The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-12
A COLOMBIAN PATRIOT HERE.
His Fearless Exploit That Won the
Day for the Revolutionists.
a

CNew York Herald.)
The arrival in New York of General
Rafael Tribe Tribe and officers from
the seat of war in Colombia. with a
wide-awake Notwithstanding Ameri-
can secretary, having an up-to-date
| chicago wife, is a good thing for the
revolutionary movement.
The general is much like an Ameri-
can business man of 40-ta1I, athletic,
very serious and altogether different
Irom the conventional revolutionary
hero of Spanish-American countries.
He does not pose or air his grievances,
but in quiet, American, business-Iilxe
way puts in twenty hours a day. He
rises at O'Clock every morning, fin
ishes his correspondence and is out of
his hotel long before the New York
breakfast hour is over.
General Tribe, the hero of twenty-siX
battles, and who was never defeated
on the field, is a lawyer and legislator
a serious, thoughtful man. He UniteS
dignity with sincerity and industry,
and he has an iron will.
The general was born in the noun
tains of AntiOchia, famous for mines
of gold, silver and platinum. His
mother, famous for her beauty and
austere virtues, believed in the dignity
of labor. With her own hands she
made his childish garments, and she
taught him the first maXims of a grave
and stoical philosophy
The lads muscular, athletic father
taught him early to break the wild ma
tive horses, accustomed him to long,
fatiguing tramps over the snowy
ranges and TO endure the hardships Of
| outdoor life among the great moun-
tainS.
From the small village school he en-
tered an academy, and finally the ma
tional university of Bogota, the capital
city.
When child General Tribe was
known as one who never played or
easily and studied history with a fkJw
of enthusiasm.
At the university he soon became dis
| tinguished for the thoroughness of his
researches in philosophy and law, and
the depth of his general knowledge
Leaving the university with high
honors, he was soon sent back TO the
capital city to represent his district in
! the chamber of representatives as a
| liberal.
He also became a writer, and was
soon contributing powerful articles IN
| favor of democracy and reform.
| AT last the people of the mountains
rose. In the revolutions of 1876 and
| 1885 Rafael Tribe Tribe established his
| fame as a. brave and capable soldier
In the recent war, in the battle or
| Peralense, Dec. II, 1899, the victory was
won by his audacity and bravery %ne
| small liberal army was surrounded Dy
| the government forces, who were in a
very strong position behind well con-
| structed trenches. and with a river
| flowing in front Of them.
| The problem seemed without solution.
| There was but one possible line of com
/ munication between the two camps, the
narrow defile of the bridge on which
| those who attempted to cross persisted.
| All seemed hopeless for the hDerat
! army. Detection was in the ranks. Sud
denly Tribe conceived ~ scheme so
startIingIy audaciouS that for the mo-
ment all rejected it. He announced that
he would cross the bridge with any
| ten men who would accompany tnim.
In vain the officers sought to dis
suade him. They said his party, ms
| family and country needed NM he
simply answered:
AT a cross the bridge"
While waiting for the appointed hour
| he slept until awakened by violent M
| ing from the enemy
Then he asked who were willing to
! accompany him.
| The first to respond was mulatto
sergeant. General Tribe presented him
| to the army, saying:
soldiers, this is Sergeant Zuletas who
| will cross the bridge hand in hand with
me. 1 name him captain for his BRAY
| cry, whether he lives or dies"
This heroism was quickly initiated
| Giving his orders to the remaining
| troops, General Tribe started on his
desperate enterprise.
He had hardly set foot on the bridge
| when the enemy doubled their firing,
and whistling bullets fell in showers
! around him. Strange as it may seem.
| General Tribe was but slightly wound
/ ed. while his brave companions es-
| capped without a scratch So uneXpect-
! ed was the daring assault, followed by
a furious charge by the undaunted rev.
olutionists, that General Tribe won a
victory.
One of the most famous featS &C
| complished by General Tribe was per-
| formed at the battle of Teran, where,
with force much inferior he engaged
| the enemy, left a part of his troops
! fighting in the front. and with the other
part turned them by a very strategic
movement. surprised them in the rear
! and personally demanded surrender
| from the enemys chief. taking over 700
prisoners and all their arms and ammu-
| milton.