Ernesto Balmaceda
Encyclopedia
Ernesto Balmaceda Bello was a Chile
an diplomat, who was murdered in Belgium
in a celebrated case that came to define diplomatic privileges and immunities for the retinue and families of diplomatic staff. He was of Basque
descent.
, the son of José Rafael Balmaceda Fernández
and of Ana Bello Codesido. By birth, he was the son of a former Minister of the Interior
, great-grandson of Andrés Bello
and nephew to President José Manuel Balmaceda
. After completing his secondary studies, he joined the Chilean Foreign Service and in 1905 was appointed secretary of the Chilean consulate to Belgium
.
was charge d'affaires
Don Luis Waddington, who had two children: Adelaida and Carlos. Soon after his arrival, Balmaceda started to court Adelaide and shortly thereafter, the parents of the bride-to-be found out that the young couple already had had sexual intercourse. They then demanded that 19-year-old Ernesto become engaged to Adelaide and "redress the wrong done" to her. He admitted his error and accepted the engagement for the time being.
Balmaceda did not want to get married, so he wrote to his family to have himself immediately transferred to another embassy. His family connections managed his transfer to the embassy in the United States
, but before he could depart the news leaked, and 16-year-old Carlos Waddington, brother of his bride-to-be started to practice target-shooting in the embassy gardens under his window. Ernesto Balmaceda panicked and on February 24, 1906, the day when the engagement was to be publicly announced at an embassy banquet, he hid in his rooming-house, with his friend Javier Rengifo. Carlos visited him and demanded that he honor his word. When Balmaceda refused, he shot him three times: once in the heart, once in the chest and once in the head.
After the murder, Carlos Waddington fled to the Chilean embassy and claimed diplomatic immunity
and extraterritoriality
. The Belgian people were incensed at this behavior and surrounded the embassy, bent on capturing Waddington. The police had to establish a constant cordon in order to prevent the mob from violating the building and lynching
him. On March 2nd, Chile waived its rights and ordered Waddington to be handed over to the Belgian police to stand trial.
By the time the trial happened, public opinion had shifted in Waddington's favor, and he was viewed as the avenger of his sister's honor. After a very short trial, he was acquitted on July 6, 1907.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an diplomat, who was murdered in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in a celebrated case that came to define diplomatic privileges and immunities for the retinue and families of diplomatic staff. He was of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
descent.
Early life
He was born in SantiagoSantiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, the son of José Rafael Balmaceda Fernández
José Rafael Balmaceda
José Rafael del Carmen Balmaceda Fernández was a Chilean politician, diplomat and brother of President José Manuel Balmaceda. He was of Basque descent....
and of Ana Bello Codesido. By birth, he was the son of a former Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Chile)
The Ministry of the Interior and Public Security is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of "maintaining public order, security and social peace" within Chile. It is also charged with planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling, and informing the domestic policies...
, great-grandson of Andrés Bello
Andrés Bello
Andrés de Jesús María y José Bello López was a Venezuelan humanist, poet, lawmaker, philosopher, educator and philologist, whose political and literary works constitute an important part of Spanish American culture...
and nephew to President José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
. After completing his secondary studies, he joined the Chilean Foreign Service and in 1905 was appointed secretary of the Chilean consulate to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
The murder
His immediate superior at the consulate in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
was charge d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
Don Luis Waddington, who had two children: Adelaida and Carlos. Soon after his arrival, Balmaceda started to court Adelaide and shortly thereafter, the parents of the bride-to-be found out that the young couple already had had sexual intercourse. They then demanded that 19-year-old Ernesto become engaged to Adelaide and "redress the wrong done" to her. He admitted his error and accepted the engagement for the time being.
Balmaceda did not want to get married, so he wrote to his family to have himself immediately transferred to another embassy. His family connections managed his transfer to the embassy in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but before he could depart the news leaked, and 16-year-old Carlos Waddington, brother of his bride-to-be started to practice target-shooting in the embassy gardens under his window. Ernesto Balmaceda panicked and on February 24, 1906, the day when the engagement was to be publicly announced at an embassy banquet, he hid in his rooming-house, with his friend Javier Rengifo. Carlos visited him and demanded that he honor his word. When Balmaceda refused, he shot him three times: once in the heart, once in the chest and once in the head.
After the murder, Carlos Waddington fled to the Chilean embassy and claimed diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws...
and extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...
. The Belgian people were incensed at this behavior and surrounded the embassy, bent on capturing Waddington. The police had to establish a constant cordon in order to prevent the mob from violating the building and lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
him. On March 2nd, Chile waived its rights and ordered Waddington to be handed over to the Belgian police to stand trial.
By the time the trial happened, public opinion had shifted in Waddington's favor, and he was viewed as the avenger of his sister's honor. After a very short trial, he was acquitted on July 6, 1907.
External links
- The New York Times: "SLAIN BY DIPLOMAT'S SON" (February 25, 1906)
- The New York Times: "LYNCHERS BESIEGE LEGATION" (February 26, 1906)
- The New York Times: "GIVES UP DIPLOMAT'S SON" (March 3, 1906)
- The New York Times: "DIPLOMAT'S SON ON TRIAL FOR MURDER" (June 25, 1907)
- The New York Times: "DIPLOMAT'S SON DEFENDS CRIME" (June 30, 1907)
- The New York Times: "PARIS SYMPATHIZES WITH WADDINGTON" (July 1, 1907)
- The New York Times: "WADDINGTON CASE READY FOR JURY" (July 3, 1907)
- The New York Times: "SYMPATHY FOR WADDINGTON" (July 5, 1907)
- The New York Times: "WADDINGTON ACQUITTED" (July 6, 1907)
- The International and Comparative Law Quarterly: "Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities: The Retinue and Families of the Diplomatic Staff" by Clifton E. Wilson (October 1965)
- Brief overview of case, rather biased