In July 1889, Dom Pedro II suffered an assassination attempt.
- Handwritten telegram from the President of the Province to the Council.
- One page.
- 22 cm x 29.5 cm.
- In Portuguese.
- Ouro Preto, July 16, 1889.
- Average state conservation, some wear on the edges.
- Unique piece.
July 16, 1889
Deslins Station
To the President of the Province
Telegrams are sent
scary attack Emperor
There was only one shot fired
by foreigner arrested. Manifest-
warm greetings Emperor City-
calmly
Ouro Preto Presiden
you to the Council
A word about Deslins Telegraph Station: it was a telegraph station that existed in Brazil during the imperial period. It was located on Rua do Ouvidor, in the center of Rio de Janeiro, and was named after its director, the engineer Deslins.
At the time, the telegraph was an important means of communication, allowing the rapid transmission of messages over distances. The Deslins Telegraphos Station was part of the telegraph network that interconnected several Brazilian cities, contributing to the improvement of communications in the country.
With the proclamation of the Republic in 1889, the station came under the administration of the new government. It continued to operate for several years until it was deactivated at the beginning of the 20th century, when new communication technologies began to emerge. Today, there are no traces of the telegraph station where it once stood.
Researcher and historian Roberto Michetti Moreira is writing a book about the life of Dom Pedro II, told in the first person, but based on true events. Roberto kindly agreed to share with us the excerpt about the event that interests us here:
If I can call it an attack, or simply an untimely and reckless act. But anyway, I remember the day very well. It was a Sunday, July 14, 1889. The centenary of the Storming of the Bastille.
On that occasion, I went to the Teatro de Sant'Anna, in the company of my grandson Pedro Augusto, my daughter Isabel and Teresa, who, in addition to the play by Molière, Escola de Maridos, wanted to honor her fellow Neapolitan, the little violinist, Giuletta Dionesi.
So far so good. The real problem was when we left. It was around midnight. We were in the lobby when, amidst shouts of “Long Live the Republic”, a general commotion began. After getting into the carriage and heading towards the city hall, we were shot at right in front of the popular Maison Modérne restaurant.
He almost hit my grandson and, thanks to my good father, no one was hit. Honestly, I didn't expect that. Nothing like that had ever happened during my reign. But anyway, the shooter managed to escape and, during the search, he was captured and arrested. He was a young Portuguese man. If I remember correctly, a certain Adriano Augusto do Valle.
Little known to the public, this event could have been tragic for Dom Pedro II and Brazil, which makes this telegram a very interesting piece.
