Office of the Historian

No. 59.
Mr. Williamson to Mr. Evarts.

Legation of the United States at Central America,
Guatemala, October 10, 1877. (Received November 10.)
No. 701.]

Sir: I have the honor to inclose you a copy and translation of an ex. tract from the official paper of Guatemala, purporting to give an account [Page 74] of an attempt by a priest to assassinate President Barrios, and of the killing of the priest.

As the priest is dead, there has been but one side of the story made public. The statement made in the official organ is substantially the same as that made by President Barrios. I have failed to meet a single person who credits the statement.

The killing; of the priest has caused great excitement, and has elicited from his opponents the most unfavorable comments against President Barrios.

The dead priest was a Spaniard by birth, a young man of about twenty-seven years. He is reported to have been highly intelligent, refined, and devout without bigotry. Competent judges who knew him well, tell me he was a gentleman.

For some reason or other not satisfactorily explained, it seems President Barrios suspected the priest of fermenting disturbances among the Indians, and it seems at their first meeting the priest met his death. The incident occurred about 100 miles from this city on the occasion of President Barrios’ visit to the disaffected Indian region.

It is possible this unhappy affair occurred as stated in the extract, but to those who know President Barrios’ habit of always being well armed, and of keeping himself surrounded by a body-guard, it is, to say the least, highly improbable.

I have, &c.,

GEO. WILLIAMSON.
[Inelosure No. 701.—Translation.]

Attempt to assassinate President Barrios.

[From El Guatemalteco, No. 140, dated October 5, 1877.]

* * * * * * *

On the 29th of the present month, the Señor General President being for the moment free from his multiplied attentions, at ten o’clock was tranquilly breakfasting in the convent of the town of San Pedro Jocopilas. Suddenly the clergyman, Felix Pajes, curate of the parish of Sacapulas, introduced himself into the dining-room, and with revolver in hand audaciously attacked the person of the Señor General President, who, being unarmed at the precise moment in which the other attempted to discharge the homicidal weapon, had no other measure of defense but to strike aside the hand of the clerical assassin. A faithful servant, Inez Cruz, at the moment serving the table, succeeded in discharging his revolver at the criminal, who fell to the ground expiring instantly, thus receiving the merited chastisement of his premeditated crime.