The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-15
URIBE- URIBE, REVOLUIONIST.
THE FOREMOST FIGURE IN THE
COLOMBIAN CIVIL WAR.


oC<u hahhiB HoaAhss WIG
-Often Defeated. but Never Discoul
aged-A visit to His Hcaddusrters
The pending civil war in Colombia ha
served to make bettor known outside the linn
it, OF his own country Rafael Uribe-Uribe
the most active lender OF the Liberal part,
and the hero Of the rcvolutionists.
Nominally Unbe-Uribe is but one o
several commanders. the leader Of Liberia
forces in tho north acting unoer the order
issued by Gen. Vargas Santos from tn
Island OF Curacoa. As a matter Of fact, HI
X regarded throughout Colombia as thu
coming man Of the coming Greater Co
lombin.
On the Conservative side he is described
as a monster of cruelty and treaohery,
bogic OF pious people and children. In the
surrounding Liberal countries OF Venezuela
Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa
Rica he IL a popular idol. His pretended
likeness Is to be found OH numberless boxes
Of cigarettes and matches, and his name is
coi,jIred with by drill sergcanrs and school
masters alike.
Tribes headquarters at the time the
writer found him on the Coiombian-Ve
zuelan frontier a month ago were in a de-
ser.ed Hacienda commanding an enohant-
ing view over tho pamplonita Valley.
II secmad impossible, that this should DO a
soene OF conflict. the more SO, when some
Of his y Cer officers came lounginG iuto
headaua.tcrs with their tipies-little native
~gu;tars-Rnd chanted Spanish songs of
love ~srdioGging in melancholy minor.
Ono Of tlicse officers was a rich young
plahior from the Cauca, who had thrown
up al 10 follow Cribe, while another had
studied at Cornell University and the Bos-
ton institute Of Technology until his father
and hno'hors had fallen In The war. n he
left his strdics abroad to fight Cor the cause.
In general, Uribc's officers were pre-
possessing young fellows Of education,
though their field rig resembled that OF
Sicslian bandits. None of them wore any
thing Ike a uniform, though they were
heavily armed with pistols, daggers and
machetes of widely different makes. Their
horse gear was equally varied, some rid
ing mule pads. while others had
silver-mounted saddles from Mexico n
Peru.
Gen. Uribe wore simple civilian clothes
Of gray material, with an American army
hat. He carried no arms but a cheap Cuban
machete, and. like Gen. Sherman, he ap-
peared content with n single spur. His
mount. which stood ready saddled near
the door, was a magnificent mountain
mule OF imported Spanish breed.
While the others sang and laughed and
smoked, Gen. Tribe spoke Of his campaign,
himself and the aspirations Of his party.
So far from being n fiery speaker, he is
rather a man Of few and very simple words,
unadorned by gestures or other South
American flowers OF sDecch.
Il am a Colombian he said proudly.
81 was born in A~ntioquia, Colombia, in
1859. MY mother bore the same family
name as my father, and this accounts
for the duplication of the name.
Il began fighting at le. taking part in
She Liberal uprising OF 1878, and at this
early period in my life | was made a Sub
Lieutenant. A bullet through The knee
and the suppression Of the revolution turned
me into a more peaceful occupation
He mused over the recollections Of his
early days. and gradually these details
zane out. He went TO Bogota, where he
studied jurisprndrDce ut the National
University. receiving his decree OF Doctor
OF Laws in 1880. A. a lawyer, he did so
well that he Wa elected Procurator-Genera
the Spanish equivalent for District At
dlib NdF ~ HN uRlSbAiANri n
professor OF law az the university.
When his Liberal tendencies became
too pronounced for further public employ
ment or peaceful residence at Bogota he
left the capital and founded a large coffee
plantation at Mcdillen. In Cauca. Al the
outbreak OF the revolution in isS5-the
year Of the American occupation Of tire
Isthmus- Tribe Joined tha Liberal ranks.
- - I.4.g.. -
part In tho disastrous battle Of TrihunG.
This defeat ended lls career in hat cam
paign. Tho story HAT he figured among
liberal commanders ON the lsthmus who
were a~omr@llrd 10 capitllato by Lieutenant
Comhandcr McCalla l. "A myth.
Tho ways 81 lsaoe did not hold him long.
for whom the revolution 81 lssS broke out
unis a. once cast his ,Bt with the Liberals
and marched a. -mall force Of rrlels an
the way from CIru.uauarHt To- Ioina
A crashing d.feat ~ui-I,rs"d Ii- fors's
Alone be- made u- eav back 10 Altio,u,a.
wh-go he pr0-.r.tti O., ia.-' uow r-yulu
uonaiy irfl"s
whi'' blue engaged Gee s6r made q pd--
onor, ,ri prr-#ty o-.aIt-t ard r'tIrlrl
% Toinl. rIUc .H In.sl yIt % small
force q. o." mHuf'.I.f 81 >E. lllrr. and
tlrn 90 fln Nlrfaurrr Rive. IS II" ufuf
Ing 80 nIuf ia" 500 Caught tstao-n tao
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