El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-23

the president the mayor sent in a re-
port that the hunchback was in the
plot, and he thereupOn ordered his
soldiers to take him to Guatemala
and when they got into the mountains
the story is that they told the bunch
back that they had orders to shoot
him, which they did. The report was
then sent in to the president that
there was no doubt Of the treason Of
anything in reply.
Bloody Guatemala.
The government of this country has
always been more or less corrupt The
republic was born in the blood Of
the indian, and il is the outcome OF
the tyrrany Of the Spaniards. Ava
RADIO, who took possession of Guatema-
Ia for Spain, tortured and enslaved
the natives At one time he wrote to
COrtez:
q have killed and captured many
people, many of them captains and
persons Of rank And at another
time:
Il determined to burn the lords and
their cities, in order that I might bring
them TO the service of his majesty the
king"
Alvarado had a pleasant way Of
branding his indian prisoners on the
cheeks and thighs and then selling
them as slaves at public auction. It
was much the same with his success
ors during period of several hun
dred years. almost all Of the officials
being of Spanish birth.
Shortly after the republic was Gre
ated revolutions and assassinatiOns
began. Along about 20 years ago Car
rera, young pig driver, became presi-
dent, and for many years he was the
absolute ruler Of the country. He was
a logger of men and women. and
while president he had his enemies
taken out into the public square and
shot to terrify the people.
Killing of Cabrera's Predecessors.
A little later on came Ruifini Bar
rios, who was absolute ruler of the
country for a dozen or more years, and
who, although cruel and INSCRIPTIONS,
did much to develop it. He built rail
roads and wagon roads and tried to
Introduce compulsory education. Bar
rios narrowly escaped assassination
several times, and at one time
bomb was thrown at his feet while
he walked in a garden outside the
as the bomb fell, and Barrios took
up to bomb and put out the fire,
saying:
These. .rascals do not understand
how to kill one"
Nevertheless, a number of people
were executed on the charge of throw
ing the bomb, and during his reign
500 or more men were put out of the
way by BarriOs on charges Cf being
engaged in assassinatiOns
BarriOs himself was shot while try
ing to make a federation of the
American republics, and his successor,
having been driven from the country
by a revolution, was assassinated in
the City Of Mexico while he was rid
ing in the street car. The assassin
was a young Guatemalan, who, it is
supposed, came to Mexico to do the
killing.
The next president, who was Jose
Maria Reina BarriOs, had a series of
revolutions, and he was assassinated
in this city in 1898. That Barrios
was succeeded by Cabrera who with
iron hand has held the country in
check from that time until now.
Cabrera, the President.
NOminaIy, the president of Guate-
mala has more power than the presi-
dent of the United States. The con-
here is modelled after ours
The country has a congress and a
council of state. The president is
elected for six years, and he has his
cabinet, with about the same depart
ments that we have at Washington.
There are courts and justices of the
peace, and there is an army whose
soldiers get from . to 10 cents a day.
am told that president Cabrera /
is anxious to give a good administra-
tiOn. He is a hard working man. put
ting in 10 or y hours a day at his
desk and keeping track Of all the de-