The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-27
LEE CHRISTMAS
 HECTIC CAREER
Famous Soldier Of Fortune Made History In Central
 America

The colorful career of Gen. Lee Christmas is ended, for that famous soldier of fortune died Monday at noon in Touro infirmary at New Orleans. Five blood transfusions within the last few weeks failed to save his life he rallied. seemed better for a time. hu, death came nearer and nearer. He had been suffering from tropical sprue {; for several days he had been uneon- s,ious His wife and his sister-in- law were with him when he died
 He was i'll when he returned, not so many months ago. from Suate- mala. where he had gone in interest of oil. From his bed in the hospital ne tried for time to conduct his business Then he became weaker and weaker. When physicians announced that blood transfusion was neces- Sary. many old friends of the general came forward. Among them was Guy Molony superintendent of the New Orleans police department Superin- tendent Molony and General Christ mas had been friends and companions in q score of adventures in the tropics
 
 and the ear. of physicians could not Yesterday the word 'finis" was writ ten T: the end of the last chapter in in General Christmas life.
 Born In Louisiana
 Gen. Lee Christmas was born in Louisiana in 1883. His father was Winfield Scott Christmas, q veteran uf the Mexican war. When Lee Christmas grew up he became a loco r,otive engineer. and lived in Mem pnis, Tenn.
 In 1891 he went to Honduras to run a locomotive, and in 1897 the revnl,tion broke out which made him q fighting man. About that time the prestige of Americans in Honduras Was not great. Jamaica negroes con- >i,iered themselves privileged to spit at Americans on slight provocatiOn. Through the use of baseball bats, Gen rral Christmas said. he helped teach these Janaicans manners.
 When the 1907 revolution started, General Christmas in Puerto COrtez with his train. which was seized by d small detachment of insurrectos. He was ordered to carry the party into the interior to meet detachment of government troops. It was customary for the party attacked by a train to concentrate their fire on the engine in an endeavor to kill the engineer, stall ing the train and leaving opportunity to kill the soldiers aboard at leisure. after their means of escape had been put out of commission. Christmas wanted to appeal to Washington for authority to leave his engine, but there was no cable available. The insurrec- to leader said the train must go to the front that night. and that Christi mas would either he shot on the en- zine or remain behind and he shot by the insurrectOs.
 Strategy Wins
 The American compromised by ask ing leave to carry two rifles in his cab and to armor a flat car for the use of an American friend and a few native helpers. In an encounter at nightfall, the government troops re- treated. much puzzled at the destruc- tive fire from the queer looking flat car immediately behind the engine.
 That night the insurrecto train pro- ceeded inland toward San Pedro Sula. At an abandoned telegraph office. Christmas talked with government official who was at the other end of the wire. inquiring why the government forces had retired. Having a personal acquaintance with this official, Christi