The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-07-21

inactive for four years. Believing
his military life was over, Huerta. in
1907, asked for leave Of absence
from the army and took up civil en-
cheering. He built the street rail
ways and paved the streets OF Mont
Grey and there were rumors that he
made large sums of money.
In 1910 he returned 10 the army
and the next year he was okIered
10 put down Emiliano Zapata, the
elusive bandit of Morelos. He could
not capture Zapata, but he cond Quoted
such an able campaign that hs was
Landed officially.
Diaz was now yielding befoie the
forces of Francisco L. Madero On
May %, 1911 he put Huerta in COM
mand of the military escort On the
train to take him to Vera Cruz.
When the train was attacked they
fought side by side and Genera HUI
erta saw the aged dictator Though
in safety.
Then came the provisional Eesi-
dency of Licenciado Francisco d. la
Barra. He sent Huerta against "a
pata again, but when Senior Ma6ero
became president he was recalled and
Zapata was placated.
For a year Huerta was again
general without troops. But Pascuaf
Orozco was in revolt against Madero,
in the north was advancing steadily
southwark. The minister of war was
sent against him and was defeated.
Huerta received command of the dis
organized federal army. He met Or
ozco at Conejos, May II, 1912. Or
ozco was whipped and was defeated
again at RelIano and at Bachimba.
| The campaign was most brilliant.
But Huerta, his work done, was re-
called in distrust and was again
general without troops. He was
poor, wore old clothes and frequent
ed cheap. restaurants of Mexico City.
Moreover his eyes were failing, A
cataract was growing upon one of his
eyeballs Dr. Aureliano Urrutia,
famous surgeon of Indian birth,
heard of the plight of the hero of
Bachfmba and offered to operate in
his sanatorium at Tlalpam. Huerta
refused to take an anaesthetic. The
operation was success and Huerta
was later able to reward Urrutia by
making him his chief adviser and
minister of foreign affairs.
Then came the "decena tragica"
| (tragic ten days. when five thousand
persons were killed in fighting in the
Reyes, Felix Diaz and Manuel Mon
dragon attempted a coup-d 'etat, Feb.
9, 1913. and Madero delivered his
defence into the hand of Huerta. At
] ter frightful bloodshed Huerta turn
ed traitor to Madero, arrested him
and his cabinet and forced the lead
ers of the revolt into exile. A few
days later the kindly Madero, with
his wife pleading on her knees for
his life from the dictator, was shot
trying to escape
/ Other heads of the late admins
tration died mysteriously. 1t was
/ the beginning of a reign of terror in
the course of which hundreds are be-
lieyed to have been secretly execut
ed. Huerta Haunted both the Mex
lean constitution and International
law. 1t was the closing of the Taft
administration in the United States.
President Taft left the Huerta prob
lem to his successor Wilson boldly
proclaimed his refusal to deal with
| this murder-born de facto govern
ment
/ General Venustiano Carranza, gov
ernor of the state of Chihuahua and
lformerly senator, refused to recog-
nize Huerta and raised the standard
of revolt. Governor Maytorena of
Sonora also declined to obey Huerta
and many minor leaders began war
fare against the new dictator. Out
of the chaos was born new military
genius, francisco Villa Huerta s
men steadily lost ground The Con-
: stitutionalists as, the Carranza ad-
} herents called themselves set up a
: government, ran the post offices, rail-
| ways and telegraph lines and issued
t money.
: Until midsummer of 1914, how
r ever, Huerta refused to yield to the
: inevitable. Meanwhile on April 21
1914, United States forces had seiz
$ ed Vera Cruz. The A B C power:
! had brought about mediation be
i tween the Huerta government ant
o the great power to the north, tn,
d meetings being held in Niagara Falls
e 1t was hard to say whether media
: ton efforts or the cantnre of Zaca