The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-27

verge of outbreak and then held then
in check, awaiting the moment wheI
he might deal an effective blow. His
conspiracy spread in its humble chan.
nels to other parishes, and finally 4
came to the ears of the ruling clases
Word came to him that there had beer
arrests of his adherents. This was OF
agreement he rang the bell of his own
church to call his people to war He
fired them with his enthusiasm and
standing before them he swore their
faith to the ''Grito de Dolores" the
the battle cry, Long Live Religion
Long live our holy mother of Guada-
lupe! Long live America and death to
bad government" At once he had an
army of $4,000, and with this force
he advanced upon the Spaniards.
Taking Guanajuato and Guadaljara,
he was proclaimed president by his pa
triots, and flushed with the excitement
of driving the royal forces before them,
they pressed on toward Mexico with
constantly increasing numbers until
his following numbered a hundred
thousand. Patriots they were but un-
trained and undisciplined, and they
were unable to resist 5000 veteran sol
diers of Spain, who delivered a crushing
defeat January Il. 1911.
For the next six months Hidalgo was
a fugitive in the mountains yet always
stingng the Spanards in unremitting
guerilla warfare, until he was caught
at Chihuahua and shot July 50, 1911.
The second figure in Mexican indepen-
dence was also priest, student under
Hidalgo, Jose Maria Morelos Pavon.
After the death of his leader this curata
of a little village parish earned his
designation "the hero of hundred bat
ties" In the winter of 1871 his victo-
rious sweep through the south and west
paralyzed the Spanish power. He was
the hero of many conflicts with superior
forces of the enemy, but in the end was
betrayed and delivered into the hands
of the Spanards and shot in the city of
Mexico December 21, or %, 1915.
The next man to head the patriots
of Mexico, and to be proclaimed the
president of the republic, was Spanish
soldier of fortune, Francisco Xavia
Nina. He came to the United States
and recruited a band of adventures,
800 strong, in Galveston and New Or
leans and entered Mexico under arms
in April, 1917. at Soto Marina in the
state of Tamaulipas.
Town after town yielded to his sum-
mons or to his attack. The Spanish
generals fell away before him as the
Mexican patriots rallied to his stand
ard. He was proclaimed to the danger
Gus honor and paid the penalty of his
predecessors. He was surprised by a
force which he could not resist, taken
to Mexico and shot to death, Novem-
ber II, 1917.
Brief in career, unsuccessful in their
ambitions, these three had aimed at
the headship of a constitutional state,
presidents by pronunciamento, which
when successful, in the southern re-
public has all the validity of popu-
lar choice.
The next ruler of Mexico to meet
death was an emperor, the first since
Guatemotzin Just three centuries
earlier
This was Augustin de Inturbide, who
in 1921 in the plan of Iguala proposed
the independence of Mexico under the
rule of one of the Spanish princes OF
the house of Bourbon as emperor AZ
a result of this proposal the Aztec
crown was offered to Ferdinand VII
On receipts of the news of his re-
fusal, Itrubite proclaimed himself en-
peror on May 49, 1922, and was crowned
on July 81. His cruelty endeared him
to his own soldiers. but earned fol
him the hated of MeXicans in general
His term as emperor hardly lasted a
year, for Santa Anna proclaimed the
republic and in March, 1923. Itrubide
presented his addiction to the Con-
gress He was granted pension OF
s25, 900, but was exiled and ordered to
live in Italy. He returned to Mexico
ignorant of a decree of outlawry
which had been pronounced against
him.. He was promptly apprehended
as public enemy and was shot July
10, 1924, at Padilla.
The next execution of a ruler came
after lapse of 43 years, and put tc
end the troubled career of the second
emperor of Mexico, that very pleasant
gentleman the Austrian Archduke
Maximillian.
Everybody is familiar with the en-
press Carlota, who plead with Napoleon
and the pope for their support oil
lMaximilian in Mexico after the French
troops had been removed from thai
country on account of the firm stanC
taken by the United States government
and how her failure to receive aid
drove her mad. When the French with
drew their support Maximilian tool
command of his army and sought tC
oppose the republicans under Juarez
who was pressing upon from every
side He was besieged at Quaretaro by
an overwhelming force. His last hope
was to break through the surrounding
army, and when about to make
this attempt was betrayed by
Colonel Lopez. Macmillan with his
Mexican associates in arms Generals
Mejia and Miramon, were condemned
by courtmartial. The three were shot
at Quaretaro on June 49, 1867, and in
the last scene the courtesy of MaXimil-
ian was shown in his act of waving
General Miramon to the place of honor
before the firing squad
The unhappy fate of Francisco Ma
dero is in line with many of his pre-
decessors. And 1t is truly remarkable
that many of them fell from the
treachery of their trusted officers.
Diaz was the most successful ruler
in Mexico in all its history, and he
is in exile, and may yet return to Mex
lico, and go the same way that Madero
and other have gone.