THE OREGON ' SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTL AND. -SUNDAY MORNINO. AUGUST 16, 1908
CIPRIANO CASTRO, CASTLE BANDIT OF THE ANDES
Dictator of a Lawless Element, He Holds Sway, Calling Himself Supreme Ctief-HM Firm' Grip on the Government Unit nown to Fame Only a Few Yean Ago
V.neiuela Is a nation with a population equal to the combined popu
lation of Ilia slates of New York and New Jersey It" ; rea,nr th"
th. combined area of the German empire, the BrltlMh Isle, and Japan. It
has an export trade of U5.000.000 and an import commerce of about $9.
000.000. It national debt 1h about $ ir.o00,oo5 and Its national wealth a
DO enormous that no statistician has ov.-r computed It- For nine years thla
rich and populoua nation has beer, under the rule of the moa p cture.oue
autocrat that ever defied the nation- of the earth. Just now he la at odds
wthtolland and a Tutch licet Is reporte.) as, be ng on It. way to U
tern mere remarkable than Clprlano Castro.
- n. ... . ? ., n , 1 , u r ,
' Th. auich f him which frill.-ws was written by one who had been afford
ed uJwMl opporTunltle. of ...nkliig a clu.. study of thla "Porcupine of th. .
Andes."
B tn
A to
.. 1. .... 1.4
if ' liHiiv
way to remove Don t-iprini.u .
...l- .1,1. ,f U-llO.
tro, the Andean
for years, has maintained hlm-elf
a dlctetor of unhappy
It will have accompll-hed more In the
cause of civilisation and law and order
than oil The Hague conference, have
accomplished thua far.
The relation between Holland
i- n.'Mnr Iv clrse ari'
' eiiellt:i - - , K.
portant. because of the vicinity of th
r...h oinle of Curacao end Surinam
to the coast of the ...oat 'J'"'.,
a political sense, of '1I!,nl;A,mei0
i.nnHlr. These relations time
find prove
himself
and
1m-
. ...7. t.,o nredecesaor or tne
J'mlnl.t-r who left Caracas last
ek under every circumstance or in
renui iic-b. '-. ..t,,t and
h.n -tra ned to ine ureuiw.... '";-; -
three
JDutcl
., weea imoc. ""'.'.,:,, ,h fertile
nit iknrt conirmyi ,i
.martnationoi --he reck- Castro planned and
couio.CTimn.j7 , Xr(rafi, worked for a union of
capable of maintaining,
Ujjalnst all enemies from wtthl
Tin- taag Anilines, of whom hla
armiea ur al.noat exclusively com
pnned. ndore tlit-lr repulsive robber chief.
At all events, he does not rob them,
they aver, and thin assertion Is un
doubtedly true. ("astro Is exceeding
ly geiieroiiM with his brigand followers,
and, while of course retaining: the lion's
slmii' of - the loot of his country for
himself, he sees to It that 1.1s soldlf rs
; "o more comfortable and have mora
nmney ttyiii Venezuelan soldiers ever
had before.
He has not wearied of the cares of
office, possibly because he tikes hla
responsibilities so lightly, and the
charms of Paris do not appeal to htm.
The money that he has begged, bor
rowed, and stolen Is not hoarded up In
Paris against the day of downfall and
exile, sa was the almost Invariable
habit of his predecessors, but Is ready
in nis strong ooxoa lor use in tne day
Bt Miraf oes worKeu ior n union or tne nori
leas dictate. -In his , Puingnanner republics of South America under
?ndJir.T,P1fine.iA,fhlen treated bv Caa- dictatorship, but failed. Hla unsucc
tro's henchmen In the foreign orrice.
Aftlr all your excellency should
be.; your officials to remember that
.... rorannnl UnWOrthlneSS, I
th repr.aeWtiv.of the low coun
trlf t ..Id Castro curtly, aa he
n his heel, "would have you
assiduously
the northern
hla
cess-
ful Invasion of Colombia was the most
open manifestation of this plan, from
which he has never awerved. His diplo
matic plots to bring about thla result
have also failed signally, leaving the
dictator an embittered man and ready
for anv enterprise however .darlna- and
hazardous If It but contain the slight-.
turned upon jus , chief t promise of the grandloaa result
remember that I am tne supreme mmi ,h.c K. . 1
of the high countries.
