The Colorado statesman., 1924-03-01
THE GREAT FILIBUSTER
A. ID. 1853

He never swore or drank, or loved any
body, but was rigldly respectable and
pure, believed In negro slavery, brls-
tied with points of etiquette and for
mality, liked squabbling, had a nasty
sharp tongue, and taste for dueling.
The little dry man was by turns doc
tor, editor and lawyer, and when he
wanted to do anything very outrageous
always began by taking counsers opin-
| lon.
He wore black tall-coat and a
black wisp Of necktie even when, in
1853, he landed an army of forty five
men to conquer Mexico His followers
were California gold miners dressed in
blue shirts, duck trousers. long boots,
bowie knives, revolvers and rifles.
After he had taken the city of La Paz
by assault, called an election and pro-
claimed himself president of Sonora,
he was Joined by two or three hundred
more of the same breed from San Fran
cisco. These did not think very much
Of leader twenty-eight years old,
standing five feet six, and weighing
only one hundred thirty pounds, so
they merrily conspired to blow him up
with gunpowder, and dispense with
what plumber they could grab. Mr..
Walker shot two, flogged a couple, dis
armed the rest without showing any
sign of emotion. He could awe the
most truculent desperate into abJect
obedience with one glance of his cool
gray eye, and never allowed his men to
drink, play cards or swear "Our gov
ernment," he wrote, has been formed
upon n firm and sure basis"
The Mexicans and Indians thought
otherwise, for while the new president
of Sonora marched northward, they
gathered in hosts and hung like wolves
on the rear of the column, cutting off
stra gglers, who were slowly tortured
to death. Twice they dared an actual
attack, but Walkers grim strategies,
and the awful rifles Of despairing men,
cut them to pieces. So the march went
on through hundreds of miles of blazing
hot desert, where the fillbusters
dropped with thirst, and blew their
own brains out rather than be captured.
Only thirty-four men were left when
| they reached the United States boun-
Diary, the president of Sonora, in boot
and a shoe, his cabinet In rags, his
army and navy bloody, with dried
wounds, gaunt, starving, but too terri
BILE for the Mexican forces to modest.
The filibusters surrendered to the Unit
ed States garrison as prisoners of war.
Just year later, with six of these
veterans, and forty-eight other Califor-
% ct nf
Nicaragua. This happy republic was
blessed at the time with two rival pres
idents, and the one who got Walkers
help very soon had possession of the
country. AS hero of several brilliant
engagements, Walker was made com
mander-in-chief, and at the next cleo
ton chosen by the people themselves
as president. He had now a thousand
Americans in his following, and when
the native statesmen and generals
proved treacherous, they were prompt
ly shot. Walkers camp of wild des-
peradoes was like Sunday school, his
government the cleanest ever known
in Central America and his dignity all
prickles, hard to approach. He depend
ed for existence on the services of Van
derbilt's steamship lines, but seized
their warehouse for cheating. He was
surrounded by four hostile republics,
Costa Rica, San Salvador, Honduras
and Guatemala, and insulted them all.
He suspended diplomatic relations
with the United States, demanded for
his one schooner-of-wa salutes from
the British navy, and had no sense of
mbatSoayer FThOnaan1S
brave men died for this prim little law
yer and tens of thousands fell by pesti-
lence and battle in his wars, but with
all his sweet unselfishness, his purity,
and his valor, poor Walker was consid-
cradle of a prig. So the indictments
OF Nicaragua and the republics from
Mexico to Peru joined the steamship
company, the United States and Great
Britain to wipe out his hapless govern
ment.
The armies of four republics were
closing in on Walkers capital, the city
of Granada. He marched out to storm
the allies perched on an impregnable
volcano, and was carrying his last
charge to victorious issue, when news
reached him that Zavala with eight
hundred men had jumped on Granada.
He forsoOk his victory and rushed for
the capital city.
There were only one hundred and
fifty invalids and sick in the Granada
| garrison to man the church, armory
and hospital against Zavala, but the
women loaded rifles for the wounded
and, after twenty-five hours of CHASTITY
carnage, the enemy were thrown out
of the city. They fell back to lie in
Walkers path as he came to the res
cue. Walker saw the trap, carried 1t
| with charge, drove Zavala back into
| the city, broke him between two fires.
then sent n detachment to intercept
his flight. In this double battle, fight