The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-10-03
AFTER THE
REVOLUTION
A Story Showing How Magnanimity
Comes to Follow Victory
By EDWIN PENNINGTON
Copyright by American Press Asso
citation, 1911.

1OpyflBnt Dy american FreSh AbSO X
X citation. 1911.
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After every struggle resulting In a
change of government there are scores
to be paid off by those who have re,
voited As revolutionists. instead of
being favored by the law they have
been hampered by 1t. Having estab-
lished themselves in power. the other
edge of the sword is brought into play
and cuts In the opposite "a. ection. In
stead of being used 4. iinprison or exc
cute revolutis:iis.S it is used to execute
the advocates of the government over
thrown.
When the recent revolution in Mex.
leo became the de facto government the
revolutionists stood ready to use the
law to punish those who had used it
to punish them. During that period
when President Diaz held his own In
the city of Mexico young lawyer.
Alfonzo Fernandez. a sympathizer
with the insurgents, left the city to
join the forces of Madero. During the
fighting he was captured by the gov
eminent troops. and. being man of
influence. every effort was made to In
duce him to return to the support of
President Diaz He was turned over
to one Jose Sierra. man deeply inter
ested In putting down the rebellion,
with orders to persuade. force or buy
him to the government support.
Sierra took the captive to his hacien-
da. put him on his parole not to leave
it and treated him like guest instead
of prisoner The jailer host was an
adept at winning over an enemy and
used every art of persuasion that sug-
gested itself to him.
Concia. Sierra's daughter. girl Of
twenty, possessed one of those oval
faces of q dusky shade, large liquid
eyes and especially the long lashes of
the Spaniard Her father noticed soon
after Fernandez's arrival that he was
attracted by his daughter and she was
attracted by Fernandez. 1t occurred
to Sierra that Fernandez's conversion
might be accomplished more readily
by means of the girl than by his own
arguments or threats. He gave the
young people every opportunity to be
together and when be saw that the
pear was ripe undertook to pluck it.
He offered Fernandez a prominent
position under the government, which.
of course. would be tantamount to Sc
curing his adherence Fernandez de-
clined the offer Then Sierra inform
ed his prisoner that he would be tried
for treason. which meant that he would
be found guilty and executed. In love
with the daughter of the man who had
made the threat. the temptation to
yield and desert the cause in which he
had embarked was well nigh resistless.
thing to gain by giving bis adher-
ence to the established government.
President Diaz then appeared to be
firmly fixed in the presidency, and 1t
would be difficult to unseat him. By
yielding Fernandez would acquire a
position of prominence that might be
permanent That position he might
make more enduring and more promi-
nent by throwing his influence on the
side of the man who had done much
for Mexico. These arguments were re-
enforced by the fact that on one side
stood death. on the other love. But
honor forbade.
Fernandez now considered the parole
he had given void and began to take
measures to escape If possible. C0ncia
procured for him woman's dress and
drove him in her voiante past guards
who had orders to be watchful and ON
no account permit his escape Had il
not been that she accompanied him be
would not have succeeded In deceivmg
them. AS il was. ne made good his
escape and returned to Mexico City.
Not even Sierra knew how Fernan-
DEE got beyond his clutches. Concia
kept her secret. and directly after the
escape changes occurred that rendered
the episode thing Of the past and
soon to be forgotten.
After Diaz's departure and the ap
pointment of a provisional president OF
the republic the work of retaliation
commenced. Jose Sierra. who had been
captured by the revoIutionists. was
brought to the capital. To accuse a
man of treason against government
that was not established when the act
was committed would not come with
good grace from the government that
huA In, ,-aIaI1fnts hon
Sierra had made to suffer brought
him to trial for having murdered a
man whom be had shot during the
struggle.
And so 1t was that the law which
had before enabled Sierra to punish
now afforded the same machinery for
furnishing him As to his having or
dered shot the man he was accused of
numbering. there was no denying the
fact. That he had done the deed le-
gally did not concern the jurymen who
were on the other side The trial.
therefore. was merely judicial re-
venge. and verdict of guilty was rem
dered accordingly.
4nC Jul tbC Ia CAo tAC oirS~S AotOA o.
saw nothing but the bare facts of the
trial that have been here outlined
To these persons in the courtroom
there was far more than this They
were the judge before whom the
prisoner was tried. the prisoner him
self and his daughter. who sat beside
him. When the time came for the
sentence to be passed Sierra stood up
TO receive It. but was so weak thai
his daughter supported him.
|. lose Sierra" said the Judge. ''dc
yen remember a man who once stop
ped at your hacienda and whom you
endeavored to seduce from his al
legiance TO that government which
now exists. but was then struggling
for its existence?
Il do"
And do you remember having given
him choice between accepting an
appointment under the Diaz govern.
ment and trial for treason, which
meant deathY
Il do"
But the man escaped You remem-
Der that, too, don't your"
II do"
"You never knew how he managed
to pass the guards you threw around
your hacienda on every available
reuter-
Il did not
ut would not have then been best
for you to know this, nor is it now
but the assistance your prisoner re
ceived at that time is of great impor
lance to you now. Had 1t not beer
for that assistance another victim
would have been added to the one
for shooting whom you have just beer