Evening star., 1930-11-30

u the waves against the ship, as
quiet as morgue.
81 had come aboard at IL o'clock.
Early in the evening I had called at
the presidential palace in Lima, and
they had told me of the detection in
the garrison at Arequipa. No doubt
that the situation was well In hand,
though. Anyhow, the strong man was
at the helm. Many a disturbance such
as this had been put down in the IL
years of Leguia's regime The Roose-
velt of South America knew his PERU
vians! So to sleep.
"a knock at my door. A message
from the President? Strange, thought
Surprising when I read it. I leaped
into my uniform, sent orders to all the
ofhcerS, dispatched a launch and waited.
Finally the chug of the motor and
the return of the launch. Up the lad
der came the diminutive figure of very
old man. The crew stood at attention.
Officers Saluted. The President was
aboard!
Ruler Near Breakdown.
"Rumors spread. Nobody knew what
1t was all about. The President had
said nothing. Was he still the Presi-
dent? And what was his mission on
board warship in the small hours of
the morning?
There was a hurried conference of
officers. Each contributed the rumors
he had collected and offered his sugges-
tons. Finally we invited his excellency
to tell us the state of affairs.
"Haggard and nervous he came be-
fore u.s. group of officers of the PERU
Wan Navy, at 4:30 in the morning, and
told US Of the dramatic incidents of the
last few hourS-a haggard and nervous
old man, who until recently had been
the most powerful figure Of the Andean
republics.
Cabinet Forced to Resign.
'His cabinet had been forced to re-
sign. A group Of army officers had
urged military cabinet in its place.
Yielding, he appointed one and went to
bed. Shortly they called him to his
Office and demanded changes. Invit-
ing their suggestions, he appointed an
other and started to swear it in Some
one objected. The colonel at Areuuipa.
sanchez Cerro, who had started the re-
volt IN the army, should be in the cab
met The President acceded. But there
were further objections on the grounds
that some of the appointees were not
present, notably the colonel from Are
quipa. Several spoke in a disrespectful
manner, some were even intoxicated.
suddenly lieutenant pushed his way
In and with revolver drawn demanded
the immediate resignation Of the Chief
Executive. The entire group then
Hoped and Joined In the demand. The
resignation was penned and the Presi-
dent fed to the cruiser Almirante Grau.
But said. the President, only the
Congress has the right to accept nv
resignation. Until Congress meets and
accepts it in the constitutional way. I
am President of Perul' And there was
q momentary spark of the old Leguia.
The group snapped to attention and sa-
luted. The President returned the salute
and went back to his quarters.
Power Of Decision Gone.
Immediately he sent for me, and
there, as the first streak Of dawn crept
over the mountains, he complained that
ne was tired. He looked it-not only
tired, but broken. His hands twitched
HIS eyes were sunken and blood-shot
What should he do? Imagine the
Leguia Of other days asking such a
question-the Leguia who more than
once had defied mobS and resisted as
saSSlns. The power Of decision was
gone. Nearly 80 years of a vigorous
and eventful life had exacted their toll
The navy would have stood by him
He could have held the chief seaport
and the key to the capital. One word
and he would have been master of the
situation and maybe still master OF
Peru. But the final punch was lacking.
One word and the ship could have pro-
ceeded TO foreign port. But no word!
Later the old man confessed he did not
know what to do. He couldn't 20
away, for he hadn't a penny to his
name. Besides, he wanted TO leave
Peru in the hands Of q constitutional
government.
Orders in Conflict.
Later in the day orders came from
the military junta which had taken
over affairs at Lima, ordering the ship
m vxytftA %1naF
Panama. An hour later the colonel at
Arequipa ordered it back. He did not
recognize this group Of senile and fat
old generals. And Leguia came back
to be sent in disgrace first to the bleak
island Of San Lorenzo and later to the
historic old prison in Lima, there to
await the fate that has overtaken many
another man In the stormy career OF
Peru, and, curiously enough, the fate he
himself has meted out to scores of his
enemies. And in his own words, an
other period in Peruvian history is
closed"
In these words the officer in COM
mand of the Peruvian navy on that
fateful night recounted briefly the final
swiftly moving incidents that catapulted
the once powerful Leguia from the
presidency to prison.
Today q tiny Indian with deep,
dreamy eyes occupies the seat Of Pizzaro
IN the OLD land OF conquest. He Is Luis
Sanchez Cerro, until August 20, 1880, an
obscure colonel In the Peruvian army,
stationed in far interior valley Of the
Andes-the heart of the ancient empire
Of the Incas.
Indian Blood Evident.
Tiny, I said He is almost that
probably feet 3 and weighs not more
than 140 pounds. He is Indian, pre-
dominately II not wholly Brownish
black eyes, dreamy eyes" whose vision
seems far away In the deep valleys of
Peru's tall mountains.
had come to Peru and Lima on the
very heels OF the revolution. Flying
from Talara to Lima over the remains
Of ancient cities and civilizations, over
dry, dusty deserts gaShed at intervals
by narrow green valleys that follow half
dry rivers out to the Pacific, and peace
full little towns surrounding tall gray
churches, this languid country appeared
undisturbed by the recent upheaval
From above, Lima itself, the great "City
Of the Kings" seemed unchanged. But
there was a change readily apparent
when you came to earth and heard the
voices OF people in the streets and cafes
A strict government, a hard master had
gone. A new order prevailed. Another
OF Peru's long line Of rulers occupied
the historic government house on the
Plaza de Armas Every one talked OF
him, but nobody seemed to know much
about him. He had been expelled from
the country, taken back and expelled
again. He had lived in France but
finally had been permitted to return.
Lately he had been colonel Of q regl-
ment In Arequipa. That was all they
seemed to know.
A.na.~ HK-~-.~