Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21
y mMALKER, The WEE r1AN
gzT5H WHO STARTLED THE WORLD
YYx&EBY 1fIS AMAZING SUCCESS
AS A FILIBUSTER AND
BECAf1E PRESIDENT OF NICARAGUA

Commodore Vanderbilt was the chief
spirit. The Pacific end was contI Glled by
a San Francisco firm. The Transit Com
pany was under contract to pay to the
Nicaraguan government 10000 a year
and a. certain percentage of its net prof
it's for the privileges it obtained In the
country. Occasionally the business OF
the company was interrupted or theI
journeyings of passengers across Mic
aragua made lively by the outbreak of
a revolution. gentleman could not be
elected President of Nicaragua in those
days without having the chair pulled
from under him before he got well set
tied. revolution every four months
three a year-WaS the average. Some
of the presidents could not read or write,
but that made no difference in coun-
lation had been educated. What did
education amount to anyhow, where ma
ture had provided everything necessary
for mans existence and well being? Mic
aragua was known as Mahomet's par
adise. The climate in q great part of
the republic was ideal. Work was I'M
necessary or almost so. Fruit grew In
riotous profusion and clothing was not a
need. Man reaped without sowing and
the harvest never failed. 1t would be
man.
In October. 1854. Nicaragua was more
disturbed than usual. After the election
of year before Chamerro, leader Of the
legitimist party, had eXiled Castellon the
leader of the democratic party, where
upon Castellon had returned, started a
revolution with the aid of Honduras,
driven Chamerro out of Leon, the demo-
cratic stronghold, and then laid siege to
Granada, the legitimist headquarters.
The siege had lasted nine months "a re-
markable thing in Central American rev.
olutions), when Castellon's allies were
called home by a war in Honduras, and
Castellon was in a sad plight. Just then
Byron Cole appeared upon the scene.
Castellon knew something of the ability
of Americans as fighters, and gladly
made a contract on the part of his gov
eminent to take into his army 300 Ameri-
can "colonIstS liable to military duty.
The settlers should receive a grant of
$1,000 acres of land, and each man should
get 500 a month for service in war.
Cole took this contract to the Man of
Destiny, who was editing the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, for no one had greater
faith in the destiny of Walker than did
the man who owned the paper.
1t was in May, 1855, that Walker. after
a multitude of petty annoyances and legal
obstacles, left San Francisco with fifty
six companions in the brig Vesta for New
Realejo. From there he went to Leon,
the democratic capital. Castellon well
coined him heartily. Walker was COM
missioned as colonel, Achilles Kewen as
lieutenant colonel and Timothy Croker
as major. The Americans were organized
a separate corps under the name of
the American Phalanx. and. with "a sup
porting body of several hundred veter-
amos of the Nicaraguan army, were sent
to attack Rivas. city Of 1000, In the
most thickly populated part of Nicara-
qua, and defended by 600 legitimist troops
Before he started Walkers supporting
force of veteranos had dwindled to 100,
and when he was met by the legitimists
outside the city the veteranos fled at the
first fire. The fifty-six Americans adj
vanced steadily and fought their way into
the city through the narrow streets down
to the plaza. 1t was not until he had
reached the plaza, where the legitimists
put up a stubborn resistance. that Walker
discovered the detection Of the veteranos.
Six Of Walkers ffty-six were dead:
lost 80. 1t was useless for Walker, re-
duced to such numbers. to continue the
contest further, so he withdrew from the
city. The enemy killed the American
wounded who fell into their hands, and
then burned the bodies. Walker retreated
to San Juan del Sur, where he seized
Costa Rican schooner, put his men aboard
it and sailed away until he met the Vesta.
To illustrate how rigid was the disci-
pine Walker maintained over his volun-
teer band, even in defeat, two instances
are given. Two of his men, either for
loot or revenge, set fire to some ware
houses In San Juan. He at once SEN
fenced them to death. A few weeks later
a member of his force, in drunken
spree, killed a native boy. Walker or
dered the man executed and had the order
carried out although the mother of the
boy pleaded for the mans life.
When Walker returned to Leon with