The times., 1900-12-26
NO LACK OF EXCITEMENT
Nothing Slow About Life in Peace
full Guatemala.
Magnificent Opportunities for Rum
ming an Up-tO-Date Newspaper
Sanchez Given u Years Retire
ment for killing Little Boy.


came to New Orleans the other day to buy
stock. Yes, l suppose nothing ever hap
pens," replied a sympathetic friend on the
opposite side of the cafe table. The
dickens it doesnti' exclaimed the exile
warmly. "The trouble is just the other
way. All kinds of extraordinary things
are happening all the time. but there's no
paper to print 'em in The few nearby
native sheets are all Government organs
and it's against the law to publish any
thing bearing the slightest resemblance
to news. An editor of my acquaintance
clipped a column of Household Hints one
day and ran them in to fiji up He neg
lected TO submit an advance proof to the
censor and they gave him six months in
the cooler. That's the way they conduct
their papers. and meanwhile hundreds of
the finest stories You ever saw are bios
soming all around and wasting their
sweetness on the desert air.
Why. man aljvei news in the little one
horse department where l live is SO thick
You can cut it Up In chunks with an axe.
| know towns OF a thousand or less in
habitants tha, can turn out more sensa-
tions to the square foot than a first-class
American city with an anti-vice commit
tee and a fuI'-fedged board Of Doodle al
dermsn. Interior Guatemala is the news
paradise nf the world, and 1t all. goes to
waste-eyery bit of it, Things happen
there that would make yellow journalist
delirious with Joy, and you never hear
word about them; not a word, OF course
I'm out of the harness at present. but l
can't get rid of the old professional in
stinct. and when / see so much fine raw
ma terial willing BY the wayside ii makes
me sick at heart. It's the principal objec-
tion l have to living in the eonfounded
country" why, you surprise me-" said
the exile's friend: Il supposed life in one
of those small inland towns was as fiat as
dishwater. What has happened recently,
for instance, that would make a good
story2''
Well. III give you an illustration"
replied the eX-newspaper man. lighting
fresh cigarette. '.Tll tell you about
little incident that occurred in the town
Of Gualan on the LIST of last October. This
is an absolutely true story, by the way,
but don't let that prejudice you against
it. Before coming to the main event.
however, he continued. Il must go back
a little for a word or two of explanation.
few years ago 2 man named Juan San
chez. who was captain in the regular
army. got into trifiing difficulty at Qua
temala CiIy. He was strolling along the
street, and noticing that his cigarette had
gone out called to ren-year-old boy who
happened to be passing and told him to
bring hgnt. The boy was on an errand
and replied that he could not stop to hunt
fire for the senior. Thereupon Captain
Sanchez took him by the collar and drew
his revolver. Will you get me light.
you young dos?' he asked pleasantly. 4
cannot, senor. said the boy; and the
word had hardly passed his lips when the
gallant captain pulled the trigger and
A.
can vouch for the entire accuracy of this
account. because 1 was in Guatemala City
at the time and the facts as | have stated
them were never questioned.
You would naturally suppose, Of
course that Sanchez was either drunk CT
crazy. but you would be in error. He was
simply murderous Tufian, ignorant as
mule and unconscious, / dare say of
the atrocity of his act He happened to
feel like killing somebody and yielded TO
the caprice. Incidentally he had the repI-
tation of being good soldier, and the
authorities we're inclined to be indulgsnt.
Poor mani! said the alealde In my hear
ing: he means no wrong; he Is really as
tender a woman, but he Is a little
hasty when crossed He could certainly
have got scot free but for the protests Of
the foreign consuls, and very reluctantly
a military court finally sentenced him 10
of luxurious idleness and patrol. When
he had served this cruel sentence he was
promoted and sent to the town Of Guaian
as acting comma ndant, a position which
placed MIN in supreme control of affairs
for that department-one of the most i'm
portant departments OF the whole inter
ior. | mention this little episode because
1t will give you a general idea of his fit
ness for the post, and what might be ex-
pected of such an individual when vested
with unlimited authority
"Gualan is good-sized town" coatin-
ued the story teller. "and is situated on
the line of the Guatemala Northern Rail-
road. about forty miles from Port Barrios
1t is the capital OF an extensive agricu.-
tural district in which numerous villages
are located. maintains large barracks, has
huge cathedral. excellent shops, two ho-
tels-in fact. is quite a place. Sanchez
took charge in August, and did nothing to
distinguish himself particularly until the
latter part of September. when he issued
call for a grand military drill and fes-
tiyal on October /. The official procla-
nation ordered every resident OF the de-
partment liable to military duty to report
at the plaza. That took in practically the
whole male population from sixteen to
sixty and SancheZ's reputation such
that there we're very few absentces. Mean
while the town was deliberately decorated
from end to end and the eommandante
arranged to wind up the festivities with
a grand ball in the evening. to which all
prominent citizens were invited. Early in
the morning the plaza was packed with
rural militia. who were told off in squads
of sixty for the maneuvres. Most of them
carried nothing but the wooden guns that
are used in Guatemala for training the
natives. and the only troops that had mod
ern rifles were the regulars from the bar
racks. The drill began at o'clock and
lasted until 3.
At its conclusion Sanchez rode down the
line and ordered a young man named
Usario Hernandez, who was captain of one
of the militia companies and extremely
popular all through the department, TO
proceed to the barracks at the other end
Of the square. He obeyed. and found
freshly dug grave near the wall with a
coffin by its side. A company OF regulars
was drawn up in line few yards away.
AMI firing squad of six was already in
position. Before Hernandez could pro-
test he was bound, blindfolded and forced
down on the coffin. Sanchez Immediately
gave the word and five bullets were sent
through his chest He keeled over. and
the sixth man walked up and blew off the
top Of his head. The whole proce eeding
occupied less than three minutes. @sn-
chez then walked back and dismissed the
militia with a fowery speech. Later en-
he aid he had "a suspicion that Herman
dez was plotting against the Government.
Nobody dared refer to this horrible
tragedy. and the fiesta proceeded as if
nothing had happened. In the evening the
ball opened. according to programme. and
the commandante. in full uniform. was the
central figure of really brilliant gather
ing. While things were in full swing
young military cadet. whose name have