The Value of Ignorance,
Recently he has characterised hla re
gime as the Qoblerno Restaurador, or
tne Teatorative government. , In ex-
... i . !,. le- planatlon of this term he haa announced
He cena.niy in, .u in many public jdocumenta and apeechea
merits among his fellow-countrymen that wnne Bolivar conquered and drove
Sv. on several occasions signally away the Spaniards, the cosmopolitan
. .. . . w,, Th. truth of the companies and the fprelgn buslneis
failed to unseat Kim. The truth oi in- men haye floclte(J to v&etueU and tak-
' matter la, the very fact that Castro is en control of the country, imposing a.
" without education, conscience, or ecru- oke ( as hard to bear as that of the
pies brings him In closest sympathy p0$y re much better armed Btronr.
with a great number of hla fellow er jn raen an(j money than were the
- emintrvmen of mixed blood and utterly enemies of Bolivar." is one of the dlo-
oountrymen or miu tator a most recent utterances, "but I
lawless antecedents. Bhail drlve tnem out and not re8t con.
i T rnanv VMin RDV CSStTO DaS "HU .,, ... ,. ,, . .
",Vi.7. ..hi Mnn.es ieni unm me economic me as wen
no relations with the respectable classes tht) utlcal ajministration of the
country Is In native hands. My dream
tnnnir Mis reiiow-counvry incii, c.k-
those which the Jailer haa with his
prisoners and the burglar with thoae
whom he robs. One after another the
Kuropean and the South American pow
er have at the instance of self-respect
been compelled to sever all relations
with the T'bad man" of Caracas. The
representatives of Colombia, Chile, the
! United States, and France recently
withdrew, and now ev,en the stolid,
long-suffering Dutch minister haa gone,
until today the diplomatic officers re
maining in Caracas can easily be trans
ported in a four-seated barouche.
The domestic enemies of the Andean
dictator, such as they were, have gone
the1' -way of the foreign envoys. Senor
Matos. who found from a very bitter
svriArlenoa that a revolution In vene-
ls to regenerate the republics of the
north of South America by uniting
them against the barbarians of Europe
and the other America."
This is rather ungrateful of the man
whom five years ago, unwisely it has
always seemed to me, we saved from
the consequences of his high-handed
acts and saw to It that he had his div
In the hz court of The Hague, with
Mr. Bowen, the able American minis
ter, as his advocate. But is charac
teristic of the man who went down
upon his bended knees to secure Mr.
Bowen's services, and then when the
matter had been an-enged inspired ft
scurrilous campaign In the Caracas
press against the man and the country
he had publicly acclaimed, and with
the
eipenrnuB n '.v. f.""", , He nad puonciy acciaimea, ana
nmli i not the kid-gloved affair it ,,.Vi .,., ,...
had been in the days of his youth. one as hls benefactor and the other hl
seems to be living happily and fairly OUiWark:.
contented In Paris. He may yearn for
some things, but another struggle with . . Twr.;rt nf .,...-.
Castro for the spoils of the dictatorship lypical Of Country.
would not seem to De among inein.
General Hernandes, once the beloved
'PI KlnnMn" or "The Maimed One.
have recOTtty- tost nt
would aegni Tfi
former prestige and popularity.
Treatment of a Rival.
When the European powers instituted
their blockade of the Venezuelan ports
the unfortunate Hernandez as the re
sult of a revolution against Castro so
abortive that the general could claim
with much show of evidence that it
never was begun, was languishing in
the curiously misnamed fortress-prison
of the Liberator in Puerto Cabello.
Fran his practically submarine cell,
bent with rheumatism and prematurely
aged by the sufferings of his confine
ment, Hernandez appealed to Castro to
- be given a chance to die fighting the
common foe, the foreigners,
i Castro saw the point that was to bo
falned and gave Heranadez partial
reedom. but when the fear of the for
eign fleets was passed he put an end
to all danger on the score of Hernan
dez' former popularity by compelling
, h:m to accept the post
consul in fhiiadeipnia.
There is another and more vigorous
claimant to the supreme chieftainship,
and that is General Rolando, who was
iiatm'H fighting lieutenant, and who
acquitted himself with credit, while un
successful. Rolando was in New York
a very few days ago, and this time was
apparently plotting a revolution on hU
own personal account. I am inclined to
think, however, that while the better
elements of the country would welcome
P.olando if successful, they wil not stir
:" a finger in his behalf, and that as long
as Castro retains his health and vigor,
both of which should long ago, accord-
ing to the rules of ordinary men, have
been shattered by the life of ease and
debauchery which he leads, ho will
It Is undoubtedly a mistake to char
acterize Castro as a South American
type. He Is fortunately an exceptional
man in any continent and under every
dispensation of civilization or want of it.
