“Tragedy at the Club Portuense!”

Article published in the Real Gazeta Invicta at the time of the attack that killed two maidens on 2 June 1920

Tragedy at the Club Portuense!

Terror struck yesterday at what should have been the event of a lifetime for dozens of young maidens! The ball, which introduces these charming girls to the high society, and organised by the Club Portuense – usually reserved for male members, and where business are settled over lunch –, with address at Cândido dos Reis’ street, was brutally interrupted by a homemade bomb. The young women, looking lovely in their white dresses, were being led by their parents to their first waltz when the explosion rocked the building, creating panic and causing two deaths: the ones of the maidens Mariana Ramalho and Constança Varal. The Gazeta‘s editorial team regrets the loss and sends its heartfelt condolences to the families.

The Department’s quick intervention led to the identification and dismantling of two more bombs, also homemade. The dastardly deed is believed to have been aimed at Queen Maria III, who was attending what would have been her first event as monarch. Four suspects were apprehended, one of them the building’s doorman. All of them are still under interrogation. The Republic of the South has already issued a statement denying involvement in what happened and regretting the innocent deaths caused by the actions of what it claims is ‘an independent group whose actions the Republic does not recognise’. Whether it was a cruel Republican attack, or in fact an independent action, only time – and the interrogations – will tell. In the meantime, King Manuel II decreed seven days of national mourning.