Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-08-01

Hernandez. the famed "El Mocho," who was
minister Of public improvements In Crespo's
cabinet, but an opponent of the new president,
took to the hills at the head Of 5000 troops.
Crespo really was responsible for the curse OF
Castro, for had he selected a strong man as
his successor the mountain brigand never could
have commanded a force sufficiently powerful
to overthrow him.
Within a month Andrade went through the
form Of appointing Crespo commander In CHIEF
of the army, in order that he might clinch his
dictatorship. For a while Crespo contented
himself with enjoying his new title and direct
ing operations from the capital, but the Her
pandez revolution finally assumed such proper
lions that he took the field In person to stamp
it out. The two armies met in the mountains
near Victoria, June u, 1898. Hernandez was
led into a trap, given a %drubbing and captured,
After the battle Crespo walked across the field
and was leaning over a wounded man when
he was shot from behind and instantly killed.
Some few months after Crespo's death, Cas-
tro, who had made himself governor Of the
state Of Los Andes, visited Caracas and
called on Andrade to demand an important
position in the new administration as the
price of peace. Andrade, to his credit be it
said, tlouted him. Castro left the Yellow
house in a rage, sought the councils Of An
~ u . GIN Hhip aLCCl ApAiJ ODI
enees, a general Instruction was arranged
for early the following summer. The pres
idency was to go to the leader who devel-
oped the greatest strength during the cam
paign.
Castro learned that he was alone in the revo-
luton, his promised partners having failed to
take the field on account Of chickering's and
jealousies among themselves. This discovery
and the addition of Ferrer's forces gave him
his first really serious notion that he might be-
come president and, he marched forward In a
frenzy of bombastic JOY.
By this time the people of Venezuela, be-
lieving that no one could be worse than An
drade, and finding out, as had Castro himself,
what a powerful person he really was, accept
ed him as their master.
Almost the first thing he did was to annul
our concession, along with a dozen others. on
the ground that its terms had not been com.
Piled with, as the beginning Of his war on all
foreigners. l denied this right to cancel our
grant, especially as 1t contained a clause which
stipulated that any disagreement between the
government and the concessionaire should be
referred to the Alta Corte Federale, or Su
preme Court for adjustment.
The troops were continually spying on us and
annoying US with fictitious charges. but 1t was
a year or more before the government, angereG
by its failure to get rid Of me, resorted to OK
IRENE measures. A new governor was sen
down with strict orders to remove me. by fore,
IL necessary. He advanced toward the hous,
with about rs soldiers. ordered my mel
into the rife pits and met the general a
the gate.
The general could see my rifle pits. blu
he did not know how many men they held no
how well they could shoot. After a shor
consultation with his staff, he gave the orde
to advance, while he bravely directed opera
lions from the rear. As his men crossed tn,
line and eight of them fell. They continued t
advance, and we fired again, dropping min
more Of them, while several others were hi
That was too much for them, and they brok
and ran, leaving seven dead and ten badl
wounded.
In two or three days they came back, wit
their force slightly increased, and the ger
eral again called on me to surrender unde
penalty OF being arrested as a disturbing ia,
tor. i gave him the same reply as before, ant
after thinking 1t over for a while, he marche
his troops away again.
That little encounter produced pronounce
respect for the Americans among Castro's SO
diers, and they did not give us much tpoubl
a~fterward.
This enforced idleness eventually becam
intolerable, and early In 1906, the company
the meantime having sent one OF its officers
Caracas to protect Its interests, / returned
New York, after having held the fort for te
years. / came back much poorer in poke
but with q fund OF information regarding We
e23ela and Its people.