Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-01-05

AFTER THE
REVOLUTION
A Story Showing How Magnanlmlty
Cones to Follow Victory
By EDWIN PENNINGTON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
By EDWIN PENNINGTON


After every struggle resulting In q
change Of government there are scores
to be paid off by those who have re.
VOTED. As reyolutlonists, instead Of
being favored by the law they have
been hampered by 1t. Having estab-
llshed themselves In power, the other
edge of the sword Is brought into play
and cuts I'm the opposite direction. In
stead of being used to imprison or exc
cute reyolutionists II 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 1t
to punish them. During that period
when President Diaz held his own in
the city Of Mexico a young lawyer,
Alfonzo Fernandez, 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 q 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
1t and treated him like a guest instead
of prisoner The jaller 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, a girl Of
twenty. possessed one Of those oval
faces of dusky shade, large liquid
eyes and especially the long lashes Of
the Spaniard. Her father noticed soon
after Fernandezs 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 he saw that the
pear was ripe undertook to pluck 1t.
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.
Fernandez seemed to have every
thing to gain by giving his ndher-
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
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 IL possible. Concia
procured for him womans dress and
drove him in her voIante past guards
who had orders to be watchful and on
no account permit his escape. Had It
not been that she accompanied him he
would not have succeeded In deceiving
them. As II was. he made good his
escape and returned to Mexico City.
Not even Sierra knew how Fernan-
dez 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
Jose Sierra, who had been
captured by the revOlutionists, was
brought to the capital. 10 accuse q
man OF treason against a government
that was not established when the act
was committed would not come with
good grace from the government that
had been In rebellion. Those whom
Sierra had made to suffer brought
him to trial for having murdered a
man whom he had shot during the