Vernon Parish Democrat., 1921-05-19


In the world the armored truck rolled
down the street to the arsenal en-
trance, swung In and pointed its i'm
pudent nose straight at the iron bars
while the hidden chauffeur called
loudly and profanely in Spanish upon
the sentry to open the gate and lei
him in--that there was necessity for
great hurry, since he had been sent
down from the palace by the presi-
dente himself, for machine guns to
equip this armored motorcar. The sen
try Immediately called the officer of
the guard, who peered out, observed
nothing but the motortruck, which
seemed far from dangerous, and with
out further ado inserted a huge key
in the lock and turned the bolt. The
sentry swung the double gates ajar,
and with prolonged and raucous toot
of its horn the big car loafed in. The
sentry closed the gate again, while the
officer stepped up to turn the key in
the lock. Instead he died with half
dozen pistol bullets through his body,
and the sentry sprawled beside him.
The prolonged toot of the motor
horn had been the signal agreed upon
to apprise the detachment whiting in
a secluded back street that the truck
was inside the arsenal wall. With a
yell they swept out of the side street
and down on the gate, through which
they poured into the arsenal grounds.
At sound of the first shot az the gate,
the commandante of the garrison.
which had been drawn up in a
double rank for reveille roll call,
realized he was attacked, and that
swift measures were necessary. Fortu.
nately for him, his men were standing
at attention at the time, preparatory
to receiving from him one Of those
ante-battle exhortations so dear to the
Latin soul.
A sharp command, and the little gar
rison had fixed bayonets; another com
mand, and they were in line of squads /;
before the autotruck could be swung
sideways to permit a machine gun to
play on the Sobranteans in close
formation, the latter had thrown out
a skirmish line and were charging ;
while from the guardhouse window,
just inside the gate, vOlIey, poured
into the unprotected rear of the truck
following its passage through the
gate, did deadly execution. The driver,
bullet through his back, sagged for
ward into his steel-clad citadel; both
machine gun operators were wounded,
and the truck was stalled. The sit
uatlOn was desperate.
"Tm a gone goose" mourned Don
Juan Cafetero, and he leaped from
the shambles to the ground, with some
hazy notion of making his escape
through the gate. He was too late.
Two men, riding tandem on a motor
cycle with machine gun in the spe-
cially constructed side-car, appeared
in the entrance and leaped off; almost
before Don Juan had time to dodge
behind the motortruck to escape pos
sible wild bullets, the machine gun
was sweeping the oncoming skirmish
line. Don Juan cheered as man after
man of the garrison pitched on his
face, for the odds were rapidly being
evened now. greatly to the pleasure
Of the men charging through the gate
to support the machine gun. Out into
the arsenal yard they swept, forcing
the machine gun crew to cease firing
because Of the danger of killing their
own men; with a shock bayonet met
bayonet In the center Of the yard, and
the issue was up for prompt and final
decision.
ITO BE CONTINIJEDA