River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-08-01

master at arms and placed me in his charge,
ordered his launch and dashed off to the
Charleston. He returned in half an hour and
without another word to me ordered lieuten-
ant to take me aboard the Charleston.
/ will not deny that was bit easier in my
mind when J. saw my flag flying over me,
yet had | known the treatment was to re-
ceive under it / would have felt quite differ
emily.
1t was easy to see, from the reception
Captain Picking gave me, that he had been
Influenced by the attitude of Captain Lang.
| told him that | was an American citizen,
temporarily in the employment of the Bra
lillian government; that l had violated no
law of the United States or of Brazil and
| demanded that | be set ashore. He coldly
informed that l would be confined to the
ship, at least until he had consulted with the
American minister and communicated with
Washington, and soon after / arrived on the
Charleston l confined to my room as a
dangerous character who threatened the
peace of nations. With this decidedly un-
pleasant recollection, however, it is a pleas
ure to know that the other American naval
officers, who arrived later took exactly my
view of the whole situation and became
champions of my cause They told Picking
that MelO was a pirate and should be
treated as such, and that / was being de-
prived of my liberty without the slightest
accomplish my release.
Looking forward a little the matter in
which that old fighter, Rear Admiral Benham,
put an end to the revolution" in the follow
ing January, soon after his arrival at
Rio, should be we'll remembered for it was
a noble deed and an example of the good
judgment generally displayed by American
naval officers when they are not hampered
by foolish orders from Washington. In the
vain hope of arousing enthusiasm for his lost
cause, Mello had gone down the coast
where he fguratiyely and literally took to
the woods when he saw the folly of his mis-
sion leaving Da Cana in command of the
blockading fleet. The captains of several
American merchant ships, who had been
prevented for weeks from landing their car
goes for Rio, appealed to Admiral Benham,
who took prompt action.
To show his contempt for the rebels.
whom he properly regarded as pirates,
Admiral Benham assigned the smallest ship
of his squadron the little Detroit, COM
manded by that great little man, Com
mander (now Rear Admiral, retired) W. H
.Brownson to escort the merchantmen up to
the dock
The revolution" ended right there but I'M
fortunately l was not present to witness it's
collapse.
1t was in veXed Venezuela that I was destin-
ed to end my days of deviltry, but not until aft
er a protracted warfare, none the less bitter be-
cause it was conducted at long range, with Cas-
tro the Contemplate, who came into power
two years after l had finally settled down at
Santa Catalina as manager for the Orinoco
company Cipriano Castro had been in con-
gress as dputado, as member of the house.
from one of the Andean districts while was in
Caracas with President Crespo and though he
was regarded as a good fighter and disturbing
element, he was never considered as a presi-
Dental possibility
After getting the development work well
started | returned to Caracas and early in
1879 resumed my old confidential position with
President Crespo His term expired the fol-
lowing February and / found that he had al
ready decided on General 1gnacio Andrade as
his successor He had planned to continue as
dictator of the country, Ia Guzman, and spend
much of his idle time and money abroad and
he wanted a man who could be relied on to
keep his organization intact and turn the Of
fee back to him at the end of his term for
the Venezuelan constitution prohibits presi-
dent from succeeding himself
The poems dolized Crespo, and he had such
a strong grip on the country that he was able
to carry out his paa but with disastrous results.
For a popular election it was the weirdest thing
that could be imagined.
# was Immediately followed by mutterings Of
discontent from the better class Of citizens and
an +he night of AAdrades Inauguration General