Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-07-08
#tistettaneaas &eading.
MICHAEL MACTURk.
The Man Who Was tho Cause Of the
Venezuelan Row.

Once in a while an aide-de camp
resplendent in gold lace and white
duck breaks into the presence Of the
governor Of British Guiana with an
excited look on his face and couple
of kilograms in his hand.
What is it," asks the governor, who
is lying in his hammock enjoying a
cigar and a "swizzle" after the work
of the day.
"MacTurk. They've got him again!"
shouts the aide.
The governor tumbles from his ham
mock.
"By Jove!" he exclaims wearily,
"will that man never stop trying to
enlarge the British Empire? II he
were in my place he'd think there's
quite enough of it to govern already.
Which is it this time-Venezuela or
Brazil.
Brazil. Here are two kilograms.
one from MacTurk himself, the other
from the commandante of Fort San
Joaquin.
"MacTurk wires that he was arrested
by the Brazilians while asserting
Jurisdiction in British territory He
says he yielded to superior force, af-
ter making a formal resistance de-
signed merely to inspire respect for
British rights and prestige"
THAT means he mopped up about a
dozen Brazilians!" groans the govern
or. II suppose the commandante
shrieks for vengeance?"
Eyes. He talks. about 'unjustiflable
aggression and an armed invasion Of
the British Unless we do something
pretty quick, sir, MacTurk will have a
rough time"
He deserves It," answer the gov
ernor, "but suppose we will have to
hanl him out again.
Keep the wires open all night.
Telegraph peremptorily to the COM
mandante saying that nothing must be
done pending investigation and that he
will be held accountable for MacTurk's
safety.
| wire lHe lOICl6I oiuSC " hehhS tSh
resentations at Rio. Tell MacTurk TO
sit tight, hold his tongue and shoot
nobody"
Michael MacTurk, the man who wor-
ries nations in this manner and Is
continually disturbing the siestas Of
the governor Of British Guiana, is a
commissioner In the hinterland Of
British Guiana and one Of the most
strenuous servants Of the British En-
pire. He is sidetracked in the remot-
est corner Of the empire that can be
found for him, but even so, he makes
British diplomatists sit up late of
nights devising plans to conceal his
exploits from public notice.
| MacTurk exercises practically abso-
lutte sway over some hundreds OF
square miles Of forest and swamps and
Indians. FIe is not the sort Of man to
take orders from anybody, even the
governor Of the colony he serves. He
acts first and asks permission after
ward.
when he gets bored with his king
DOM" says a friend Of his, 'hc cross
es over the border into Venezuela or
Brazil and amuses himself by annex
ing territory to the British crown en-
tirely upon his own responsibility.
HE was the man who really created
the Venezuelan boundary question and
nearly sent England and America to
war. Since that question was settled
he has left Venezuela alone and trans
ferred his activities to Brazil.
He wanders promiscuously over
large tracts Of country which Brazil
Is accustomed to consider her own and
dots the landscape with British flags"
The Brazilian officials, like mosl OF
their kind in South America, are long
suffering people. While MacTurk Is
industriously planting his flags, they
shrug their shoulders, sip their aguar-
diente, and resolve to do something
| "manana."
But when he shows signs Of estab-
fishing a rough-and- administra-
ton and collecting taxes, they wake
up to the situation and send a file of
soldiers after him. Then there Is
trouble.
| MacTurk Is a little man not much
over five feet tall, but, like Lord Rob-
erts, he's a terror for his size. Every
inch of him Is fight. He is the Cap
tain Kettle Of the jungle.
1.-the and active as a jaguar, fear
less as a bulldog, strong as horse,
he is a big proposition for even a file
OF soldiers to tackle. All along the
border the natives tell amazing stories
OF his exploits.
Once, they say, he quarrelled with a
crowd of Venezuelans in village po-
sada. The Venezuelans set up on him
with knives and machetes, but he
picked up a heavy mahogany chair and
dashed into the thick of them, WELD
ing it like club.
!. There were twenty Of them, but in a
couple of minutes those who were able
to move about had taken to their
heels. The rest lay around the room
with broken heads and smashed collar
bones.
, He can do some remarkably neat
|, tricks with his Winchester rifle and
, revolver. Rambling through the jun
gle one day he met party Of Vene-
zuelan revolutionists. There were over
hundred Of them, and, as Artemus
| Ward would say, only one Of him.
They admired his guns and suggest
ed that he should hand them over for
the good Of the revolution. He point