The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-02
CASTRO, THE MAN OF MYSTERY
SOUTH AMERICAS MOST REMARKABLE
DICTATOR
Loss Cattle Started the Venezuelan the Road to
the Presidency, with an Army Of Twenty.three-
His Cruelty and Defiance of World Powers
Only His Doctor Has No Fear of Him.

govcrnor.
When the governor of Los An
des took his cattle, Castro straight
way journeyed to Caracas. He saw
Amdrade. The presiden. would not
heed his complaint, but sided with
the governor. Castro left the pal
ace, very wroth. Report had it that
he went into the public square, col
lectcd small crowd, and said
l"'Thc next time / come to Caracas,
| it will be at the head of an army. "
| The audience, if this ever happened
at all, naturally laughed at HIM.
Then he returned to the noun
tains.
To the governor he sent word
that trouble wiuld be Forthcoming
ae the oxen were not returned at
once. The governor laughed.
Castro summoned his fellow
mutineers, the men he knew best.
There weae twenty-three of them
at the first meeting. He stold
jhcm, he was going to get up rev.
olution, and they were TO be Ms
army until he could get bigger
one. The "army" started its
march down the mountains. Thence
forward wonderful happenings
crowded upon each others heels.
/ The report OF the brewing revo-
luton spread fast. But it travelled
hardly faster than the recruits
flocked to join tie "army. +" From
every quarter they came. In few
days the governor received mes
sage to the effect that Castro was
coming. He. laughed again.
Castro had whipped him before
the echo of his laughter died away
and the few soldiers of the prov
ince of Los Andes has deserted
to the ranks of the revolution be-
fore sundown. The match toward
Caracas began in earnest.
| Arriving in front of Caracas,
the would-bc President had acquir-
ed force of seven thousand. lie
lost no time in beginning to fight
But he did not have chance to
do much of it. Before the battle
was well under way the Govern
TRENT forces deserted. giving him
complete control. THIS fact. like
many other incident of his career,
was most oppor.me, for Castro s
mule had fallen on him at the start
cf the battle, breaking his leg, and
ut the very moment CT the detection
| in Andr1de' guard the rebel chief
twas directing his war operations
from I,ittler.
1t was about this time thtt An
drade, wlro had remained, still
stirling, in the palace, heard of
what was happening. He became
solemn, bll he wasted no time try
ing TO .ecover the day. With less
than 200 men, he chose discretion
rather than valor, slipped out Of
the back door, ran to the water
frcnt and fled to sea on the
navy" (" BY the time he had reach
ed Port-Gf-Spain, Island OF Trini-
dad, Castro had marched into Car
acas, taken possession of the Gov
ernment, declared himself dictator,
appointed a Cabinet, begun to re-
organize 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 sur
Iveyed.
| or course, everybody began to
jprophesy he dictator's fall, which
was only matter of time, men
saiid, when he would follow tho
rest Of Venezuela's Presidents.
Opinion was divided only as to
which one would be his example
Blaneo, who had stolen enough,
money to live and die in Paris,
after fleeing from the country;
Crespo, who had been shot in bat
tie, or Andmde, who had been
driven out by a younger man i.
| When 1T was reported that Castro
was sending boxes OF money to
France, they said lie was follow
ing Blanco's lead. When Matos
almost won a revolution in 1902.
they sad Crespo's fate was likely
to be Castro's. Many times since
then it has been rumored fleet
ing revolt was gaining headway
enough TO frighten him out of the
repltblic.
But all the prophets have been
wrong. The nearest any Of them
came to the truth was in the ease
Ut Matos. llhat gentleman, with
The title Of general" dixie all
the other uprisers of South Amer
lea, gathered a big army. It was
this army that the American AS
Phat Company was accused of back
ing. Success seemed certain. Cas-.
tro. when the enemy approached
had but 1000 or 5000 men against
more than 10000. Unlike Andrade
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 reyo.
luton was even on the threshold
uf success against Castr0 'nhosp