Ten years ago, when the present dic
tator of Venezuela, who bo often be
fore, as today, has succeeded in en
dangering the peace of the world, was
40 years of age. there were at least
five score self-styled generals in the
republic more prominent than he. ig
noring the etiquette of the revolution
ary game, by assassinations, exiles and
imprisonments, he has thinned out the
ranks of his competitors, and for the
moment at least rues supreme over a
subjudlcated people.
In 1898 Castro was not only unknown
to fame, but his first appearance in
public life as senator to the federal
congress from the Andlne state of El
Gachira had been a distinct failure.
His uncouth manners were remarked
upon in a by no means conventional
or august assembly. He made no mark
upon the legislation of the session,
and . all that is remembered of his
of Venezuelan parliamentary activity is tne lact tnat
ins unirammeiea ieei reiusea 10 oe en-
casedn leather for more than 10 min
utes a time, and that he was as
"sockless" as Jerry Simpson in his early
days.
Castro returned to the Andes with a
great hatred of Caracas, which he de
nounced as a Europeanized capital, and
of its society, by which he had been
overlooked and snubbed. He detested
the men of the Guzman Blanco and Ma
tos school, by whom he had been ignored.
I here touch upon the real strength
of Castro's 'position outside of his brig
andish independence, of the restraints
of law and the properties, and his un
doubted courage. He eats like a pig
' UiWW?w& fit (Mil
ill-.--. 1 ,JMt ; &
remembered my opportune contribution .the astonished capital with th., In vl.w
of ammunition and cash, but he said of hla acta, almost sacrilegious word
that 'Peplto,' hla caAintryman from th. "God - and th. Federation'' amblaaoned
Andes, had set hia heart on th. place, upon hla yellow banners, he haa ruled
and to avoid friction and troubl. I had '' country according to.-th. dictate,
better et him have it at hi. price. or his personal caprice and for th.
"I did It. I gave Peplto th. title deeds greatest profit to himself and hl An
and he gave me hla pogorlto or promise dean eomradea.
to pay th. absurd purohaaa price at Several of th. half-hearted defender,
soma future day. Bine, then I have J the Castro regime, and a few such
never heard from Peplto, and ioim of hv are, say that after all th. friction
my frionda tell me I am fortunate. which has resulted In th. almost oom
tYou North Aroerloans 'think that I P''e ostracism of Castro by th. civil
and those of my class who submlfto Led world has arisen over th. claim,
uch treatment ar. cowards. Some, of or foreign conce Ipji hunters, whoa,
your countrym.n hav. told ni. as much, morality and observance of th. law
but you do us an Injustice, I think. A " . mon .dmlrable than thos. of
man who ent.rs into a struggle where th. Andean dictator. After all. it Ja as
he knows he will not have fair play, frif these, wen Invested their mon.y
where be will b. stabbed trom behind J" tn' .c,ountry with full knowledge of
by som. bandit hired for th. lob at the conditions obtaining there, snd aev-
about 25 cents a murder, isnot, in our fi. r, n advance committed
auuui 1U Will IIIUIUVI, IP' IIU4, 111 vut , . , V --- ' ..I'lil III i I icu
opinion, a brave man, but a thoughtless, ne.nJ!e,vf. t0 th poaltlon of promts
careless fool. I oav tribute to Castro ,n. 19 Beelc no redress for their vrnn
nd to his sub-cnl.fi.
pay trlbut. to Caatro l"."5elt r.dr.sg for their wrongs,
ii.fi. I submit to It r?al ?' reeled, except at th. hands ol
all as pleasantly as 1 can; mey ear i u"u" Oieae advo-
am a good fellow and not proud. Ilk. f CMtro, or at least of non-inter-
some of my peers, and as a result I I-n i-!uU ff c wh,h
have fed my children and kept som. of ?L?Yff bMh? old sxtpm of int.r-
my stat.s Intact r ?e.to? hiV-whh' !eud" .tV.te in-
"Two members of my family have i,'"0'. or take .the conae-
gone into politics In the last JO y..rs. UB??1. nf r ,- ,
ana ooin ox tnera were muraerea. in v i. i miiniii wen,
my Judgment they simply wasted th.ir when h a tJ.t.ocord wlth. the fct-
llv.B. Castro cannot livs forer.r; per- vflf0".. eonco.slons which
haps soma day a man vhfc. wlf. or sis- SSted Z- 2fon',cted or "r '-
ter or daughter ha. suffered th. last fc.rt2 -nS din6re 7'2r coprt. in
Indignity at hi. hands, a. hav. so many XSaSm trT'h". ?!!!!dB
WUSi T:?"ld !! be.better, becaus. l&f Xrrl,h;. ,V
won, UIWUIO lUCJf tUU.U Ottl DOBBIDir hoan In K.. " -
Vi Bun. " " -"s "i me counirv rnr a
give this picture' of affair. in.V.ne- KlZZT! JJ,hA ', 9
sueia as viewed from the inside, be- tnn' k ,7r."5t ""X" i
cause it has seemed to me the truest ifl i investigate the er.ndiitc!v.JaU
thut na- li.j t i... ,t ir. " m. conditions there.
