St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-02-04

To use his own words, General Lee
rthvisEm~s "a d agoldier OF fortune by
foreegp Nv which phrase he refers TO o
dav iii Honduras fourteen years ago,
wien he refused To be simultaneously
the unarnnea target g about Ivy Phys
far ABOUT 100 bioodthirsty revolution
ists. who desired to line up behind him
IN a railroad train. That incident
aforced1 him to take up the profession
of arms.
Today, at So years Of age, he is the
most famous American tighter p Sne
ave Central American republics: Tall,
hroad-shouldered, heavg-set, sandy
haired and blue-eyed, with enough sug-
0eation 81 reserve power In his aspect
II COW an entire cabinet OF mln1sterlos.
Christmas was born in Louisiana. For
many d he wal q locomotive engl-
neer, running on the lll1noIs CentraI
his wife and children made their nome.
IN 1894 Christmas went to Honduras
to run A locomotive and in 1897 the revo-
luton broke out which made him .
fighting man.
Ahonf that time the prestige of Amer
leans in Honduras was not very great,
Jamaican negroes considering themsel-
YES privileged to spit at Americans on
slight ~provocation. By the use OF
hasebalf bats Christmas says, he helped
teach these Jamaic&ns
When MISREPRESENTATION startedChr1st-
mas was in Puerto Cortez with his tram,
which was seized BY q small detach.
ment Of insurrectos. He was ordered
~ carry this party into the interior to
meet q detachment of government
troops. 1T was customary for q party
attacked by q train to center thelr al
tack on the engine, thereby killing the
engineer, stalling the tram ana leaving
opportunity to kill The soldiers ABOARD
ii leisure after their means CT running
or1av had been put out of commission
christmas wanted to appeal to WASH
ington for authority to leave his engine,
Int there was no cable available. me
insurrecto leader said the train must go
to the front that night and that CHRIST
mas could either be shot on the engine
or remain behind and be shot oy tne
insurrectos. The American eompro-
missed hy asking leave to carry TWO
rifles in his cab and to armor a nat car
for the use of an American friend ana 2
few native helpers. In an ~
niphtfall the government troops TeT
treated, much puzzled at the destrnct-
i've fire from the queer looking nat car
Immediately behind the engine.
That night the insurreeto tram pro-
proceeded inland toward San RedF
Sula. AT an abandoned telegraph once
christmas talked with the govern ent
officiaI who was at the ether end OF
he wire. inauiring why the govern
mont forces had retired. lawn apeI,
sonal acquaintance with this onlclal
Cnristmas soothed the leaders humlI-
ated pride by giving all the reason ne
could invent to explain the govern.
mentss retreat, including 2 statetnent
that 900 Americans were on the tram
and he, Christmas, was busy breaking
records carrying them TO san Feufo
Sula. Christmas train had unmolesteo
right OF way that night.
Next dav en- q big letter 3 SNAPPED al
vision OF the track the government
troops were sighted advancing on
another train. The commandante OF
the re~yoiutionists ordered q small hand
car placed on the rail behind b tram.
Mounted on this car. he ordered his
troops to precede him and charge tne
enemy. The enemy's train meanWhilc
was approaching, its engine aflven py
an American, y personal Irleha u
Christmas. The only mounted cannon
on either side was in Christmas Mat
car. Not wishing to risk kllIlng bhe
American engineer on the government
train, the soldier by force opened HIe
with his cannon with blanks. the Dig
gums first roar caused q preclpltste
backing up by the government tram ~
and two other trains continuing to
back up 81 u high speed untli tney
reached the end of the line, which nad
. total length of less than ho miles.
The insurrecto train followed them,
shooting blanks always within hesflhR
range.