414 



GUATEMALA. 



Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Spain, and Belgium, and 

 charges d'affaires of Germany and Great Brit- 

 ain. The conditions were not as repugnant to 

 Ezeta as the original draft, which provided that 

 he should resign the provisional presidency into 

 the hands of Ayala pending the election of a 

 new President for the unexpired term by a Con- 

 stituent Assembly. Nevertheless he objected to 

 the third and fourth articles as an interference 

 with the internal arrangements of the country 

 tending to impair its autonomy and dignity. 

 Mr. Mizner, in the name of the diplomatic corps, 

 replied with a declaration that those articles did 

 not involve the least design to interfere in matters 

 which of right belong exclusively to Salvador. 

 Ezeta accepted this declaration as satisfactory 

 and signed the treaty on Aug. 28. With the 

 saving clause inserted by Ezeta, the treaty was 

 ratified by Barillas on the following day; and 

 the diplomatic representatives sent a note to the 

 three governments calling on them to withdraw 

 the belligerent forces. 



The final treaty of peace was signed at the 

 capital of Guatemala on Nov. 15 Its stipula- 

 tions had in the main been complied with. The 

 Salvadorian Congress, when it met, refused at 

 first to ratify the third and fourth articles. A 

 difficulty had also arisen in regard to the ex- 

 change of prisoners, the Guatemalans having, it 

 was said, shot the prisoners taken in the war. 



The Barrundia Episode. Jose Martin 

 Barrundia, who, as Minister of War under Bar- 

 rios, was considered responsible for many of the 

 barbarities committed during the former dis- 

 turbances in Central America, left the country 

 in 1885, and when the last war broke out he was 

 living with his family in the Mexican State of 

 Oaxaca. Going to Chiapas, he collected and 

 armed a band at Tapachula, with the intention 

 of entering Guatemala and raising a revolt 

 against his old enemy, Barillas. While attempt- 

 ing to cross the boundary he was arrested and 

 his followers were disarmed by Mexican troops, 

 his design having been communicated to the 

 Mexican Government by the Guatemalan minis- 

 ter, Dieguez. Barrundia was detained in prison 

 a few days, then was liberated on condition that 

 he should leave Mexican soil, and was conveyed 

 under escort to the port of Acapulco, where he 

 took passage for Salvador on the Pacific Mail 

 steamer "Acapulco." Although the steamer 

 touched at Guatemalan ports, he felt secure 

 under the American flag, especially since the 

 captain of a vessel of the same line had the 

 month before refused to allow Salvadorian sol- 

 diers to come armed aboard his steamer or to 

 arrest a political prisoner who had escaped from 

 their custody. The Guatemalan Government, 

 informed by a telegram from Minister Dieguez 

 that Barrundia was on the " Acapulco," ordered 

 his arrest at Champco, but Capt. Pitts would 

 not permit the officers to board the ship. The 

 Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. 

 Francisco Anguiano, requested Minister Mizner 

 to direct Pitts, when the steamer reached San 

 Jose, to deliver up his passenger, who was 

 charged with the crimes of sedition, treason, and 

 conspiracy against the Government and the 

 domestic peace of the country. Mr. Mizner 



called on Dr. Anguiano and asked for fuller ex- 

 planations, pointing out that Guatemala was 

 then under military law, and received the assur- 

 ance that Barrundia would have a fair trial and 

 would not be put to death. When the " Aca- 

 pulco" put in at San Jose on Aug. 27, and 

 anchored near the " Thetis " and the " Ranger," 

 Commander Reiter, of the " Ranger," came 

 aboard, and was requested by Captain Pitts to 

 protect his passengers from violence, detailing a 

 file of marines for the purpose. The American 

 naval officer expressed regret that he could do 

 nothing without authority from the Guatemalan 

 Secretary of the Navy, who was the port captain, 

 the vessel being in Guatemalan territorial waters. 

 Pitt telegraphed to Mr. Mizner from Champico. 

 The American minister sent a reply telling him 

 that his vessel was within the jurisdiction of the 

 Guatemalan authorities, and that they had the 

 right to arrest any one charged with having 

 offended against the laws of the country. If he 

 chose to resist the legally constituted authority 

 of Guatemala he would have to do so at his 

 own peril, and would render himself amenable 

 to prosecution and punishment under Guate- 

 malan law. The Guatemalan Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs made a formal demand for the surrender 

 of Barrundia, to which Minister Mizner replied 

 that, if the "Acapulco" was in Guatemalan 

 waters the Guatemalan authorities could exercise 

 their legal jurisdiction, and if it should be found 

 necessary to arrest Gen. Barrundia while on 

 board an American vessel, the United States 

 minister need raise no objection to the enforce- 

 ment of the laws by duly authorized officers ; 

 but he would remind the Government of its 

 promise to accord full justice and avoid extreme 

 measures. Capt. Pitts had promised Gen. Bar- 

 rundia that he would not be delivered up, and 

 when Col. Torielle first came on board and de- 

 manded Barrundia, he refused, and sent a tele- 

 gram to the minister, whose reply to his former 

 message he had not received, and a request for 

 assistance to the officers of the American men-of- 

 war, who answered that the matter was out of 

 their jurisdiction. Col. Torielle returned with 

 an order for Barrundia's arrest, showing him 

 Mr. Mizner's letter to the Guatemalan Govern- 

 ment, and handing him the minister's reply of 

 similar tenor to his own message. Capt. Pitts 

 said he would obey under protest, and after first 

 asking Barrundia to give up his arms he in- 

 formed him that the Guatemalan officer had 

 come to arrest him. Barrundia rushed out with 

 two revolvers that he had concealed, and fired at 

 Col. Torielle and the captain, who fled into a 

 stateroom. Going out of the cabin, he was shot 

 by the five soldiers who had come with Torielle, 

 who all fired their rifles simultaneously. 



Minister Mizner protested to the Guatemalan 

 Government against the shooting of Barrundia 

 in violation of its promise that Barrundia's life 

 would be spared. On Sept. 1 a daughter of Bar- 

 rundia entered the offices of the Legation and, 

 pointing a revolver at Mr. Mizner, reproached 

 him with having been the cause of her father's 

 death, and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed 

 him, and before she could fire a second shot 

 Consul-General Hosmer seized her wrist. 