be worse.1
I
cuela aa viewed from tbe inside, be
turn waa cvwr pniuiau, auu l K1VB u Thv - - . .
the more readily becaus. th. thought oallfn M...r" f l0. P P"
that what would happen to mv Inform
ant, whose identity would be easily rec-
and women wr. fnnitj U" ,...V5
ant. wnose identity would be easily rec- there under condition. ,hiVTu . V.
ognlsed. does not deter me. The last lrT.? cn..iUon' whicn Chines.
malls from Veneiuela brought the news It was found that ion
of his escape by death from a position coLoJ crlm Inals who had bi"rt, J
which, in view of all the conditions, I committed to th.JalTby Sentence of U .
will not qual.y. courts, had been allowed "to i walk out
, t t j wn,.U ve'00 wen wore found In prison
Ways Of a Brigand against whom no charge had ever been
LVr"; "nemoers or the court wer.
Castr
and
asset of great value, and he exploited denly they found themselves removed
it. These mountain men of Los Andes """ ""': iewoinces oy a presidential
and Trujillo had been robbed for gen- ni,. Wh,Ch WM of oourM wholly
eratioos by officials who were sent to The bar association of Caracas met,
them from the capital with orders to a"d after verifying the facts as BtateH
enrich themselves and their patrons as ot t'o Vocept "th? ToonwhinlfT
quickly as possible. Castro (n th. sea- Seen vaca?eTlnthsue0 antl.'eh'Chnlad
U.. J. J I a. v. . .. " .
nnr iaf iim(1 ti Kt naHwe. hlsrltlaHrlei
o found hit hatred of th capital nd under tha conditions prevailing thf
those who dwell therein a political Vffn.'S S?!?'.." mtkJL.rr
.on niAOA hi. living hv Bamnllnr nnrrp
r " - r, -t "iiiiuuo u.a mem nonor. out In the
beans for a German firm in Maracalbo, sequel proved quite unnecessary Cs.t
and from this connection springs, It Is filled the vacancies with his cronies
said, his intense hatred of the Ger- men for the most nart withnnt th.
mans. He also hadit this time a small
cattle ranch at Ban Cristoval. Castro
was decidedly averse to ptvylng taxes on
these cattle, possibly because, as a wit
among his neighbors remarked, anyone
couia see rrom tne Drana marks they
slightest legaT training or standing In
the community. One was n h.i-h,- an
other a mule driver. When summoned
to preside over the Oiighost courts In
the land they purchased law books for
the first time. During the blockade of
bore that the cattle didn't really belong the Venezuelan ports in the winter of
n., ii,.,.. lion mo w-i.v, i-nmc iiii.v hv, audits uiiemiiness was manifested
his neighborhood Castro drove his cattle In . Washington as to the fairness and
line into Colombia, and so
as In the way of the tax-
CIPRIANO CASTRO MISRULER OP VENEZUELA "CATTLE BANDIT OF THE ANDES."
than a horse. His hair is always un
kempt, and hia clothing far from clean
ly or neat. He was born a man of the
people, and such a one he has remained.
He has not risen In the social scale with
his political advancement. He has with
out success tried to learn to play, bil
liards, but otherwise he has left the
Parisian veneer, so dear to many of his
predecessors, severely alone.
When the cattle herders from the Co
lombian frontier or the Orinoco plains
call upon him and find their dictator
wallowing In the, mud and filth to which
so many of them are accustomed at
home, they like it, and take a very len
ient view of Castro's crimes and blun
ders, which, as they take but short
views of the situation, they do not see
can ever affect their personal fortunes,
and this of course Is tljeir principal
concern. .
To the cattlemen and the peons of
Venezuela the South American states
men of the school of Blanco and Matos
are as much strangers as we gringos
from the north, and, indeed, perhaps
more so. These men have acquired
their education in France or in Eng
land, they wear foreign clothes, avoid
the black beans of the country as
though they contained arsenical poison,
and are called "moosins" by their hum
ble fellow-countrymen, like any other
foreigners.
Poor But Cultivated Citizens.
