The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-25
JACKIES CAME
 AT THE SIGNAL
(Concluded.)

O~~~-N@-'I
 was all nicely done, and the Colombian was brought to appreciate just why 1t was that the railroad could not refill the ICartagena's tanks. There was some fur ther talk between the two men, and the Colombian naval captain then left Colo
 mel Shaler, going directly to his ship,
 which sailed out of the port a few min utes later, without having communicated with Colonel Torres. and leaving the | troops she had landed the day before to shift for themselves
 He Was Paid to Leave.
 With the Cartagena gone. and with the freight house in control of and strongly
 barricaded by the American force, Col Jnel Torres consented late on the afternoon of the fourth of the month to incline his ear to Mollendes' arguments. He, too, was
 brought to see the futlity of opposing the inevitable and already accomplished independence of Panama and at last con- scented to re-embark his troops and sail away from Colon in return for $S,0 (gold.) The Royal Mail steamer Ornoco (English) was at her dock at the time, and the charge for returning the Co., lombian battalion to Cartagena was only about $3,590 (gold) there was a good mar gin of profit in the bargain Torres had driven, but to the Encouragement of such patriots, 1t may he stated that the Co., lombian government. learning of the transaction through the wide publicity given it. compelled Torres to disgorge when he reached Cartagena. The deal having been made, the question was to raise the $S,OO0 necessary to make if ef- fective. That amount in gold is not to be had on the Isthmus of Panama upon de- mand, and Mollendes was in somewhat of a quandary. There are, however various ways out of a dilemma, and Mollendes bethought himself of Colonel Shaler.
 It happened. very fortunately, that the Panama Railroad had $S.OOO gold on hand at the time, but that corporation is not engaged in the business of transporting Colombian soldiers at it's own expense. The money was forthcoming, however, and very pretty story was then fixed up and sent to the press in the States about the generosity shown by the mer- chants of Colon, and the promptitude with which they raised $S,0OO gold (equal to S20C0O in Colombian currency to satis- | fly Colonel Torres. That story was pure fiction. The fact is, that when MoIIendes reported his demands to Colonel Shaler that gentleman telegraphe to the firms
 of Isaac Brandon & Bros. and Henry Ehr-
 man, bankers, of Panama, who held on deposit all the public money op the isth-
 mus. In this telegram Colonel Shaler | stated that the isthmus could be cleared of Colombian soldiers by the payment of 600 (goldl, and asked if the bankers
 would reimburse the railroad from the public funds if it advanced the sum need ed. Brandon & Bros and Ehrmann lost
 no time in answering in the affirmative,
 and the $500 was delivered by the Pan | ana Railroad to Governor Molendes, who turned it over to Colcmel Torres.
 Looking Ahead.
 This transaction completed. the CoIom-
 bian troops marched from the barracks to the Royal Mail dock to board the steamer for Cartagena. This dock runs at right angles to the freight house of the Panama Railroad, distant only about 100 feet, and the Colombian troops had no sooner marched out onto the dock than Lieuten- ant Commander Witzel and Colonel Black swung the line of the American barricade out so as to close and command the dock on which the Colombians were massed. It
 was the morning of the 9th of November before all of these details had been at tended to. the opposing forces having rested on their arms during the night of the 4th. After reaching the dock and be- ing just ready to go aboard the English steamer, the Colombian troops threatened to revolt because the captain of the Ori- noco demanded that they surrender all their arms into the ships charge before coming aboard. The delay was protract- ed, the American force standing guard behind its barricade while 1t lasted The Colombians conceded the point in the end. however, and stacked arms on the dock. leaving 1t to the stevedores to take charge of and store them in the hold. Very soon thereafter the British steamer sailed away, and the secessionists were left in absolute and unopposed possession of the