Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-05-30

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spirit seemingly having subsidized with the i'm
provement in the army, l took the Juliette
to Halifax, N. s., in the summer Of 1875, tc
have her decks strengthened and mounted
with rapid-fire guns. We returned early in the
fall to find that the smoldering revolution had
burst into flame and that a large force was
marching on Santo Domingo City. The presi
dent and his brother were vehemently but
vainly advising each other to be brave when
| reached the palace. d.
What shall we do? What shall we dor
demanded the president as l entered the door
1T strikes me that 1t might be a good
scheme to fight" l replied, with no attempt to
conceal my disgust at their attitude.
They told me there were about 5000 men
In the attacking force. We had more than
1000 men under arms. The city had no de-
lenses worthy the name, and l insisted that
the thing to do was to go outside and fight
1t out in the open. The president, who had
apparently regained a little of his nerve,
agreed with me and, against the continued OBJ
~1ections of his brother, We went out to meet
the attacking army.
General Baez commanded our center and
right, while ! commanded our left flank. With
the firing OF the first gun he began to give
way before a force that was inferior in both
numbers and discipline, and fell back SO rap
idly that before / realized 1t my command
was fanked and almost cut off, with the sea
on one side of us and the enemy on two others
and rapidly closing up the fourth.
In a few minutes l was captured, along with
about a hundred men who were so numbed
by fear that they could neither run nor fight
and had not enough discretion to join the en-
envy. ] was furious over the cowardice of
Baez and put up the hardest fight | was cap
able or, with the satisfaction of putting six or
eight blacks on a permanent peace basis, but,
with my revolver empty and my sword brok.
en-, ! was overwhelmed by the inky cloud.
General Baez g~alloped back to the city, and
he and his bewildered brother, the president,
had barely time to board a small schooner and
sail for Curacao before the capital was in the
hands of the rebels. General GAMER d'Aton,
a tool of Pimental and Cabral, was at once
proclaimed president and hailed by the popu-
lace with the customary acclaim.
Instead of being killed at once, as l had ex-
pected, | was taken to a mall port on a hill
near the town, where, on the altogether false
charge that l had fomented trouble and
brought on civil war, l was tried by drum.
head court martial and sentenced to be shot
at sunrise, The verdict was, Of course, die
tated by revenge, and execution of it was de-
layed because they wished to gloat over ne
for a while,
This was a little the most serious predica-
ment had ever been in and, with the idea
OF taxing every chance that was open to me.
rather than with any distinct hope that If
would be answered, l gave the grand hailing
sign Of a powerful secret order which | had
Joined while in Caracas. l thought | saw a
sergeant raise his eyes, but, as he gave no
further sign, | concluded that if there had
been any movement 1t had been one of sur
prise and not of recognition.
l was placed In a large sala with windows
opening on the courtyard, and blank walls
on the three other sides.
Along about three o'clock, Just as I had
about made up my mind that in a coupie Of
hours | should be due to start on an jndef.
mite exploration, l heard a short semitic ar
each end of the path the sentries were
patrolling, and a gurgling noise as though a
man were choking. The next moment Lo.
rensen's voice came softly through the door:
Are you in there. captain ?"
| assured him that l was.
Stand away from the doorl" he s.jd .,d
obeyed the order with pleasurable alacritv
Three blows with a log Of crrtch maboo.
any, taken from a pile in the courtyard
smashed in the door. Lorensen seized NV
arm and, led by the sergeant who had. after
all, recognized the sign | had made. wa
climbed down a ~declivity back Of the fort and
made our way to the shore, where two boats
were waiting for us.
AS soon as 1t was day l sailed close in ana
bombarded the fort where my execution was
to have taken place.
AT Caracas I found Guzman had been elect.
cd president. He was inaugurating public i'm.
proyements, and induced me to go upon a won
~ ,n,A, = -
through the unmapped interior of yenezreIA
After a six months river journey a. a.a00
miles, we reached Manaos, Brazil. an tha
Amazon, that great river and the Ortno,o hav,
ing a common source. From Manaos We
sailed to Rio Janeiro and from there n MI.
land on the Elbe, commanded BY Captain
NOR. commander Of the Trent when Mason
and Slidell were taken of. On the wav I
wrote a full report to Guzman, PROMISING IL
return within 2 few years. At London | Joined
Frank Norton to start for the China sea.