Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-20
AN EMPIRE BUILDER
Is Britain's Commissioner in
British Guiana.
A REMARKABLE MAN
MICHAEL MacTURK AND HIS
ABILITY TO MAKE TROUBLE.
His Share in the Venezuelan Boundary
Dispute - Worries the
Diplomats.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Once in a while an aid-de-camp. re-
splendent In gold lace and white duck,
breaks into the presence Of his excellency
the governor of British Guiana with an
excited look on his face and a couple Of
kilograms in his hand.
What is it?" asks the governor, who
is lying in his hammock enjoying cigar
and a "swizzle" after the work of the
day.
"MacTurk. They've got him again.
shouts the aid,
His excellency tumbles from his ham,
mock
by Jover' he exclaims YEARLY will
that man never stop trying to enlarge the
British empire? If he were in my place
he'd think there's quite enough of it to
govern already. Which Is 1t 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 after making formal
resistance designed merely to inspire re-
spect for British rights and prestige.
That means he mOpped up about
dozen Brazilians!" groans the governor. Il
suppose the communicate shrieks for ven
geance?"
YES He talks about 'unjustifiable ag-
81 ession and an armed invasion OF the
British Unless we do something pretty
quick, sir, MacTurk will have rough
time"
He deserves It," answers his excel
lency. but l suppose we'll have to haul
him out again. Keep the wires open all
night. Telegraph peremptorily to the
commentaries. saying that nothing must be
done pending investigation and that he
will be held accountable for MacTurk's
representations at Rio. Tell MacTurk to
sit tight, hold his tongue and shoot no
body"
A Man Who Worries Nations.
Michael MacTurk, the man who worries
nations In this manner. and is continually
disturbing the siestas Of the governor of
British Guiana, Is commissioner of the
hinterland Of British Guiana and one of the
most strenuous servants of the British en-
pire He is sidetracked into the remotest
corner OF the empire that can be found
for him, but even so he makes British dip
lomatists sit up late of nights devising
plans to conceal his exploits from public
notice
MacTurk exercises practically absolute
sway over some hundreds of square miles
of forest and swamp and Indians. He Is
not the sort of man to take orders from
anybody, even the governor of the colony
he serves. He acts first and asks permits
sion afterward.
when he gets bored with his kingdom"
says a friend of his. "he crosses over the
border into Venezuela Brazil and
amuses himself annexing territory to the
British crown entirely upon his own re-
sponsibility. He was the man who really
created the Venezuelan boundary question
and nearly sent England and America to
hat
has left Venezuela alone and transferred
his activities to Brazil. He wanders pro-
miscuously over large tracts of country
which Brazil is accustomed to consider her
own and dots the landscape with British
flags"
The Brazilian officials, like most of their
kind in South America, are long-sufering
people. While MacTurk Is industriously
planting his flags they Shrug their Shout
ders, sip their aguadiente and resolve to
do something "manana." But when he
shows signs Of establishing a rough-and-
ready administration and collecting taxes
they wake up to the situation and send
file OF soldiers after him. Then there is
the biggest kind of trouble.
A Terrible Man in Fight.
MacTurk is little man. not much over
five feet tall. but. like Lord Roberts. he's
"a terror for his size" Every inch Of him
is fight He is the Captain Kettle of the
jungle. 1.-the and active as a jaguar.
fearless as bulldog. strong as horse, he
is a big proposition for even a file OF SOL
diers to tackle All along the border the
natives tell amazing stories Of his exploits.
Once, they say, he quarreled with a crowd
Of Venezuelans in village "posada." The
Venezuelans set upon him with knives and
machetes, but he caught up a heavy ma
hogany chair and dashed into the thick of
them, welding 1t like a club. There were
twenty Of them, but in a couple of minutes
those who were able to move 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 jungle one day he
met party Of Venezuelan revolutionists.
There were over hundred Of them. and. as
Artemus Ward would say. only one Of him.
They admired his guns and suggested that
he should hand them over for the good of
the revolution. He pointed to q wild orange
tree couple of hundred yards away raised
his Winchester and fired six shots as quick
ly as he could pull the trigger. The revo-
lutionists ran to the tree and found that
an orange had been pierced by each shot
They passed on without asking for the
guns a second time.
Twice Sentenced to Death.
Prior to the Venezuelan boundary dispute
MacTurk was captured by the Venezuelan
soldiers several times after desperate bat
ties, and was flung into jail. Twice he was
sentenced to be shot, and once he was actu-
ally led out to execution and placed against
a stone wall, with file of soldiers waiting
for the command to fire. telegram ar
rived in the nick of time countermanding
the execution. in Consequence of threats
made by the British minister in Caracas.
Before letting him go the Venezuelan
commandante tried a bluff.
If we show mercy and release YOU
senor," he said will you take an oath
never to enter Venezuela again. never to
seek to annex our territory and never to
demand an indemnity for this AFFAIR."
The men with the guns looked threaten
ing. but MacTurk did not turn hair
IF you let me co. he replied, IT shall
do exactly as have done before and GER
tainly l shall do my best to make you paw
sweetly for this business. I'm not going to
lie in one of your dirty jails for nothing"
They let him go, and sure enough he
managed to secure an indemnity from the
republic by the aid of the British foreign
office. Then he went to England worked
up the British case In the boundary dis
pute. and was made Companion of the
Order of st. Michael and st. George by
Queen Victoria. who took keen interest in
his exploits.