In Caracas, Valencia, and in Puerto
Cabello I have frequently met with men
who had achieved university honors at
Oxford, In Paris, or at Heidelberg and
and makes more noise when drinking Bonn. They were still well-read, charm
ing conversationalists and companions,
but without any exceptions, at least
that have come to my notice, they were
most ineffective citizens. My relations
with one of these cosmopolitan citizens
of Caracas were such that on one oc
casion I ventured to point out that,
aftpr all, ae they made not the slightest
effort to 'bear the burdens of citizen
ship, he and those who remained inac
tive with him probably deserved no
better fate than was theirs, that of be
ing ruled with great cruelty and se
verity by successive crews of barba
rians. "I think conditions are quite different
down here, and your criticism Is un
just," was his reply. "In the United
States the voter who sometimes can
neither read nor write cancels by his
ballot the vote of the college president
or some other leader of great parts, and
I could acquiesce in that. But down
here the periodic revolutions take the
place of your presidential elections, and
according to your ideas of civic virtue
I should allow myself to- be pitted
against the bare-footed bandit of the
plains and see that my bullet goes home.
"I say the struggle is an unfair one
and decline the challenge. The bandit
is a better man than I am in the Jungle
and in the mountains, and I admit it.
Consequently I have adopted a ' policy
which is simply one of self-preservation.
In so far as that is possible, I stand
in with all parties. Whenever a revo
lution is started I send presents as
rich as I can afford to the new chief,
who may prove a winner; at tha same
time I strengthen mvself with the ac
tual chief by as stout a contribution as
my strong box affords. So the new men
come and go, they rob me and deprive
me of my best farms, but I survive, and
a change may come, but not initiated
by us. We want the Intervention of
some civilized power. One of my cous
ins praj'S every day for intervention,
even the Intervention of the devil, as
he puts it; but, after all. the Monroe
doctrine stands in the way of any civ
ilized people taking pity on our plight,
and we are surely drifting back to a
level of Hayti and the Congo.
"Forty years ago my grandfather
owned lands which covered an extent of
territory greater than several of your
smaller states. On these lands 10,000
people lived, and our coffee was fourht
for on the Amsterdam and the London
exchanges. Today, with the exception
of a few near-by farms, this vast es
tate Is a wilderness in which wild ani
mals and still wilder men have their
lairs.
"I would no more think of showing
myself on those lands where my grand
father ruled than I would think of tak
ing prusslc acid. The only safety for a
landed proprietor is when his
are grown up with weeds and
brush then the new flight of pdve
ers which follow every successive su
preme chief will not ast covetous eyes
upon them.
"When Castro came In I had a sug
gestive misadventure of this kind. One
of his Andino lieutenants liked the looks
of a little hacienda which I kept in fair
shape near the city. I had contributed
money and ammunition to the Castro
campaign fund, and when this fellow
came and offered me about one third
what the place was worth I declined
curtly.
"Then Castro intervened. He was
more amiable than he has often shown
himself to be on similar occasions. He
over the
prospered
dodger.
But one year, a date frequent with
much disaster to Venezuela the tax
collector of the frontier district In
Venezuela and his colleague In Colom
bia got together and planned a simul
taneous drive against the tax dodders.
Castro was caught between two fires,
several of his men and neighbors who
also found the payment of taxes irk
some were killed, and their herds were
confiscated.
Having now left to him no other
means of support, Castro raised the
standard of revolt. He proclaimed a
short-swjord war against the outlanders
from Caracas, and within three weeks,
supported by the cattlemen, he entered
the capital of the Andean state and was
proclaimed president of the mountain
province. Andrade, a well-intentioned
but weak man, was president of Ven
ezuela at the time and mint unpopular.
All the politicians of the capital wanted
to get rid of him, because in the few
months he had- held office he had shown
himself to be surprisingly honest and
self-respecting.
Savior of the Country.
The political Junta about this time
heard of Castro and they tipped him the
wink to come on and save the country.
Castro came, starting with eighty men,
and though he opened all the Jails he
came across In bis hard ride to the cap
ital, he probably bad only BOO or 600
men with him when he won the fight
at Valencia, and Andrade, disgusted by
the treachery with which he was sur
rounded, left the country. He fled to
the legality of this court, against which
the powers had protested repeatedly be
fore they were compelled to take forci
ble measures for reckless. Castro saw
that he must act quickly to bolster up
the prestige of his court, and he did so
In a clever, characteristic way.
Running the Courts.
An American claim for breach of con
tract against the Venezuelan govern
ment had been before the courts for 10
years. The claimant was long sine,
dead, and the claim was regarded as
without value. But Castro fished It out
of the dockets and cabled Washington
that the full damages, with interest,
had been awarded three days before.
