6 Chapter 6

During the early years of Louis' reign, political prisoners numbered in the thousands. Citizens were arrested for trivial offenses, sometimes without charges and vanished without a trial. Most of these prisoners were denied medical care and died in prison.

Paraguay was unlike other South American countries. Louis' iron- fist rule isolated this small country from outside intervention and dependence. He sealed off Paraguay's borders; the penalty for attempting to leave the country illegally was sometimes death. If a foreigner entered Paraguay illegally, he or she was forced to stay or pay a healthy fine to depart.

Before Louis took office, the majority of the land in Paraguay was owned by thirty-five individuals. One of them was Alfonzo Gomez's father. Gomez vowed to restore the prestige that his father and generations prior had enjoyed. His concerns weren't for the thousands of peasants and poor farmers who also had their lands taken.

On August 15 , 1945 during the Fundación de Asunción, which celebrates the arrival of the Spaniards, local peasants and landowners clashed with police and government officials over land reform. This triggered Gomez and his Liberation party to take action. During the confusion, five former militants executed a covert attack on the Presidential Palace. Fortunately for Louis, Juan shot one in the head with his 1930 Mauser Broomhandle semi-automatic pistol and used his hands to strangle the life out of another. The remaining three were killed by other security guards. After approximately seventy-six peasants and six police officers were killed, Louis gained control of the uprising. Louis spared Gomez's life, so he could witness Louis' victory.