The sun., 1903-06-21
I'TURK, LONE EENPIREBulIDER
THE MAN WHO WAS THE CAUSE
or THE VENEZUELAN ROW.

| A District Commissioner In British Guiana
| VINO Amuses Himself by Annexins
| TerritoRy-He Worries tho Nations and
Plays IIaroun.s i. Ras schid in the Jungle.
| Once in q while an aide-de-camp re-
splendent in gold lace and white duck
breaks into the presence Of the Governor
| OF British Guiana With an excited look on
HIS face and a couple OF kilograms IN mis-
hand.
what is it?" asks the Governor, who
ia lying In his hammock enjoying a cigar
| and 'swizzle" after the work Of the day
"MacTurk. They've got him againl'
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? If he were in my place
he'd think there's quite enough of 1t to gov
em already. Which Is it this time-Vene-
zuela or Brazil'"
from MacTurk himself, the other from
the Commandante Of Fort San Joaquin.
"MacTurk wires that he was arrested by
the Brazilans while asserting jurisdiction
in British territory He says he yielded
to superior force. after making formal re-
sistance designed merely to inspire respect
for British rights and prestige.
That means he mopped up about
dozen Brazilians!" graons the Governor.
Il suppose the Commandante shrieks for
vengeance?"
"Yes. He talks about 'unjustifable ag-
gression' and an armed invasion Of the
British Unless we do something pretty
quick. sir, MacTurk will have rough time. y
-He deserves It," answers the Governor.
"but suppose we will have to haul him
out again.
Keep the wires open all night Tele-
graph peremptorily to the Commandante
saying that nothing must be done pending
investigation and that he will be held ac-
countable for MacTurk's safety.
Wire the Foreign Office to make repre-
sentations 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 con-
tinually disturbing the siestas OF the Gov
ernor of British Guiana, Is q Commissioner
In the hinterland OF British Guiana and one
Of the most strenuous servants OF the
British Empire. He is sidetracked in the
remotest 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 absolute
sway over some hundreds Of square miles
Of forest and swamp and Indians. He Ia
not the sort OF man to take orders from
anybody. even the Governor Of the colony
he serves He acts frst and asks per-
mission aiterward
when he gets bored with his king
DOM" says a friend OF his. she crosses
over the border into Venezuela or Brazil
and amuses himself by annexing territory
to the British Crown entirely 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 vene-
zuela alone and transferred his activities
to Brazil
He wanders promiscuously over large
tracts of country which Brazil is accustomed
to consider her own and dote the landscape
with British flags
The Brazilian officials, like most OF their
kind In South America, are long g-sunering
people. While MacTurk is industriously
planting his flags. they shrug their shoul-
ders, sip their aguardiente, and resolve to do
something "mahana.
But when he shows signs OF establish
ing a rough-and-ready administration and
collecting taxes, they wake up to the situa-
ton and send q Ale Of soldiers after him
Then there is trouble.
MacTurk is little man, not much over
Ave feet tall, but, like Lord Roberts. he's
terror for his size. Every inch Of him Is
fight He is the Capt. Kettle of the jungle
as bulldog, strong as a horse, he Is big
tackle. All along the border the natives
tell amazing stories of his exploits.
Once, they say. he quarrelled with
crowd OF Venezueans In village posodd
The venezuelans set upon him with knives
and maohetes, but he caught up heavy
mahogany chair and dashed into the thick
Of them welding 1t 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 jungle ono day he
met a party of Venezuelan revolutionists.
There were over q 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 a wild
orange tree q couple Of hundred yards
away, raised his Winchester and fred six
shots as quickly as he could pull the trig-
ger The revolutionists ran to the tree and
found that an orange had been pierced by
each shot. They passed on without ask
ing for the guns a second time.
Prior to the Venezuelan boundary dis
pute. MacTurk was captured by the vene-
zuelan soldiers several times. after desper-
ate battles, and was flung into jail Twice
he was sentenced to be shot. and once he
was actually led out to execution and placed
against a stone wall. with file OF soldiers
waiting for the command to fire. A tele-
gram arrived in the nick Of time counter