Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-20
STORY OF A Merry FIGHTER
What One American Consul Had to
Do in South America.
FREQUENT ATTACKS ON HIS LIFE
II1-WiI of Columbia Over Secession
of Panama Manifested in Riots
and FiEhts-TypicaI In
afaucea.

Consular life is not all beer and skittles.
The personal experiences of the consular
officers are rarely recorded In the official
documents which find their way to the pub
lie eye, but occasionally a story comes TO
light which illustrates with vivid force the
perils which some Of Uncle Sans repre-
sentatves abroad are compelled to face in
the course of their duties. Hon. Charles
l. Latham, United States consul at Carta-
gena, Colombia, has just returned to Wash
ington on leave after successfully carrying
through the local courts the prosecution
and conviction OF the assailants of Vice
Consul William B. McMasters For two
years this exciting case has absorbed much
of the time and attention OF the consulars
and until the defendants were finally
escorted to prison under sentences of fifteen
and six years respectively Mr.. Latham was
unable to leave his post.
The McMasters episode was an outcome
of the strorSS anti-American feeling exist
ing in Colombia ever since the secession OF
Panama. The Colombians probably never
will forgive the United States for the
Roosevelt coup OF 1906 whereby the great
isthmian canal was made to wend its way
through foreign territory, nor has any act
Of consideration subsequently shown the
people OF Colombia been able to soften
materially the hatred of the angry Colon
bians for everything American.
Who McMAsters IL.
Mr.. McAiasters became the unfortunate
victim of patriotic wrath not through any
special offence OF his own but because OF
his long personal and official Identification
with American interests. His father. also
named William B. McMasters, was long
United States consul at Cartagena, where
the present vice consul was born. The
family is American and an uncle was voted
a medal OF honor for distinguished services
to the union cause in the civil war
Young McMasters came to the United
States to secure an education. going to Au-
burn, N. Y, where he became a protege
OF Thomas M. Osborne, now local repre-
sentative OF the International Harvester
company. Having received his schooling.
McMasters entered the employ OF the COM
pany and returned to his native country as
its representative for the purpose of intro
dueing American agricultural implements
in the neighborhood OF Bogota, the capital
long revolution was in progress, how
ever. and McMasters was compelled to re-
turn to the protection OF his family IN
Cartegene; and. the business outlook being
unpromising, about ten years ago he &C
cepted the position OF vice consul OF the
United States at that port
How He Backed Up SiEsbes.
McMasters Is a virile character. ply
sieially very powerful and mentally alert.
but with his intimate knowledge OF the Co
lombian people-he had married q Colom-
bian Etrl-he has been q most acceptable
representative OF his government and
might have continued high in popularity
with all classes had not the Panama cpl
sode taken place. He was vice consul at
that time and later figured prominently
when Admiral Sigsbee was sent TO demand
an apology OF the government for the be-
smirching OF the United Btates coat-of-
arms over the office OF the consul at Carte
sena. The coat-of-arms had been befouled