The chronicle=news., 1913-02-28
Huertu, Soldier, Leading Figure in Country
With Varying Fortunes


~ iuertn served his four schoo
years passably well. lie WAS neither
at the head nor the foot OF his ella IS
He was graduated with honors. be-
Ing about the tenth In Il class OF
nearly hundred. and immediatcl.
went 10 ioln a regiment on the west
coast.
The entire history OF the new
Pres dent Is that OF "a regular army
officer and with none OF the devia.
tions from strict military duty
which mar the history OF nearly'c' c''
J.ry other officer In the country.
! Oroxco rose from the ranks. Blan'
que, /. an adycnturcr. who was ap-
| pointed to- u military position be-
cause that seemed the caslcst WAY 10
prevent his becoming o bandit. IA.
paia IL an out-and-out bandit. and
MaGon a revolutionary Socialist.
OF ull the men who hay. risen 10
the top In the present uphcaval OF
Mexico. Felix DIaz and Hueria.
alone. are OF the regular army. and
possess military records OF which
who completed the trinity. was
killed. and he was over 20 years old
anyway.
Early In his career Hucrta gave
the alert eye Of Porfirio Diaz an op-
portunity to take his measure and II
was not to his disadvantage. He
had risen. through slow promotions.
TO tho rank OF Lleutenant-Colonel
and was In charge OF n station in
Mantanxas. far removed from this
capital. There plots could easily be
hatched and D!az was loath to leave
In charge any officer In whom he
had not implicit confidence.
Huerta was barely thirty-five
when this Incident occurred. One
afternoon while he was riding. with
an escort OF but three men. through
q mountain pass In the vicinity Of
his station. six or seven masked men
stepped from the roadside and GOV.
cred his little party. Naturally they
threw up their hands.
Tho hIshwaymen proved TO he
mem bers OF tho baud OF Flores Zc.
Saza. the bandit who kept the COM
munity OH the feather edge. II was
his habit TO descend on the towns
along the coast and levy toll when.
ever hunger or caprice impelled him
30 TO do. Hcurta soon stood In front
OF ZcEsza's hut. an adobe dwelling.
much dIlapidatcd. far up the noun
tain.
There ZcEaxa madc the proposi.
tion which was not at all unusual In
Mexico then. and which Is. in fact.
quite the vogue today. He proposed
that Huerta should keep him In.
formed as to the days when the mill.
tsry force would bc marching In q
direction opposite from the-town. o.
such days Zcgaxa would make It U
point TO call with his followers. aud
Of money and clothes and food and
wine and tobacco ns had accumulat.
cd since the last visit.
Zcgaza way not at all surprised &c
have Hucria accept his proposition
and TO receive In return for tn,
promised Information an assurance
that a share OF whatever loot fell ,o
the bandits should be left for III.
soldiers at an appointed place. In
fact. had Hucrta not accepted 1t. II
| Is not likely that he would have re,
turned alive to Muntanzns.
Ten days later Huefta sent WORD
10 Zcgaza that lie would be ava,
frCm tho station on the toilowinE
Thursday.
Promptly on Thursday the bandit.
rode into the town. confident ther,
would be no opposition caccp; frou
the sporadic pop-guns Of the over
frightened s,orckccpcrs. As the,
turned into the main street. dis
charging their rcvolycrs to rrishtc,
every ono away. Il squad OF Huerta'
soldiers closed In on their rear. an,
front.
Huer,a had doublc-crosscd til
bandit.
a number OF Zcgaza's men wcr
killed In the street. The remainder
with the bandit chief himself. sur
rendered. 4 week later Zagaza WI,
, shot In the cuartcl OF the prison at
tached to the station. The report c
the affair that went to the City Q
Mexico said that he had attcmptC.
: to escape" II was the vcnerab!
. Mexican excuse. a cloak to cover an
: crime. whether in the interests q
Justice or Of injustice.
Diaz. however, did not wait Ion
to hear all tho details.
Such a man us Hucrta had show
r himself to be In the affair with II
: SaIa was the very sort OF q man I
appeal 10 Diaz suprcmely. That wa
the very sort of Lieutenant he mos
: desired, and the one most difficult I
, get: one who would be loyal to hi
! trust even though he succeeded wit
: trcachery and disioyalty.
/ One whose honor rooted In di
c honor stood: where faith. unfaitl
a ful. kept him falsely true"
t II was some time after this this
. Huerta was called to the City I
Mexico and offered his choice Of y,
=. sitions under the War Department