Comedy and Tragedy of the Rio de Janeiro Revolt Entertaining details of the so-called "revolt" which occured at Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of Jast month have come to hand with the latest South American mails Although the outbreak had its serious side—some 30 persons were killed and twice that number injured~it never attained really serious proportions. The Government, having been warned of what was likely to occur, had taken steps to keep its Jand and sea forces, particularly the Jatter, outside the influence of the politico-military junta, headed by ex-President Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, which was responsible for the seditious demonstration against Senhor Bernardes, the President-elect. The great-event of the two-days' insurrection was the "siege" of the fort at Capa Cabana, the fashionable seaside suburb at the entrance to Rio's famous bay.
The garrison of the fort numbered about 30 men, and their performances with the local artillery, culminating in two extraordinary chance hits on the Ministry for War, which surprised nobody more than the gunners, Ied to the Government sending against them, two Dreadnoughts, two cruisers, a destroyer flotilla, a squadron of bombing planes, and 2,000 men, with field artillery and machine. guns. The siege lasted just over 24 hours, and was very popular with the citizens, many of whom dropped in to have a chat with the rebels while it was in progress, From newspaper correspondents and interviewers the chief insurgents were under a withering fire until nightfall, when an agreement between besiegers and besieged was arrived at, each party undertaking not to disturb the other during meal-times and sleeping hours.
At 8 o'clock the next morning. serious business was resumed, ant the rebel commander was so gravely incommoded by the noise and dust that he left the fort and drove home in a taxicab.
Finally, in the afternoon, the 28 men who then survived, each carrying a fragment of the fort's one tattered flag, threw the investing army into a panic by coming out. and making a totally unexpected attack upon them. It was the one heroic incident of the whole affair, and ended tragically for the attackers, all of whom were either killed or wounded after a two hours' engagement which must have been more like a battue.
Elsewhere the trouble was confined to the Military Academy (where Brazil's military knuts come from). An attack was led from this point on the garrison camp at the Villa Militar. A number of officers left their posts, the n.c.o.'s took their places, a few shots wers fired and the great coun d'état was, over. It was, as Geordie Stephenson might have said, bad for the coup.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.