The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-06-04

CaptulatiOn Of Cabrera followed intermittent
fighting which began when Cabrera was holding
the forts Of San Jose and Matamoros with an In
trenched position at La Palma. All attempts by
the Cabrera forces to invade Guatemala City were
beaten or lively street fighting occurring In sew
eral suburbs. The Herrera forces surrounded
Fort San Jose and compelled Its capitulation,
then drove a wedge between Matamoros and La
Palma and gradually surrounded the latter place.
The loss Of life among combatants was not
heavy considering the amount Of ammunition
used. but there were many casualties among the
civilians during the bombardment of the capital
and in the street fighting.
From San Salvador there are reports that men,
women and children to the number Of 800 were
killed in the recent fighting in Guatemala City.
Numerous adherents of Cabrera who remained
faithful to their chief killed In their own
houses. Many Guatemalans who fed from the
country returning.
Cabreras fate it appears. is yet to be deter
mined. At the time of his surrender his personal
safety guaranteed, according to one report.
Guatemala refugees in San Salvador have asked
President Herrera that Cabrera be tried in a
competent court" He said in reply that his gov
ernment In favor of trying Cabrera in the
Guatemaan courts. 1t is further reported that
Cabrera has been given the alternative by the ma
tional assembly of standing trial for his "crimes"
or leaving the country forever with his family.
Pending his decision Cabrera is a prisoner.
President Carlos Herrera is said to be the
next richest Guatemalan after Cabrera The for
dictator has amassed enormous fortune, 1t
is said, largely by confscatlon of plantations and
other properties in Guatemala His principal foes
are among the land-owning class, many of whom
he has driven from their country in order to con-
f1scate their holdings. Herrera has been Jailed
over and over again in order that he might be
persuaded to give voluntary contribution" to-
ward running the government. Cabrera, 1t is said
becoming bored finally at this constant round of
arrestng Herrera. remarked that the only way of
getting all Herrera's money away from him was
However. afraid opD
nations might object to this, because of the sec
ond richest mans great prominence. so he reluc-
family allowed him to stay alive and that is
where Cabrera evidently made mistake. Ap-
parently Herrera must have become bored by his
many arrests-or else he was afraid that Cabrera
might change his mind.
Grim old Cabrera fought hard to turn the ta-
bles his enemies, he has often done be-
fore in his sensational career At one time his
forces. hemming in the capital from every side
had begun bombarding It; and the dictator's re-
entry into the city was imminent.
And Guatemala knows only too well what such
a re-entry means says T. r. Ybarra in the New
York Times, writing just before Cabrera's sur
render There have been plenty Of plots against
Cabrera before, and each time plenty of mem
women, too, In some cases-have been stood up
against wall and shot. His way. since he came
to power in Guatemala In 1893, has been soaked
in blood; the prisons have been packed with his
political opponents; mysterious stories have been
constantly told of how influential foes of his have
disappeared forever leaving no trace of what be-
fell them.
For Cabrera takes no chances. Even his apo
ogists admit that his methods are, to put 1t mild
Iy, drastic One of them wrote in the course of
favorable estimate of the Guatemalan dictator.
DOUBTLESS he has overplayed the OF with his
headr game" If that is what admirer puts It,
think of what his enemies have to say!
Cabrera is the last of the breed of genuine
Latin A,ae-.csn dietators He is an anachronism.