The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-11-30
Vat the Head of Thirteen Ameri-
cans, He Once Captured
South American Town.
HELD THREE THOUSAND AT BAY
single-H Handed, He Repulsed
Small Army-Godfrey Hun
ter's Victim a Daredevil
of d'Artagnan Type.
RrpuBrIc

1 REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York, Nov. 2s.-Interest:ng details of
the events leading up to the shooting in
Guatemala City Of William Fitzgerald by
Godfrey Hunter, Jr.. the son Of Doctor
Minister to Guatemala, were given to-day
by q man well known IA Central America,
but whose name is withheld, as he is about
to return South. He said:
The shooting Of William A. Fitzgerald
BY Godfrey Hunter, Jr.. brought to a sud-
den and ~trasical end a career as pictur-
esque as 1t was short. As a type of the
soldier of fortune. Billy Fitzgerald would
have made the heart of Dumas jump with
joy. Six feet tall, dark and handsome. the
noticeable figure in any company. A rascal
he may have been, but II SO. he was a
lovahle rascal.
LAND OF ADVENTURE
In a country where revolutions are Pc
riodical events, Fitzgerald was not long in
finding an opportunity Of stalking his life
on q possibility OF fame and fortune. The
restless General Vasquez was ambitious Of
deposing Terencio Sierra, the President of
Honduras. and of seating himself in the
presidential chair in his stead. He enlisted
The services of Fitzgerald. who was then
but a. and Of a number of more or less
weH-known adventures. among them jeff
Ss a. hGW Auillidl VI Tue SUiOHlDldu
fleet; Colonel P~ennypacker. nov general
superintendent Of the Central Railroad Of
Guatemala; Colonel J.. Bascom Jones, now
Major General of Artillery in the Guate-
malan Army. and Colonel Richards. recent
ly banished from Guatemala for excessive
revolutionary propensities.
DAREDEVIL SPIRIT.
Fitzgerald. anxious to distinguish HIM
sell. and yielding to his daredevil and i'm
pulsive instinct. decided to open hostilities
Independently Of the rest.
On October z, 1897, with a company of
thirteen Americans. Fitzgerald padded
across the lagoon separating Puerto Cortez
from the mainland, and at dead Of night
entered the town. A rush on the Quartet,
where = garrison Of 800 men was stationed.
resuited In q complete victory for the at
hacking party. The fourteen Americans had
captured the town. As the nature of Gen.
yrai Americans is one of general indifer-
ence n Of quick changes In the matter Of
political convictions. Puerto Cortez, from q
faithful Sierra port. became in the short
space OF an hour q warm VasqueztoWn.
NIGHT OF REvELRY.
The ~conquerors were hailed as 1iber-
atedores and toasted in Aguardiente' and
rum II was q night Of great revsIry. and
OF many vivas for vasquez. In the morn
% iatoricatsd a. a. Unable to ten their
own names. 1t was Mt this 1~uncture tina
word was brought to Fitzgerald, who had
taken up his h~eadcuarfezs In the Alcaldas
house, that SEQ men ytre on thSs4ay to
"Htlssr bscanse he htrnseif was not en-
tirsly eo6er or else bscauss he knew the
Hcndur3an popula<e to be partisans OF the
upper dog. Ftxgerad Decided 20 keen to
himself the. knowledge OF the Impending
attack upou b town BY the Government
troops. BE tried to enlist his thirteen men
fai fAA AAH&~AA - I~A A~~.-8 -
AZ with ons exception. stupefed With liquor
80 unable to stand The exception was
S1ee ChrtstnAa Q locomotive engineer. now
Chief Of Police Of Te~gucigaipa, the
capital of Honduras. Christmas and Tits-
gerald rode 10 the freight yards OF the
tive and Q dat cal.
ONE AoAnssr 1000.
sPuartD CortE. II must b explained, II
ON . ~psninsula- Fitzgerald and Chffstmas
ran thu locomotive and nat ear M the line
TO whSre tho "Trip Of land connecting the
peninsula TO the main land Il narrowest,
and there awaited h arrival Of The Gov
sFnnent troops. On the nat car breast
Mofk, Of sugar barrels had been built.
Within tha quadrangle made OF thsss bags
kt1yec1ld took NJ his position with four
Wtnchestsfs and several hundred rounds Of
Ammunition. At dawn, the 5000 men ap-
psared, marching In close formation on the
railroad track. there being no other traII.
The drs that greeted them from the nat
car cleersd the track in ive seconds, every
man taking COVER In the jungle.
"Unt1 3 o'clock at night Fitzgerald alone
held the Hover OF the Hondurian Army at
bay. Christmas loading rifles for him; then,
Tearing an attack en- masse under cover Of
darknee4 the order to retreat was given
and the ioccfnottvs and nat car STAINED
back into Puerto Cortex. That samA night
F1ts9erald and Christmas left in a canoe
q Puerto Cortez was retaken. General
Drummond. who had been the nominal
head Of tho expedition against the town.,
was captured and taken to Sah Pedro. but
esoaped two weeks later.
H1tzgerald. knowing how much his head
was worth. walked 10 miles into Quate-
malA In his Tight on the railroad track HI
had Killed eighteen Of the enemy and
wounded half a hundred"