Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-04
THREE SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE.
Who Won Out In Latin American Re-
pubIics,

Who Won Out In Latin American Re-
publies.
They had been discussing the sit
uation in Nicaragua. The ex-consul
had grown eloquent over the misdeedi
Of Central American dictators. His
friend had mourned the shooting OF
Cannon and Groce.
"I never knew those boys" said
the ex-consul. "They seem to have
been on the right side, but they must
have known the game they were ur
against. Central America is full OF
soldiers Of fortune, and the natives
have no sort Of use for them. Walker,
the biggest filibuster Of all, is too re-
cent a memory.
1--WE come in contact with scores of
them. They'd beg me to save their
skins when they'd made the country
too hot to hold them. Shiftless and
uninteresting vagabonds they were
with the exception of three, who were
geniuses."
"That so?" queried his friend, who
had never been south Of Sandy Hook.
at thought all adventurers were pic
turesque.'
Distance throws a false glamour
around them. But, as said before,
I have met three who were out of the
ordinary run. Did you ever hear Of
Lee Christmas, or Bill Moore, or
Kosterlitzky the Pole?"
The other silently filled the ex-con-
sups glass and handed him a fresh
cigar. He knew that the story would
be told, whatever answer he might
make.
"I'll begin with Lee Christmas. He
and I were raised in the same village
in Tennessee. He'd had very little
schooling and was glad to get a job
on the railroad as fireman. In time
he became an engineer
But Lee wanted to see the world.
He grew tired of his job and quit in
the most sensational way ever heard
Of on a Tennessee railroad. He threw
the throttle Of his engine wide open
one fine day and let her go full speed
ahead. He tore past stations and
through towns for fifty miles before
he decided to stop. Then he jumped
out of his cab and disappeared. I'll
be jiggered If I can tell you how he
didn't wreck the train on some open
switch.
"The next place heard of Lee
Christmas was In Honduras. He drift
ed into my Office one day, the same
reckless, laughing devil he had always
been. But he wasn't railroad engi-
neer then, not by a long shot. He
was the power behind the throne in
the little republic.
II can see him now as he sat on a
corner of my desk and told me the
story. He'd a cigarette hanging out
Of one corner Of his mouth. like a
Central American and his face was
tanned brown, but there was the old
He'd had a rough time of 1t at
first, fought on the losing side of six
revolutions and been wounded more
than once. But he'd attached him
self to winning candidate at t~last
and had come out at the top Of the
heap as Gen. Lee Christmas, chief
military adviser to the president and
real ruler of the country.
1.-The second adventurer I have in
mind is Admiral Bill Moore Of Saliva
dor. During the Boer war he was in
the British navy and carries q royal
medal for life saving and two others
for distinguished service.
Promotion under his own flag
seemed to be long distance ahead,
and at the close Of the war Bill quit
and went to Salvador. There he pull
ed off the biggest bluff I have ever
heard Of. Dressed in a natty suit of
white duck, with gold braid on the
shoulders, he made an early afternoon
call on the president
"'Bein' as 'ow you ave a revolu-
ton on your 'ands,' said Bill, Hive
come to hoffer my services Him
Hadmiral Moore Of the British navy
"He showed the life saving medal,
and explained in an offhand way that
1t was the star Of the Garter. He had
written the word Admiral across his
discharge papers, and stated that it
was his commission from the king.
There wasn't soul in the presi-
dents establishment who could read
English sufficiently well to dispute
him. Bill was placed in charge of
the navy of Salvador, which compris-
ed three converted tramp steamers
the coast to attack the rebels.
HE bombarded several small vii
lagos. Later he landed a party Of
marines and sailors, and placing him
self at their head he attacked the
main body Of revolutionists. He de-
feated them easily, and the grateful
president confirmed him in his posi-
ton as commander in chief Of the
navy at salary Of $3.50 month.
bill held down the job success
fully for several years. But he grew
tired of Central America and return
ed to England a year or so ago.
1.-The third fellow, Kosterlitzky, is
the most remarkable man of the
three in my opinion. I was in the
Mexican state Of Sonora when he
turned up there about fifteen years
ago. He might have dropped from
the sky for all that any one knew
about him.
He spoke very little Spanish and
when asked his name gave a barbar-
Gus combination Of sounds that no
Mexican could be expected to pro-
nounce The gossip Of the cantinas
decided that he was Russian. For
some reason every foreigner in Mexi-
co who is not American nor yet a
Spaniard nor a Frenchman Is put
down as a Russian. KosterlitZky Is
sore about the mistake to this very
day, for I don't need to tell YOU that
ho