Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-02-17
GENERAL LEE CHRISTMAS.
Picturesque Career Of American Sol.
dier of Fortune.

Picturesque Career Of American Sol.
dier Of Fortune.
Bananas started General Lee Christ
mas, former American locomotive en-
gineer and now the most picturesque
soldier of fortune in the world, on his
career as chief assistant troublemaker
in Central America.
Today he is commander-in chief of
the rebel army in Honduras, at the
head of the force which Is reported to
have saptured Ceiba, Wednesday.
Years ago Lee proudly piloted his en-
, gine out Of New Orleans on the Illinois
Central hauling the fast express ba-
mana train to northern climes. His
one ambition then was to get his hand
on the throttle of an eight driven pas
senger locomotive.
Suddenly the thread suspending the
unseen ak over Lees official neck was
deftly nipped. He was color blind and
they fired him.
He loafed around New Orleans har-
Dor for while. The aroma Of bananas
caught his nostrils. A steamer from
which a cargo of bananas had just
been unloaded was preparing to sail.
Lee walked aboard and didn't step
ashore when the steamer backed away
| from the wharf
"Give me a ticket for any old place."
said Lee when the purser tapped him
on the shoulder; and so they landed
him at Puerto Cortez, Honduras.
A fresh revolution had just been
started down there by the "outs," who
happened to be Manuel Bonilla's
henchmen, just then. Both sides need
ed recruits. but Manuel saw Christmas
first and made him general-just like
that!
At that time Policarpo Bonilla-not
related to the other Bonilla-was in
the presidents palace at Tegucigalpa,
the capital. Both of the Bonillas had
been president and ex-president In turn
several times. When one was out he
was busy starting another revolution
to get "in' again. Any setting sun
which saw no new revolution begun
wasn't worth talking about.
Well, Lee started revoluting in good
earnest. He showed the Hondurans
few tricks in fighting they had never
dreamed of. Policarpo was divorced
from the presidents palace and allow
ed to ruminate in a four-by-four cell
L.. -, iii For ox1yhf
Besides being general in the army.
Christmas was now made chief Of po-
lice, too, and a period Of quiet set in.
But the treasury ran short Of funds,
and he got job on the railroad. This
he threw up when the outs tried to
push Manuel Bonilla off the throne.
Christmas might have won again
but the night before the decisive bat
tie one Of his fellow generals got so
drunk that he couldn't remember which
side he was fighting for, and sent the
plans of the next days attack to the
wrong Bonilla.
Christmas was captured and sent to
the cell occupied by one or the other
Of the Bonillas for several years.
Manuel had luckily escaped with the
nations handbook into Salvador.
A few mornings later Lee was led
out into the street before line Of Po-
licarpo's soldiers. The firing squad
raised their guns, aimed at white
paper pinned over Lees heart and
Christmas was saying goodby to him
self when the commanding officer
wishing to prolong the entertainment,
asked the American adventurer If he
had anything to say before he died.
YES" he replied; Il do not want my
body buried. I want it to remain on
top of the ground"
A Hondurans curiosity Is easily
aroused.
"Why?" everybody cried at once.
Because" he yelled back, Il want
the buzzards to eat me and then scat
ter my remains all over every one Of
you"
Such an insult had never been hand
ed out in Central America before. 1t
so enraged them that they decided to
retaliate with some strange and awful
punishment
While they wrangled and quarreled
among themselves over various forms
of refined and unrefined death torture,
Christmas unbound his hands, slipped
back of the prison and hotfooted 1t to
the frontier.
Soon afterwards he rode into the
capital again at the head Of another
successful revolution and again placed
Manuel in the palace. During lull in
Honduras, Christmas kept his hand in
training in other Central American
countries.
When Manuel was again chased out
of the country by Policarpo and Zelaya
of Nicaragua, and the present execu-
tive, Miguel R. Davila, ushered into the
palace, Christmas returned to the
United States. Going to Memphis, his
home town, he found that his wife had
obtained a divorce and remarked, this
time to a plain, unmilitary ununi-
formed carpenter who, she said, would
stand hitched at home.
But Christmas didn't lose interest in
Central America affairs. He joined the
large bunch of exiles in New Orleans
and everybody began planning another
revolution for their beloved sweet land
of liberty, Honduras. When the Hor-
net was purchased in the United States
and sailed for Central America, she
carried Christmas. On friendly coast
he dropped ashore, Joined Manuel Bon
lila and took command Of Bonilla's
army.
OLDEST PATENT MEDICINE.
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