The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-31
DIED !. LIKE ] sDRAGA
I
Story of a London Adventures Who
Founded a Kingdom in South =
America.
------,- ~ - - -,---..---
An 'Arriet of the, slums Who Rose
tovPower, but Was Finally
Slain. ~
New York Press

A tragendy almost parallel In Its details to
the slaughter in Belgrade took place on this
hemisphere few days ago, a king and queen
tors se and hacked to pieces with machetes.
The world paid little attention to it at the
time, for international politics were not al
in Andean republics Of South America, where
the story of the rise and fall Of King JACQUES
and Queen Leontine As told. along with the
other marvellous TALES which makes xap the
The so-called 1'republis Of Acre, over
was not the frst attempt to establish an In
dependent nation in the wilderness Wn1ch
hides the headwaters of the mighty Ama
In that vast region, still only partially ex-
and plSiG BLESSED e sy nature fertl
ity, the notorious Leontine Cassilis, an Eng
lish girl in spite of the French name she
adopted. established with her husband 2
only disappeared a few years ago. when the
queen and her husband were murdered.
%Leont1ne Gassnis was. born In, that part %o1
girls in her surroundings in London are too
| apt to. Her real name As matter of dis
pute, but it was something as prosaic as
Mary Jane. Up to. the age of II she lived a
slums. But as she grew older she developed
cn and her an Tt
| surroundings. Adopting the name OF Leon
tine. she went to Paris, where she soon be-
came notorious. She found protectors among
she she had a fne house and carriages and serv>
| ants. 80 '<-.t +-.s'.:.
A wealthy Bolivian General Belzu, became
! infatuated with her on trip to Paris and
| try, where he proposed to- make himself pres
| ident and take Leohtine for his wife, His
pdssp was sha arge S Pc on
| his schemes of ambition and soon Bolivia
was in the throes Of a civil war. The former
| 'Arriet' of London slums was now politi-
| the supreme authority in Bolivia thru her
putattve husbands but of conquests beyond
the borders Of the republic. She aimed at 9
great South American federation over which
| she should rule in fact II not in name.
Mariana Melgarejo, -afterward SO cele.
brated as dictator Of Bolivia, was the princi-
! Melgarejo proclaimed himself president, but
Belzu raised an army and drove him from
the capital. Leontine, for brief period
was installed In the presidential palace, and
had the guards turn out to- salute when she
/ passed. But. Melgarejo gathered an army
and on the slopes Of silver bearing Potosi
gave battle to. the army which Beizu sen,
! capital, took it.. Breaking, into the palace
he shot Belzu with his own hand and estab-
! lisheds himself as e dictator. sLeontine il
! splendid fury swore revenge. Melgarejt
A French edventurer, one jacques Cas-.
ctilis, had more than any other man, aided
1 Melgareio to become dictator. Upon Jacques
Cassillis Leontines turned the power of hel
/ witehery She skalfully fomented strife be
4 tween him and the dictator. Persuading hin
/ that he had been treated with base ingrati
| tude, and finally she bound him body and sou
1 to her schenes for power and revenge
Jacques married sthe woman AMI then, with
handful of follerers: they escaped from ii
Paz the BoIiyian capital and went into TIL
/ wilderness lying between the headwaters 0
the river Madeira and. the upper Tapajoz
There they proposed to found a nation whic,