Scorpion scandal
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The Scorpion scandal (1809) was a smuggling, criminal and political scandal that caused the downfall of the Spanish Royal Governor of Chile, and hastened the Independence movement in that country.
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[edit] Background
During all the colonial period, Spain mantained a very strict monopoly over the international commerce with its American Empire. In 1808, the American frigate Scorpion, under the command of captain Tristan Bunker, arrived to the Chilean costs with the stated purpose of whaling. The real purpose of the trip was to try to smuggle and sell into the colony a very valuable consignment of british cloth that the ship was carrying in its hull. To this purpose, captain Bunker contacted Henry Faulkner, an American medical doctor then living in the city of Quillota.
Faulkner and Bunker reached an agreement, and the captain was to deliver the goods at the Topocalma Hacienda that was owned by one José Fuenzalida. The agreed price was 80,000 pesos of the time, a small fortune. Don Francisco Antonio de la Carrera, Royal Delegate of Colchagua, with jurisdiction over Topocalma, got wind of the scheme and decided to intervene.
Fuenzalida, De la Carrera and Faulkner conspired together and decided to hijack the cargo. To achieve their plans they needed enough force to strongarm captain Bunker and his crew. To that purpose, they contacted Royal Governor Francisco Antonio García Carrasco. The Governor and his secretary, Juan Martínez de Rozas agreed to provide a Dragones (police) squadron in exchange for 85% of the profits, and of course without notification to the Royal Customs Office.
On September 25, 1808, at Topocalma bay, three conspirators: the buttler of the Marquis of Larraín, the representative of De la Carrera and Dr Faulkner, boarded the Scorpion to finalize the deal. The payment was to be paid in copper ingots. While the representatives held their talks with the captain, the copper was loaded by the Dragons disguised as porters.
After the copper was loaded, the captain and eight of his sailors were invited to a banquet on shore, at the hacienda houses. During the meal, after a prearranged signal, captain Bunker and his sailors were shot and murdered. Then the Dragons boarded and proceded to take over the frigate and its cargo.
[edit] Aftermath and importance
The facts came to light very quickly afterwards, and caused a very violent reaction. The populace tried to lynch all the participants, who were miraculously saved by being arrested and put under permanent armed guard. In Santiago all the anger was directed against Governor García Carrasco and his secretary Martínez de Rozas, both of whom in a very short time accumulated a large amount of legal suits against them for this event, while public riots erupted. Martínez de Rozas had to resign and hide in Concepción.
The subsequent investigation destroyed what little authority the governor had left, and less than a year later required his surrender of the post to Mateo de Toro Zambrano, giving way to the first Chilean attempt at self-government.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Basic Reference (Spanish)
