The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-03-07
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
Copylgh tby Bob sAfsriuCo
By ROGER POCOCK

4
that, brought nearly fifty thousand
men TO attack three thousand. Slowly
he drove the unfortunate nationaiists
/ TO Oaxaea and there Diaz made one
OF the most glorious defenses in the
annals OF war. He melted the cathedral
bells for cannon balls, he mounted q
gun in the empty belfry, where he and
his starving follow Ought their last
great fight, until h, d alone among
the dead, firing charge after charge
into the siege lines.
Once more he was cast into prison,
only to make such frantic attempts at
escape that in the end he succeeded in
scaling an impossible wall. He was an
outcast now, living by robbery, hunted
like a wolf, and yet on the second day
after that escape, he commanded a
| gang of bandits and captured French
| garrison. He ambuscaded an expedi-
ton sent against him. raised an army
and reconquered southern Mexico.
1t was then (1S67) that the United
States compelled the French to retire.
President Juarez marched from the
northern deserts, gathering the people
as he came, besieged Queretaro, cap
| tured and shot the Emperor Maximil-
ian. Diaz marched from the south,
entered the City OF Mexico, handed
over the capital to his triumphant
president. resigned his commission as
| commander in chief, and retired in
| deep contentment to manufacture
sugar in Oaxaca.
For nine years the hero made sugar
| Over an area in the north as large as
France, the Apache Indians butchered
every man, woman and child with
| fiendish tortures. The whole distract
ed nation cried in its agony for lead
er, but every respectable man who
tried to help was promptly denounced
by the government, stripped OF his pos
| sessions and driven into exile. At last
General Diaz could bear it no longer,
made a few remarks and was prosecut-
ed. He fed, and there began a period
of the widest adventures conceivable
At Vera Cruz he landed and, after
series Of almost miraculous escapes
from capture, succeeded in walking TO
Qaxaca. There he raised his last re-
bellion and with four thousand follow
ers, ambuscaded government army,
taking three thousand prisoners. the
guns and all the transport President
Lerdo heard the news and bolted with
all the cash. General Dfaz took the
City of Mexico and declared himself
president of the republic.
Whether as bandit or king, Diaz had
always been the handsomest man in
Mexico, the most courteous, the most
charming. and terrific as lightning.
when in action.
The leading industry Of the country
was highway robbery, until the presi-
dent, exquisitely sympathetic, invited
all the principal robbers to consult
with him as to the details of govern
ment. He formed them into a body Of
mounted police. which swept like a
whirlwind through the republic and
put sudden end to brigandage. Capt.
tai punishment not being permitted by
the humane government. the robbers
were all shot for attempting to es-
cape"
| Next in Importance was the mining
of silver, and the decline in its value
/, threatened to ruin Mexico. BY the
magic of his finance, Diaz used that
crushing reverse to lace the country
with railroads, equip the cities with
electric lights and traction power, open
great seaports and litter all the states
Of Mexico with prosperous factories.
Meanwhile he paid off the national
! debt and made his coinage sound.
He never managed himself to speak
any other language than his own ma
iestic, slow CastiIian, but he knew that
English is TO be the tongue of mankind.
Every child in Mexico had to go to
school to learn English.
And this greatest of modern SOW
ereigns went about among his people
the simplest, most accessible of men.
They may kill me II they want to-"
he said once, ''but they don't want to.
! They rather like me-" So one might
see him taking his morning ride, wear
L
Mexican horsemen, or later In the day,
in a tweed suit going down to the Of
| fee by tram car, or on his holidays
hunting the nine-foot cats which we
call cougar, or OF a Sunday going TO
church with his wife and children. On
duty he was an absolute monarch, off
duty a kindly citizen, and It seemed
TO all of us who knew the country
that he would die as he had lived, still
in harness. One did not expect too
much-the so-calIed elections were a
pleasant farce, but the country was a
| deal better governed than some por-
tons Of the western half of the Unit
ed States. Any fellow entitled to a
linen collar In Europe wore a revolver
in Mexico, as part OF the dress OF a
gentleman, but in the widest districts
I never carried cartridge Diaz had
made his country a land of peace and
order, strong, respected, prosperous
with every outward sign of coming
greatness. Excepting only Napoleon
and late Japanese emperor, he was
both In war and peace the greatest
leader our world has ever known But
the people proved unworthy of their
chief; he became a broken exile, and
Mexico Iapsed back into anarchy