River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-05-30

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within me the germ CT his China sea insanity
that it was taking root.
We stopped at st. Thomas, that haven Of
thieves, blackegs and revolutionists, and
there l met General BaeZ brother and min
lister of war to Buenaventura Baez the presi-
dent of Santo Domingo, and one Of the most
interesting characters the romantic West In
dies have produced.
He knew of my association with Guzman
Blanco and at once approached me with a
proposition that I go to Santo Domingo to aid
his brother in the troubles he foresaw. / told
him that, if could get an extension Of leave
from GuZman | would consider any practical
plan that promised excitement.
We went on to London, where l learned
that Norton was in the Mediterranean with
the Leckwith, impatiently carrying general
cargoes. l left word for him with Nickel &
Son that 1 expected soon to be ready to go
out east with him, took on a cargo of arms
and headed for Costa RIGA, where J. had infor-
nation that revolution Matching against
General Tomaso Guardia
We ran into bad weather in the Caribbean
and were forced to put in at Kingston, after
ALL leaking badly.
When the repairs were completed the COVER
nor of the island refused to allow to reload
our cargo, as he had an intimation that she
ship not what she pretended to be. This
hint, it developed later, came from Jimmy
Donovan, "sea lawyer" whom had shipped
at the last minute in the hurry of getting
away from London. He made what is known
on the "pier-head jump" On the
fourth day l prevailed on the governor to
allow us to take cargo, but he insisted that
the ship must be held with both anchors
down, until further orders. 1 decided that we
would go out that night. Knowing me as well
as he did, Lorensen laughed incredulously,
thinking was joking, for the channel through
the harbor was shaped like the letter and
commanded by fort which could, as he said,
blow US out of the water without half trying
Gust the same | said, 1--WE are going to
sea or to hell tonight.
During the evening he creased all Of the
blocks so we could start our problematical
journey without any noise. The moon went
down at midnight and before it was out of
sight We had one anchor Up, with muflled
capstan. We were getting up the other when
the harbor policeman came along. few
Bank of England notes blinded him and we
got under way with two of the ships boats
towing and the tide helping us along. Evil
IDENTIFY the fort had orders to look out for us,
but we caught them mapping, apparently, for
were almost past it when We were hailed
and ordered to stop.
The next instant, without giving us a decent
chance to heave to, even had we been so in
clined, they whanged away at us. The second
shot went clear through us, just below the
waterway, and Lorensen, who was with me at
the wheel, exclaimed grimly, "Here we go,
captain!"
But he was mistaken, for in the darkness
their gunnery was not up to the standard OF
British craftsmanship.
We were soon under cover of the Myrtle
Bank hotel and after that two ships protected
us until we were far enough away so that
only chance shot could reach us.
The arms we carried were sold to the revo-
lutionists in Costa RIGA, being paid for partly.
in cash and partly in coffee, which I sold at
Curacao. From there l returned to Venezuela
and reported to Guzman Blanco after having
been away only about four months.
After Guzman's successful campaign against
the rebel, Pulido, in which l served on the
staff, I received another letter from Baez,
urging me to come to Santo Domingo. The
same mail brought letter from Baez to Guz-
man, asking him to grant me leave of absence
for few months to enter his service. Guz-
man was f1attered by this request and with
his permission | went to Santo Domingo City
in the spring of 1873, on the Juliette.
President Baez of Santo Domingo was short
and thin and had a washed-out look,
though his skin had been faded by chemicals
instead of by a threequarters admixture OF
white blood. I had heard of him only
good fighter, but that reputation became con-
WINGED, soon after my first visit to the pal
ace" had been earned for him by his former
friends and supporters and was in no sense
the work of his own sword, at least so far
as recent years were concerned
The "army" was, in reality, not much more
than an unorganized body Of densely ignorant
natives who, practically the only compen-
sation for their supposed loyalty, were al
lowed to carry guns which they did not know
hour 10 hO1u 70 rob
without getting in each others way, how to
handle their arms without shooting them
selves, and much discipline as they were
amenable to- but fear my efforts did not go
much beyond that, even though they did effect
a decided improvement. The revolutionary