Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-23
PLUMBER HEPURPOSE
Behind the Scenes of an Opera
B0uffe Revolution.
PLOT AGAINST MEXICO
Leaders Now in Prison for Various
Offenses.
HOW THEY BLED COMPATRIOTS
Members of the Junta Arrested for
Libeling Gov. Esperon-objects
of Widespread Sympathy.
HOW THEY BLED C0MPATRI0TS
BY WILLIAM f. RTIS.


Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Last summer there was revolutionary
movement against Mexico originating in st.
Louis, which. for a time, looked very Sc
rious and caused considerable apprehension.
But 1t was quickly suppressed and the lead
ers are now In prison under sentence for
various offenses or awaiting trial These
revolutions are often like dramatic per-
formances. From the parQuet or the dress
circle they appear to be real or, at least,
close limitations of the genuine article, but
when observed from behind the scenes are
often quite comical, and those who have
the opportunity of observing them from
that point of view wonder how the specta-
tors could be so easily deceived.
have the true story of the Mexican
revolution" from one of the participants,
who tells 1t in a graphic manner and de-
scribes the character and habits of the
leaders in an amusing way From his rep
resentation II seems that IL was an econ
omic rather than a patriotic movement,
and that its object was plumber rather than
politics. The leaders were actuated by
the double motive of gain and vanity, and
on paper We're terrible swa5hbucklers,
while in their homes and Offices they were
humble, impecunious and hungry adven-
turers and fugittveS from justice Nearly
all of them compelled to flee from
Mexico to escape punishment for various
crimes and misdemeanors and the way they
happened to come together and unite their
various talents to terrify and swindle their
credulous fellOw-cOuntrymen and humbug
the public is very amusing.
The Two MACON Brothers.
The real leaders of the movement were
two brothers-Ricardo Flores MACON and
Enrique Flores Magon. For reasons that
would take too long to tell. after suffering
continuous persecution" from the police.
and the prosecuting officers of the criminal
courts of Mexico, they managed to escape
across the border, where they fell IN with
an unfortunate and credulous Mexican
named Camilo Arriaga and two women who
had formerly published paper called Yes
pers in the City of Mexico. AS the Flores
Magon brothers were afraid to live too near
the frontier the party moved to San An
tonic. where they obtained lodgings, pooled
their issues and decided to pose before
the American and Mexican residents of
Texas as prosecuted patriots" threatened
with a death by the ''tyrants," etc. In
some way other Arriaga obtained loan
of $1,000. Mexican money, which he put
into the pool, and with that capital they
started a revolutionary newspaper. The
women editors. however, soon quarreled
with Ricardo Flores Magon, returned to
Mexico and settled at Saltillo. Then Ri
cardo Flores Magon got into trouble with
a penniless Indian in San Antonio, which
made it necessary for him to leave that
city, and he took occasion in his news
paper 30 pretend that the Indian had been
employed by the Mexican government to
provoke him and furnish a pretext for
throwing him into prison.
La Regeneration Established.
They next appeared at ST. Louis, where,
with their remaining capital. they began
the publication of paper called La Regen-
eracion. which was issued at irregular In
tervals, and contained high-sounding edi
torlals in favor of liberty and the re-
generation of the Mexican republic They
declared that ''all the civil and military
employees of Mexico and all the members
of their families are contaminated with all
the vices of the world. In the public ad-
minstratiOn, from Porfirio Diaz down, to
the humblest myrmidons, they are nothing
but criminals and fends, who deserve to
he hung" One of their favorite express
sions repeated many times in every num-
Der of the paper, was, There will not be
sca@o,ds enough in Mexico when the hour
of repris1ls arrives The greater part of
the sheet was filed with praises OF them
selves, fictitious accounts of their perSecu-
lions descriptions of their heroic adven-
lures, and soul-stirrng appeals to all pa
triots to aid them with funds in order
that they might be able TO maintain in a
brilliant manner the unequal struggle