Evening journal., 1904-09-14
A VERY PRETTY PLAN
1T FAILED JUST BECAUSE ONE SMALL
DETAIL WAS OVERLOOKED.

There's no use talking, blank car /
tridges are often n whole lot deadly /
down yonder in the lower Americas" /
said man who was for many years n
United States consul in Central Amerl- |
ca. speaking the other day about some
soldiers who were Killed 'inadvertent- /
ly" by bullets during a sham battle not
very long ago. I'D rather take a
chance with honest Injun bullets up
this way than with a lot Of the blank
cartridges that l know and have heard
about down in the low ATTITUDES OF
this hemishere.
Something quite neat of the blank
cartridge kind came off, for instance.
while Antonio Ezeta was fixing up and
putting over one revolution after an
other down in Salvador. with his head
quarters in La Libertad. Antonio was
the most ingenious boy of the whole
Ezeta family, and that's saying a lot,
for the bunch of Ezetas made IL a busi-
ness and pastime for years to cook
up revolutions oil the way from Pana-
ma to Patagonia.
1T was simply plain business prop
ositlon. revolutionizing, with those
lively Ezeta boys. As soon as an Ezeta
would succeed in bundling up a pack
age of loot amounting to FIVE or ten
millions away he'd skip TO Paris, and
he'd be dead OF absinth and things in
side of a couple Of years. Tony was
the only one OF the boys, If I remember
correctly, who didn't do that. for the
reason that, ingenious as Antonio was
at upsetting governments, something
always happened to shut him out of
the dough at the critical juncture.
"Well, anyway, while Antonio was
the boss Of La Libertad, Salvador, his
vedettes brought in a prisoner Que day.
The prisoner was the secretary of war
OF secretary of state or some little thing
like that Of the still existent but under
cover regular government of the re-
public of Salvador.
''This chap had been In secret COM
munication with Antonio Ezeta and
had permitted himself to be captured
He had swiped some 100000 in gold
for his BIT, and. figuring that Antonio
was going to win out, he had made up
his mind to attach himself to the Ezeta
cause and divide his portion of the
Doodle with Tony rather than remain
with the almost = era ne nt
and have the VIII isaslunett aee removed
from him by the disbanding elements
Of the losing side.
80 they brought him in, with his
leather trunk stuffed with gold disks.
Antonio pretended to receive him with
a gloomy brow and In n loud tone or
dered that he be instantly shot.
TONY winked the other eye. how
ever, and the ex-oficial Of the defunci
cabinet felt pretty good. He begged
for a private word with Antonio, and
the two got together in Tony's oficC
and embraced affectionately.
You understand, Of course, my
cherished brother, the situation here,
said Antonio. The troops hate you.
must stand you up to be shot at Blu
/ shall see that nothing but blank car
tridges are used. When the officer of
fers to blindfold you, wave him aside
and proclaim your desire TO die witt
your eyes upon your assassins. This
will arouse the enthusiasm of my brave
boys, don't you see? They viii proba
bly,, in their enthusiasm, beg me "a
spare your life. II so, well and good
You are to be spared in any event. But
If they do not beg for your life in theiI
enthusiasm they shall fire at you only
with blank cartridges, you understand
You are to fan as If dead. when they
] n.a.s ss.lt "a L 1..I
! that you are put on board the Panams
steamer going up tonight. Is it no
J well. my brotherY wound up Antonio
affectionately.
'Tonys idea looked pretty neat {,
the captured ex-official, especially al
Antonio told him that his trunkful o.
money, with a little subtraction TO b'
contributed to the Ezeta cause, woulC
be placed on board the steamer witt
him.
"The trunk was placed in Antonio'
keeping, and a short time later TIL
captured man was led out TO, as III
{ thought, his phony shooting party. Thl
poor devil was exceedingly effective II
his dramatically announced determine
ton TO die with his eyes upon hi
slaughterers, and when the eighteel
men comprising the firing squad go
! their guns in readiness 10 fire he threy
his shoulders back magniicently.
"They hadn't begged for his life
r but were not their guns loaded onl.
with blanks? He made a fine pictur
in consequence. with that conhdenc
Strengthening him, and when the BRAY
: Lieutenant Of the squad uttered tn
1 command to fire he gave a very re
alistic jump into the air and fell for
> ward on his face.
There wasn't any reason why
shouldn't have been a realistic jumT
r either, considering that he had jus
r eighteen Lee-Martini bullets in his sy:
y TEN. Antonio had forgotten TO Civ
r that order about the blanks, you knoV
y amazingly absentminded individual
Z that Ezeta boy. as betitted a grea
man and an indomitable revolution
: ist. He looked sad and all cut u
about It, Tony did, when he foun
out about it. but it was too late theI
Of course, and the only thing for Ton
\ TO do was to prize his dead friend
s trunk as something sacred."-New OF
3 leans Times Democrat