The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-01-29


farce, with a sparse sprinkling Of
tragedy and comedy. 1t is almost im5
possible to accept his sprightly exist
ence as history without debasing his
tory from its lofty seriousness. It is
easier to consider him as the ''enfant
terrible par excellence" of South
America and remember him as one
who contributed more to the gayety
of nations than to International his
tory. The fate that shaped his des-
tiny did so in capricious mood.
The early days of this self-styled
man Of mystery are obscure. He
was born about 1853 (the exact date
Is not known) in small village in
Los Andes, and was the son Of a
Eerdsman. Until he was thirty he
herded cattle on the hills, or, as 9th
ers assert, worked in pulperia, or
combined grocery and grog shop, but
his duties were not so arduous that
he might not take lively interest in
politics. He had the true blood of a
bullfghter in him, and when in 1892
General Joaquin Crespo fomented a
revolution against President Palacio,
! Castro formed party which he called
the Castristas and supported the Gov
eminent.
But the Government lost, and Cas-
trio is said to have fed to Curacao,
the small Dutch island just off the
Venezuelan coast, and thence to Col
ombia. After seven years we find
him. in 1899. taking part In the over
throw Of President Andrade.
Jose Manuel Hernandez (El Mo-
cho), who had begun the revolution
in the preceding year, had been cap
tured and imprisoned in the dungeons
of Puerto Cabello. Castro, gathering
some twenty or thirty men, UNDER
took his extraordinary march of 500
miles from Los Andes to Caracas.
Only an Andino could have contem-
plated such a march. But with the
assistance of that caprfcious fate who
was weaving his destiny he entered
Caracas at the head. of formidable
band that had thronged to him from
all sides, overthrow the Government
in decisive battle, all the enemy
having Joined him at the crucial mo-
ment, and put himself at the head Of
Venezuela. Andrade fed to Trinidad.
It is no small step from cattle
mans son to dictator of Venezuela.
and Castro never seems to have
caught up with himself, so to speak.
| While swapping his fingers in the
faces OF the greatest Powers Of the
earth and displaying craftiness that
made ludicrous their shrewdest
schemes of diplomacy, he was almost
ignorant of the existence of Australia,
and thought Caracas the greatest city
in the world
In October, 1899, he assumed the
ONCE of President. 81 Mocho (Her-
mandez), for whose release from pri-
son Castro had taken up arms, was
liberated, but, resenting the usurpa-
| ton by Castro of the office he was
himself to have occupied, gathered q
small force to turn the Andino out
The result was that he found himself
back again in his Puerto Cabello pri-
son with promptness that surprised
him. But he has since been liberated
and given Office in the Government.
Since 1901 Castro has been the
most involved man, with the possible
exception of the Sultan, of his day.
1t was In that year that General Roll
lando raised his revolutionary move
ment in the East. Castro was not
generally popular, and was much des
spiSed by large faction because of
his low Andean birth. He was popu-
larry known as the "Andean Mon
key" Rollando's revolution was to
put the conservative leader, General
Matos. in the Presidential chair.
General Matos, who had married the
sister of the great dictator, Guzman
Blanco, Joined Rollando in the fol-
lowing year with widespread support.
Castro's position was precarious. He
had, moreover, involved himself in a
Colombian revolution, his ports were
being blockaded by France, Germany
and Great Britain, and General Matos,
now master of the greater part of
Venezuela, was heading straight for
Caracas. In September 1t looked as
II the Government were doomed, but
at the last moment Castro himself
took the lead OF his army and de-
stroyed the strength of his enemies
in sharp Napoleonic battle near Vic
toria. After three days fighting (the
battle has been stretched out to ten
by some writers) Matos fed.
The trouble Just referred to with
the great foreign Powers, France,
Germany, England and Italy, which
resulted in the blockade of the vene-
zuelan ports, was quite farcical. There
are vast ,1ndernlnnned fields 81, Nnno-