The supreme court, obedient to the dic
tator's will, had rendered this decision.
These Incidents, which might easily be
duplicated a thousandfold, will suffice,
I think, to Justify the extreme want of
confidence which nil foreign litigants
show inrthe integrity of the Venezuelan
courts as at present constituted.
The other charge which the partisans
of Castro bring has much more founda
tion in fact. The accusation is that
during the Matos rebellion all the for
eigners aided the Matos forces with
men, money, arms and information.
These charges have never been proved
by evidence that would stand scrutiny,
but here at least there Is some basis
In fact. In three years Castro had ham
pered and. Indeed, in mapy Instances,
as in the asphalt concession, absolutely
ruined every enterprise in the land con
ducted by foreigners.
Then Matos. an honest man of good
antecedents, and with the best blood In
Ut country flowing through his veins,
made his bid for the presidency in the
Hayti on the leaky gunboat which then
as It is now, was about all there was revolutionary way. the only way. owing
afloat of the Venezuelan navy. When to the utter defiance of the electoral
estates gunboat back to Caotro with the advice was open to him. Matos failed because
jungle t0 have It immediately and thoroughly he was not a man of war, and during
ventur- overhauled, aa he would heed it and the last four years Castro has devote!
neea it oaaiy at an eariy aay to make nimself to the Indian punishment of
his own exit from the difficult position those whom he suspects, undoubtedly
he had attained with such astonishing with some reason, of having aided or
ease. abetted his unsuccessful rival.
But Andrade was mistaicen, as were
all the political prophets who had been
of the opinion that once he had done
the bloody butcher's Job for them the
political Junta of the capital would
make snort work or tne little Anaean
cattle thief.
they made.
as a result tne commerce of the
ofiuntrv has dwindled to notHing: the
bountiful crops are not harvested be
cause there is no money in th. land;
people are starving In what was ao-
It was a grave mistake black death travels from deSm-teii nnrt
Three at least of the to grass-grown Caracas, inflicting th.
Junta paid for their miscalculations last touch to a gloomy picture the Ilk.
with their lives, and the others have of which has not been since the die
had years In exile to repent of it. tator Francia converted smiling Para
From the day when Castro entered guay into a deserted wilderness.
HE MURDERED OPPORTUNITY-By John An- By the Amkteur GanWr MME. FARM AN WOULD FLYTells of Her Ex
periences and Ambitions as an Aeronauts Wife
, derson Jayne
The next 20 years of this young
man's life is a record of rambling and
gambling, such as few would believe,
weie it not proved to them. He became
a veritable globe trotter. One week he
would be heard of in Cincinnati, Ohio,
then tn an almost Incredibly short time
he would be heard of in Portland. Or.
Sowehow, and In some way, duri.rg his
rambles, possibly having a natural ap
titude for mechanics,' he had learned
to do work on what was known as a
belt knife machine in a tannery, a Job
that in those days paid remarkably
good money. He went to South Amerl-
"' L CSZt wm hv recent and 'a. mace great jumps to Australia a .u
in. noii. h.p lifo Africa, and round hlmseir atlrirt in tne
example the ways of the higher life, j ,,, ooean and wa. rescued wnen at
The mother, one oi n. trum the point of death by a passing bark
prB.iDfoi.it u.i. . . "'"- carrying the flag or 1
was as loyal to her sons interests as ' ,
FIFTY YEARS AGO, In an old town
In Massachusetts, there was born
to a well-to-do couple their first
and, as after events proved, their
only son. From the very begin
ning of his career the young lad was
surrounded with every privilege that
Intelligence, industry and love could
devise His father, a faithful member
of one of the strong Puritanical
rh-.ireb.es. sought to train hia boy in
the waya of righteousness and charac
ter While demanding of his boy' obedi
ence to paternal commands, he was not
hard harsh and strict aa men even to
ilav count harshness. He reasoned with
was the father. 8he did not do. as do
too many mothers, seek to ehleld her
sons dertttctions rrom me .noicun
of the father, but a second Eunice
Brazil.
During these 20 years he had mar
ried a girl In Cincinnati, from a good
family, but Buch was his treatment of
her that she lived with him but a few
he traced him well in the principles months and arterwara secured a oi-
of life then so well understood by tbe vorce. He returned to his native town
wethers of her day and generation. one night under cover of darkness.
