"Bloody Week" in Barcelona.

The Barcelona revolt of July, 1909, has been rightly described as "One of the most frightful exhibitions of anti-Christian fury since the days of the French Revolution, and the most appalling outbreak of Anarchy that the world has ever seen."

Barcelona is a large manufacturing and commercial city, containing some 700,000 inhabitants. Everything seemed quiet and normal there on Sunday, July 25; still, there was an uneasy feeling that something sinister was about to happen. Some organising was evidently going on, especially in the Casa del Pueblo, the central meeting-place of the workmen's societies. Ferrer had been a full month back in Barcelona by this time.

On Monday morning the factories and workshops closed; scouts went out in all directions to warn the page 17 men against coming to work. It was then understood that a twenty-four hours' strike had been decided upon, as a protest against the unpopular war in Morocco. For various reasons, this war was highly distasteful to a great number of the Spanish people. It was felt that the lives of Spanish soldiers were being sacrificed for the sake of a paltry mining company, which was in part foreign, and probably Jewish, in backing. Besides, the sending of conscript soldiers to perform foreign service was regarded as an irregular and unusual, if not an unjustifiable, measure. Spain's difficulty was now the Anarchists' opportunity. Whenever their native land is in the throes of a crisis, the Anarchists may be expected to break forth into outrages and assassinations. Patriotism in their eyes is a contemptible sentiment; the national flag is merely "a filthy rag put on a pole to deceive the people" Spain was at this time in the throes of foreign war and domestic agitation. The Anarchists recognised that their hour was at hand.

About midday on Monday, July 26, the shops of Barcelona began to open timidly, but soon closed again, owing to the numerous menacing groups of workmen standing in the streets. The police were armed with rifles, in addition to their revolvers, and stood in pairs along the Rambla, the principal street, about twelve yards apart. The crowds began to hurl stones at the tram cars, and tried to prevent them from running. Then, suddenly, as if at a concerted signal, the mob set fire to trams, pulled down telegraph wires and lamp-posts, tore up paving-stones, and began erecting barricades, while shots rang out in all directions.

An American traveller thus describes the scene:—"The revolutionists started out to cut the telegraph, telephone, and electric light wires, to sever the gas and water mains, to capture and plunder the banks, public offices, and buildings. They succeeded in paralysing the electric service and gas, stopped all street cars and railway service, and terrorised the peaceful inhabitants, but the public buildings, banks, storehouses, and principal business places were too well guarded by the police and soldiers for them to seize and plunder."

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At four o'clock on Monday afternoon General Santiago took over the town from the Civil Governor Senor Osorio, and proclaimed a state of siege. All I offences thenceforward committed should be judged! by martial law. But as the majority of the garrison and reservists had been sent to the front in Africa, General Santiago had only 1400 troops of all kinds to face 100,000 Anarchists, Socialists, and Red Republicans. The soldiers and police could do little more than guard the public buildings and banks in the aristocratic part of the town, and afford protection to the largest civil and mercantile establishments. The un-protected portions of the town were completely at the mercy of the revolutionists, who were strongly entrenched behind barricades.