it, Dr. Urbina,under terrible emotion j knowing that he had been the only cause; for such an action on the part of the Indi! ans, and wishing to save the lives of the/ many innocent persons who had taken/ refuge in the church, resolved, without/ losing time, to sacrifice himself and termi-i nate the anguish of his friends. Leaving] the,church, he addressed his enemies ini the following strain: ‘I am Urbina, whom] you are looking for. Kill me if you like,'/ but the persons in the church are not my accomplices. Do not injure them.’ The priest, to whom he announced his determi nation, gave him his benediction and accompanied him to the door of the church, opening a wicket and bidding him goodbye, sobbing as he did so. The priest intended to return and close the church, but as he arrived at the porch he became deprived of reason. “A few moments afterwards as we passed the Plaza de Huanta, the head ot this victim of the implacable hatred and barbarity of his countrymen was to be seen at a distance. The guerrillas, in their drunken fury, not being satisfied with the murder of Dr. Urbina, continued to slaughter the inhabitants and to sack and burn the town for many hours afterward. Over one hundred lives were sacrificed to the old rancor ezisting between the families of Lazon and Urbina.”