In when the war broke out, th. ragged and destitute, and succeeded In
father enlisted aa s private in the wrestling from his mother -money with
Volon army, and. such was hia courage which he fixed himself up, and then
and heroism, at the close he came horn, presented himself at the doors of toe
(mm th. mar lth t ha tltla or CM.D- IteSl nOIJieB, tlUlllI lllIIIBVll. B IHUIUCII
veins flowed the spirit of the "wander
lust." whose life had been spent in
action, getting, however, nowhlther.
Just before he left the city he said
to the preacher: "I have murdered my
opportunity. I have made shipwreck of
life. I have had and lost, and now have
nothing. I am but flotsam and Jetsam
on the ocean of life. You may tell my
story if you will, but If you tell it,
tell it for the purpose of warning other
young men. Tell young men that ildeii
tiousness does not pay; that .wickedness
brings despair, disease and disgrace.
Tell them to listen to their father's
advice. If they have a decent father,
and forsake not the way of their
mother. Ten them the way of the .
transgressor Is hard, hard, hard."
This Is the simple, true story of a
man. who, by his own statement, and
to the knowledge of his friends, mur
dered opportunity. It's a story that can'
be duplicated thousands upon thou
sands of times. But In the hope that
some young man will catch the warn
ing and heed the message the story of
this particular young man who mur
dered opportunity Is told today.
In Vienna It Is necessary for a man
to get bl wife's consent before he may
ascend In a balloon.
I notice In my gardening
The soil is somehow hardening.
I rake it,
But, plague take It!
It jUjSt crumbles Into dust.
Plain mud I make by soaking It,
It's got beyond all Joking, it
Just fills me
And chills me
With a feeling of disgust
My lettuce Isn't flourishing,
My cabbages want nourishing.
Manuring
Isn't curing;
It is only breeding files.
My corn Is dry and yellowing.
My beets are far from mellowjhg;
Potatoes
And tomatoes
Neve? will get any size.
It may be sheer stupidity.
Humidity, aridity.
The weather-
Altogether
I can't see reason clear,
The causes I'm divided on.
But one thing I've decided on:
1 11 stop It,
Simply drop It,
And I'll buy my stuff next year.
Chicago News.
WHILE Henry Farman is busy
with his airship at the Brigh
ton Beach race track his wife
Is steadily reminding him that
he has promised her at th.
outset of his aeronautic career that he
would take her along with him on -on.
of his flight, through .th. air.
Madame Farman Is small and foreign-looking,
with bright auburn hair
and brown eyes. She speaks with ani
mation and active gestures. Her admi
ration for her husband's pluck and
ability Is unbounded.
"It is now a year ago," she said, "that
my husband turned hie attention from
automobiles to airship. Ever since then
he has been experimenting continually.
"He leaves our house at Paris about
10 o'clock every morning, gets to work
with his airship, and does not leave It
until 10 o'clock at night, sometimes,
even later. Since he began UlB experi
ments tn aerial navigation he has mad.
6,000 flights."
"What"' exclaimed the reporter, fear
ing that he had misunderstood. But
itaa. Knowing that long absence from
home had giver, his s-n more liberty
than h otherwise micht have bad. the
father bn winning the boy's confl
' denoe anew. and. at the aa of 12.
father and son were th- best of friends
wanderer, who had made a "strike
out tn the Black Hills. Under prom
ise of reformation, he married again,
this time one of tbe best girls of his
former Bet. Upon her at the time of
the marriage was settled a large sum
THE OLD ORDER PASSETH-By Cara Reese
ft Intimate chums This happy rela- of money, which he Immediately confis-
iwwumip continued until the lad was
IS. whs, suddenly, almost without a
rnomrat's warning, he took the bit In
M. tth and. like a voung colt ran
way with himself. lie broke Ionta
freni the restraint of his bnmt, refused
study la u aoadetay which he was
ttiio. - sunt, associating with the
' w n in. vuttous of hla bsUt
cated. and when It was well-nigh spent
disappeared, while sb. died of a broken
heart.
When th. Ppanlsh-Amerlcan war
broke out. though he was above age,
he wa. known to be on Iewey"s flag
ship at Manila bar. In some way ha
secured a discharge from the Olyropla
nil itht.lnMl m a I ii. 1 1 (in In Inffw1
tow, fcrooclit sorrow te his another's States government office, where. In
rt. ir--4 to his father, and heraa some myeterloua manner, considerable
- - m ' r.- w igimil a rmr. m mn that - - a,1 thmiirh ha haiula
to his fingers. Con-
unsettled in the Phillp-
f ir-w'
.tirtO) is
that cf
JXTst Vt - rrXuTTl- ,vh h4 s few days sgo h. was la Pltts-
' l,r? while she. rr t the debonair manner lingering la his
. .i-f. bro..- heerl for hln. s.d 'ste earrtag,. , Hut Uk " ho Chirac!
