The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-10-25

(YI HEN the rat-a-tat-tat of the drum
w calls patriotic citizens to arms In
the United States and other highly
civilized countries the girls are LETT De
hind. Husbands and fathers. sweet
hearts and brothers, go TO the front ana
/ the women and children have nothing 10
do but wait and weep
1t is not so everywhere. In Nenezue!a'
Colombia. Haiti, San Domingo, Bolivia
Nicaragua and some Of the other less dd-
vanced Latin-American countries the en-
tire family sometimes goes to war.
Tt happens this way: One of the civll
wars which are the normal features Of
politics in these countries, is IN progress
and there is an urgent demand lof troops
I by government and reVoluIlohlsls dllA -
Both sides stick to nothing IN Oruer 70
get soldiers They are not particular
Anybody who can carry a gun-nan'
woman or boy-wiH DO.
A group of half-civilized indians are
tiuing their fields or listening TO jesuit
priest in a little mission church III the
heart of the jungle band of soldlerS
I comes along, surrounds Inem anu
marches them all off to fight for cause
about which they know and care aoso-
lutely nothing.
But my wife, my boys, senior, "s s.l5
the peon to the commandments, who mas
captured them, What is 70 become q
| them
Enlisting the Family.
Tie family troops up. weeping and
shrieking, and begs the officer TO let the
b
thoughtfully and sees that the boys are
strapping lads of y and II and that the
wife is a fine, strong woman.
mo. j must take your men,, he tells
her. hut ii you like, you and the boys
can come, too. They are strong enough
to march and carry rifles, and you can
help do the cooking for US and look after
the wounded
So il comes about that the entire family
marches off to the front, happy ana
cheerful again. They make light OF the
/ a.. r.F arrE 10 IA rrIe
campaign. There are no harder people
I'm the world than the Indians OF Central
America. Colombia and Venezuela. Even
the women think nothing Of marchlns
thirty miles q. day for weeks at "a stretch
! over rough, mountain tracks, carrying Il
rifle. a heavy cartridge belt macnele
and pack load Of miscellaneous bag
Sometimes a guerrilla band will enlist
all the members Of a family, from inc
youngest boy of TO to the grandfather Oh
co. And they march, and fight side oy
side-husband and wife mother ana
daughter. father and son, uncles, auLls'
cousins and grandparents.
During the recent civil war IN COLOMBIA,
when the government was very hard
pressed for troops. il was a common
practice TO surround country cnurches on
Sunday and fOrcibly enlist the entire con-
gregatiOn, except old people and infants
unable 10 march.
me armies with which President Cas-
tro has made MS great Ight against INC
Matos revolutiOnists in Venezuela COM
prise a large proportion Of mere boys,
whose ages range as low as and 9, ana
every company Of his soldiers mad from
dozen 10 twenty women attached to IL.
They are generally Indians or mulattos
and they march with the baggage train,
armed TO the teeth. when the troops are
3 campaigning.
zuelan or Colombian army into the field
and make themselves useful by supply
ing the troops with rum while they are
under fire stealing provisions Tor their
bfvOuac and tending the wounded. ON
occasions too they viii take the place IN
the firing line and fight as DraVeiy as
any man on the field
How the Army Marches Home.
when 7 was I'm Caracas last January
CastrO's army marched home in triumph
after defeating the reVOluuOnists a Few
days before Christmas
There was "A biare OF trumDcts. a dis
cOrdaHt rattle of kettle drums, an ear
piercing Shrek from the flies and the
army swung around the corner and
marched UP the street past my hotel.
First came the fite and bugle band
composed of half a dozen ragged Indian
I boys. blowing a triumphal march for all
1 they were worth. Behind them. riding
proudly on stolen mule. "a copper-cOi-
I ored general carried q huge Venezuelan
Z flag ITS gaudy strips of red, white and
He was dressed IN pair of tattered
red pants with a broad GOLD stripe "a
blue service blouse like that OF the
I United states army. an old palmleaf nat
with ribbon Of the Venezuelan cOlors
twisted round FL, and pair OF alpargat-
tas-the native canvas sandal, which eX-
poses the toes and heels.