The Red Cloud chief., 1914-07-23

wrath OF his ~compatriots, Victoriano
Huerta sees himself at sixty forced to
resign the presidency Of his country.
He will, It is believed, go to Europe.
where, like other Latin American
presidents, he will end his days with
little enjoyment save that Of reminis-
cence.
Huerta was born to wealth. Unlike
Diaz, who Is Of plebeian origin, q
mongrel, mostly Indian, Huerta comes
Of one of the most aristocratic fami-
les in Mexico.
He was born in chihuahua, with
which state the Huertas have long
been identified, in 1854. or 1857. re-
ports differ. At the age Of seventeen
the a~ristocrat was appointed by Dlaz.
then ruling Mexico with an iron hand.
to the military school of Chapultepec.
Huerta served his four school years
passably we'll. He was neither at the
head nor the foot OF his class. He
was graduated with honors, being
about the tenth in q class Of nearly q
hundred, and Immediately went to join
a regiment on the west coast as q Sec
ond lieutenant of engineers.
When President Diaz began his re-
organization Of the Mexican army
Huerta was promoted captain OF engi-
neers, and while holding this rank de-
vised the plan for a Mexican general
STAFF corps. He was an active member
of the military map commission Great
ed to draft a staff map Of Mexico on
a large scale. and he had charge Of all
the typographical work Of the commits.
sion, leading exploring and surveying
parties over the widest regions of the
republic.
President Diaz Don after began to
place confidence in Huerta. He be-
lieved he saw in the lieutenant colonel
of engineers. to which rank the sol.
der had succeeded, traits which would
make him a worthy successor In the
executive chair. Huerta was placed In
charge Of q station In Matanzas. far
removed from the capital. There plots
could be easily Matched, and Diaz was
loath to leave in charge any oficer
in whom he had not implicit trust.
Huerta was barely t~hirty-fve when
this incident occurred. One afternoon
while he was riding with an escort OF
but three men through a mountain
pass in the vicinity Of his station. six
or seven masked men stepped from
the roadside and covered his little par.
ty. Naturally they threw up their
hands.
The highwaymen proved to be mem.
bers of the band Of Flores Zegaza. the
bandit who kept the community on
the feather edge. II was his habit to
descend on the towns along the coast
and levy toll whenever hunger or
caprice impelled him to do &C. Huerta
soon stood in front of Zegaza's hut,
an adobe dwelling, much dilapidated.
far up the mountain.
There Zegaza made the proposition
which was not at all unusual In Mex
leo then. and which is, in fact, quite
the vogue today. He proposed that
Huerta should keep him informed as
u Iuc lays WuCu LILO uuitituA hoiSO
would be marching in a direction OPP
posite from the town.
On such days Zegaza would. make It
q point to call, with his followers. and
collect from the natives such stores
Of money and clothes and food and
wine and tobacco as had accumulated
since the last visit.
Zegaza was not at all surprised to
have Huerta accept his proposition to
receive in return for the promised in
formation q share Of whatever loot fell
to the bandits.
Ten days later Huerta sem word to
Zegaza that he would be away from
the station on the following Thursday.
Promptly on Thursday the bandits
rode into Matanzas, confident there
would be no opposition except from
the sporadic popguns Of the overnight.
ened storekeepers. As they turned
into the main street, discharging their
revolvers to brighten every one away,
q squad of Huerta's soldiers closed in
IN their rear and another squad ap-
peared in their front.
A number OF Zegaza's men we're
killed In the street. The remainder,
with the bandit chief himself, surren-
dered. A week later Zegaza was shot
in the Quartet OF the prison attached
to the station.
Huerta Is no drawing room soldier.
He has seen much active service. In
1901 he took command of the infantry
In the campaign against the Yaqui
Flight Fog by Wireless.