Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-03-27

| circumstances the president wants you
to rebel and drive him out Of the coun-
try next Monday night He expects
you to hold on to the presidency for,
say, six months, when he will return
and head revolution that viii put him
back in office again.
knocked all in heap by what I said to
him. but little by little be got to under
stand that the president was really
anxious for revolution, and conse-
quently Intimidad agreed to do what
ever bis beloved president might de.
sire.
81 spent the rest Of the day thinking
out a plan Of action and In making the
necessary preparations for war. had
90 rides brought secretly to the palace
and planted them at the second story
windows. as II they were 80 many cam
non. though took good care that they
should not be visible from the outside
Of the palace.
"Intimidad agreed to attack the front
door Of the palace with 80 men at pre-
cisely I o'clock In the morning. His
men were to be provided with nothing
but blank cartridges. and they were to
fire away until the front door could be
broken down. after which they were to
rush into the palace and find that the
president had fed.
II had arranged that the president
was to leave the palace soon after dusk
on the night Of the revolution. accom-
panied by single trusty servant to
carry the treasury. and l calculated
that he would be well on his way to
the coast before the revolution could
break out.
lne rning that gave me the most
trouble was to provide for the proper
firing OF the rifles In the second story
windows of the palace. couldn't fire
them myself, for It would have been q
breach Of diplomatic etiquette for a
foreign minister to take part openly in
revolution.
II puzzled over this problem till my
head ached. and finally went to Cap.
tain Intimidad and told him the diff
Guilty was In. He solved 1t at once by
telling me that he would send his par
ticular friend, Lieutenant Partagas. to
do the firing from the palace windows
and assured me that Partagas was a
man who could be implicitly trusted.
'There was one more thing to be set
tied. Intimidad insisted that two men
must be killed in the attack and that
their corpses must be left lying on the
front steps Of the palace, where every
one could see them the morning after
the revolution.
HE said that two men were always
killed In Central American revolution
and that he doubted IL revolution in
which nobody should be killed would
he strictly constitutional. I saw that
there was force In what he said. but I
wasn't willing that any human lives
should be sacrificed, and unfortunately
there were no Cinnamon In the country
who could be passed of as soldiers
slain in glorious revolution. At last
had to leave the matter In his hands,
the agreement being that none OF his
soldiers should be killed.
Monday evening I said goodby to
Don yillar y Villar and had final In
teryiew with Intimidad. He told me
that he had two corpses all ready and
that he would put them on the steps Of
the palace before the beginning OF the
assault.
when insisted upon knowing how
he had obtained his corpses, be ex-
claimed that there were two men In
Jail awaiting execution for murder and
that the governor Of the Jail, being an
intimate friend OF his, had kindly shot
the men and placed the cofpses at his
disposal.
II sat up that night till O'Clock.
when the revolution punctually began.
There was a tremendous lot OF firing,
and could hear people all over the
town slammlng their shutters, as was
their habit when a revolution broke
out.
early the next morning put on my
uniform and started for the palace to
congratulate the new president When
entered the palace gates. was as
tonished and Mortified to discover about
a dozen corpses lying on the grass and
on the steps. and l saw at once that
Partagas must have made q terrible
mistake.
II was shown into the reception
room, and presently man wearing a
generals uniform came In and express
ed his thanks that had been so
prompt in calling to congratulate him.
As didn't know the man didn't at
first understand what he meant, and I
replied that had called to see Presi-
dent lntimidad.
"There is no such person. replied
the general. I am President Partagas,
and trust that your government will
make no difficulty in recognising me as
the only legitimate president OF Ear
guela.'
"'But where is Intimidadr l asked.
I thought he was to be the new presi-
dent
Captain Intimidad, recently in
command Of the guard Of honor, was
killed last night In an attack upon the
palace, In which had Just Installed
myself as president am at q loss to
understand why you should have sup
posed that he was president or why
You should have suspected that your
friend. the late President villar y VII
lar. had been overthrown. Let me sug-
gest to your excellency that a foreign
minister is not supposed to interest
himself In the domestic concerns Of the
government to which be is accredited,
and I am sure than Don Smith would
never under any circumstances be
guilty Of such an imprudence.'
L \