Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-13
By Guy H. Scu11


own stories of his achievements and his I'M
questioned ability to shoot straight with an
old forty-five Calber revolver As to whether
or not this bluff, opinion in San
Jose was divided The stories he told be-
trayed such marvellous ingenuity that he
naturally suspected of lying On the other
hand, his exhibitions of unfailing marksman-
ship Sunday afternoons, when he used to
sit on his doorstep and shoot off the necks of
bottles across the street afforded continual
testimony to the excellence of his gunplay
Let the reader decide by the following tale
if this man was really professional or merely
bOaStful amateur
Circumstances, unfortunately, prohibit the
mention of his name 1t IS permissible to say,
however that he married a we'll to do Costa
Rcan girl who inherited a large stock ranch
in the neighborhood of San Jose Thus for
considerable time the American lived a quiet.
contented life, telling his stories and shooting
at bottles, and letting it be generally under
stood that after a decidedly adventurous
career he had settled down.
But day he received a message from one
of his former boon companions who was then
a Captain in the Nicaragua army, stationed at
Castillo Rapids the San )uan River. This
stream affords the only means OF cOmmunlca-
ton between the Lake of Nicaragua and the
Caribbean Sea. Also, when the river is low,
freight must be carried round the bad places,
of which the rapids at Castillo is the worst.
The message stated that certain mail bags
the carry at Castillo; and that the Captain had
planned to start revolution to lend proper
dignity to the theft Herewith he invited
his old conrade in arms to join him.
Despite his protestatIonS to the contrary,
the American of San Jose evidently needed
no further inducement to leave his hreslde,
and, rustlng some of the wilder spirits among
the cowboys of his wife's ranch he set forth
that same afternoon on his hundred-nlle ride
across the mountains.
fl1at Il -hp11fh he
and his band were riding down the slope of
the range into the valley of the San Juan,
they saw coming toward them on foot be-
dragged specimen of humanity whose apparel
still indicated plainly that he was a soldier IN
the Nicaragua army The soldier told the
story of how the plot had been discovered
by the Government representative: how the
Captain had been captured and thrown into
Jail; and how he, the soldier, had managed
to escape at the risk OF his llte to warn the
approaching American.
One of the COWBOYS of the band relates in
his broken language how their leader sat his
horse during the soldiers recital, wearing an
expression of the deepest disappointment and
smile with the utmost satisfaction. and IN
stead of returning in haste across the noun
tains to the utter surprise OF his following
the leader proceeded toward Castillo.
When the American reached the town he
presented himself Immediately to the repre-
sentative of the Government of Nicaragua
With much language and many gesticua-
tions he informed that official that he was
humanitarian at heart and that his desire to
maintain the stability of all Governments
amounted nearly to passion with him. He
said that having heard of this dastardly plot
and being close at hand in San Jose, he had
hurried across the mountains with what force
he had been able to collect to lend whatever
assistance he could to the threatened Gov
eminent of the sister Republic
The official was much affected by the no
bility of purpose that had actuated the
American. The Government also greatly
affected when it received the official report.
For his devotion to humanity and his in
tended services, they voted the American
handsome a reward that he able to retire
from business for the rest of his life.
General TRIBES Feat
IKE Kondratchuiko in the defense of Port
- Arthur and kodama in the Japanese CAM
paign in Manchuria General Rafael Tribe
Tribe chief of staff to General Vargas Santos,
during that long last desperate revolt in
Colombia was ever regarded as the brains OF
the revolutionary army But in addition to
his being the master mind in control of the
military movements, Tribe performed sew
eral feats of individual skill which for cold
daring and ingenuity have seldom been sur
passed.
One of these stands out specially among
the rest, and although it was undertaken to