The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-04

the men he knew best. There were TWEEN
ty-three OF them at the first meeting. He
told them he was going to get UP a revo-
luton. and they were to be his army
until he could get bigger one. The
army started it's march down the
mountains. Thenceforward wonderful
happenings crowded upon each others
heels. The report of the brewing revOlu-
ton spread fast But it Travelled hardly
faster than the recruits flocked to join
the army" From every quarter they
came. In a few days the governor re-
ceived a message to the effect that Cas-
tro was coming. He laughed again.
Castro had whipped him before the echo
of his laughter died away and the few
deserted to the ranks of the revolution
before shutdown The march toward Car
acas began in earnest.
Overthrows Andrade.
Arriving in front of Caracas. the would
be president had acquired a force of sew
eral thousands. He lost no time in begin
ming to fight But he did not have
chance to do much of il. Before the bat
tie was well under way the government
forces deserted. giving him complete con-
troll. This fact, like many another incl
dent OF his. career, was most opportune.
Tor C2stros mule had fallen on him at
the start of the battle, breaking his leg
and at the very moment of the detection
IN Andrades guard the rebel chief was
directing his war operations from a lit
ter
il was about this time that Andrade.
who had remained. still smiling in the
palace. heard of what was happening. He
became solemn. but he wasted no time
trying to recover the day With less than
200 men, he chose discretion rather than
valor, slipped out of the back door, ran
TO the water front. and fled to sea on the
navy" BY the time he had reached
Port-Of-Spain, Island of Trinidad. Cas-
trO had marched into Caracas, taken pos
session of the government, declared him.
self dictator, appointed a cabinet. begun
TO reOrganZe the army, sent word to the
foreign nations of the earth that he was
on top. and had become absolute ruler
boss Of all he surveyed,
Retains His Power.
Of course. everybody began TO prophesy
the dictator's fall IL was only a mat
ter of time, men said. when he would
follow the rest of Nenezuela's presidents.
Opinion was divided only as to which one
stolen enough money to live and die in
Paris. after fleeing from the country;
CrespO, who had been shot in battle. or
Andrade, who had been driven out by
younger man. When it was reported that
Castro was sending boxes of money to
France, they said he was following Blan-
co.'s lead. When Matos almost won a
revolution in 1902, they said CrespoS fate
was likely to be .Castros. Many times
since then it has been rumored a fleet
ing revolt was gaining Nheadway enough
10 Gflgnten MIN out OF the fepuonc.
But all the prophets have been wrong.
The nearest any of them came to the
truth was in the case of MatOs. That
gentleman, with the title of general,
like all the other uprisers of South Amer
lea, gathered a big army. 1t was this
army that the American Asphalt COM
pany was accused of backing. Success
seemed certain. Castro. when the enemy
approached, had but 1000 or 5000 men,
against more than 10000. Unlike AndraSS,
however. he stood his ground. Leading
his soldiers out to meet Matos. he won
the famous battle of La Victoria, after
ten days of fierce fighting.
That was the only time a revolution
was even on the threshold of success
lgainst Castro. There have been smaller
uprisings. many of them-at the present
there is one in progress. under
General MantiIla, while half a dozen rev.
pulmonary agents are in other countries
plotting to overthrow the deSpot-and
there have been plots galore but the
1iminutive dictator has nipped them all |
and until he recently pardoned and re-
leased all his political prisoners and al |
owed MatOs to return to Venezuela, |
hardly one of the rebels or plotters had |
escaped Jail or, Punishment.