The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-03-24
MEXICO'S NEW PRESIDENT.
Obregon Man Of Unusual Native Ahil-
ity, and is Big Enough For job.

new first chief, the ableSt ruler since
Porfrio Diaz, says James Thurston
Barner, New York attorney, seen by
the Washington Herald, at the RAJ
eigh, upon his return from that coun-
try, where he has mining interests.
tMexico has long stood in need OF
few Irishmen to govern the coun-
try and a few Jews to put it on its
feet financially" Barnes remarked
jocularly.
"Obregon, you know, is nothing
more than O'Brien with a Castilllan
twist" he continued, "and the new
president is proud of his Celtic blood,
which he traces with little difficulty
to one O'Brien, who took fast boat
out of Cork about the time Of Robert
Emmett"
Biography Replete With Romance.
The biography of Obregon is as ro-
mantle as the figure of the one-armed
warrior, who in the words Of the
Paris Matin, rules over race OF saw
ages, according to Barnes.
Alvaro Obregon was the youngest
of a most prolific family, one o. the
largest in Sonora today. Anything
he now possesses, and he is credited
with a good sized fortune, he set for
himself. All that he knows in math-
ematics, engineering and other sci
ences, he taught himself.
His mother was of a good family,
but with little money. From her he
is said to have gotten his romantic
attitude toward life. She was good
horse woman, a crack shot, and
thought little of pursuing bandit.
Her family had lost most of its
wealth in rebellions which had prov
ed failures
Alvaro lost his father at an early
age and his childhood was spent un-
der the gentle tutelage of the women
of the household. This perhaps ac-
counts for his inherent gentleness
and his extreme sensitiveness to sur
rounding impressions.
THE most remarkable thing about
Obregon, to my mind, is his unerring
memory" said Barnes. 'tThis is the
result of his admirable self discip-
line. All his life he has applied him
self to the training of his memory.
Now it is no feat for him to scan a
document rapidly and then repeat the
text of it without an error.
"Obregon has an almost uncanny
memory for names and faces. l re-
call my first meeting with him, brief
one in Mexico City during which we
exchanged a few words. I met him
few months later and he not only re-
called my name and business, but
every detail of our conversation"
This remarkable faculty of recalling
names and faces was also one of the
notable traits of Porfrio Diaz, whom
Barnes knew intimately.
The new president delights in per-
forming slight-of-hand tricks to the
mystifcation of his friends and it has
been said that if he ever lost the pres
idency he could easily make a COM
Portable living in vaudeville.
Like Henri Fabre, the French nat
uralist who died few years ago, OBJ
regon mastered the principles of high
er mathematics without master.
His military education was obtained
in the same laborious and tedious
fashion.
There is no comparison between
Obregon and Villa" Barnes explained.
t"The latter was an illiterate bandit,
Obregon, on the other hand, is sci
enlist, with a knowledge Of strategy
and tactics unsurpassed by any fellow
officer.
"By a singularly fortunate circum-
stance the accident which cost Obre-
gon the loss of his right arm was wit
messed by the thousands. This great
ly added to the esteem in which he is
held by the Sonora Indians.
t'It was during his campaign against
Villa that a shell burst in front of
him. The greater part of his right
arm was torn away by the case, but
maintaining wonderful self-control,
he took an emergency dressing, and
with his left hand applied the band
age without wincing. His arm was
amputated the same night, but three
days later he was once more in the
field. This greatly added to his
prestige among the Sonora Indians,
for the saying that no Mexican COM
mander had ever himself been wound