' rr i ",. era.s tr tn th ta-e weald know hir. tohtt
...;. tUit t fead fied th. tews. soldier of fertBss. sTma T U. whoso
- " - v ..
the sfW yrs were to be le-j. remained Blued
1.1 .srvMs of ertmo. and dts-ase. -dittoes hln u
At. tn. age ! II h married, tinnn ninm. sad thr , .hint. ,..J
'. V? W" thst he was a thief and forger, he was
MITBE the other folks hay. not
changed so Tnuch as you are
different your-elf.
It Is not always a one-elded
experience this thing of old
time friends looking and seeming unlike
themselves when you meet them after
a lapse of years.
There is a continuous changing about
of particles in both organic and inor
ganic substsnces, and you, as a repre
sentative of tbe former, are not exempt.
But It la not in the phye-ical being that
tbe changes are marked so much as
In the status f the intellectual growth.
That la. ths old-time friends seem
far ahead, fir vice v-ra; they seem su
perior In some ren-scts. or rte. versa;
thev hav. gained In soma Indescribable
manner, or lost, or the mea.re la above
or below that which you had expected.
Oh. yes: years hav. passed and pro
cesses have been slow, 'perhaps, and ag.
baa snad. Inroads.
la other words, th. cottage In wMch
Tt passed your, childhood, and whoso
eoaadaries seemetl UanlUsss and living
faowK BpaetoUi. and the memory of
which you hav. cherished during all
your years of wanderings In foreign
lands, and to which you return at last
to look upon with awe and reverence
has ill ruck to pigmy slxe and you are
bewildered, disappointed.
Where you had fondly hoped to meet
appreciative and congenial comradeship
after the lapse of time, you find the
sroiiing infant still, howbelt in adult
guise: or vie versa, you meet the pity
ing glance, "of the Intellectual giant
who was once your Inferior In bookish
ways, your puny pinafore pla; -'ste. To
meet old friends Is not always the un
alloyed pleasure of which the sentimen
talist sings.
And family reunion, and gatherings
of th. clans are not always joyous.
IJres thst have ben lived apart are al
ways different; the points of contact
ar lost, tbe Insidious process ef change
hars wrought transforms Hon. never
SvgalB will the' old days return: never
again ths old confidences r th. old
Interchange of thought and feelings.
Saddening, is It aot? Astd yet. per.
haps the other folks are not changed
nearly bo much aa you are different
yourself. The pouting, petulant ways
of childhood are now confirmed habits
and you are a whining, disagreeable
person. Tour willful tendencies sre now
downright antagonistic and you are an
Irritant, Instead of an attractive,
sprightly child, petted and shielded.
You have followed your own bent; no
hallmark of the schools, no disciplined
mind, no encouraged traits such as lor.
for books, for music and art. and for
the finer things of life.
Tou are a chsd, perhaps, while th.
old-time friends hav. blossomed, put
forth frultag.; hare followed ever
higher leading and hav toiled both
eariy and lata in the master's vineyard.
Well, a pansy s waits you both, over
time work or scanty measurs; a penny
await. yoQ, as well as 'the other, pro
viding that yoisvlah. hold now In oarn
t and draw yourself up to proper or
der; develop yowr- faonltieo and strrr
to pat something Into this rood world,
and not always fes sueeiJng out th.
Jules. Be wisel ' - - - - -
Madame Farman smiled reassuringly
and reiterated her statement.
"Yes, 5,000 flights," she said. "He
Is flying all the time. Besides being
exceedingly plucky, he is very careful
and. calculating.
Cellular Aeroplane.
TTfa sirahin ) of the cellular aero
plane type, built along the Unea of the
machines of Langley, Chanut and Llllen
thal with sp-me distinctive devices of
my husband's own invention.
"I have seen my husband fly twice
only, th. second time being when he
won the Deutsch prise of $10,000 last
January."
"Did you feel nervous on those occa
sions V Madame Farman was asked.
"At first I did not. But when I Jooked
at the faces of the people in the crowd
nnd heard their comments about --the
danger to which my huBband was ex
posing hlmBelf in his flight. I became
quite uncomfortable.
"Has your husband had any serious
accidents T" .... .
"One. That was last March. You
know he usually flies his airship very
close . to th. ground, which, though
Mfer-if th. motor gives out high up,
you aro don. for 4. much more dlffi-
J . . . . ... . . . wa,Bt ltlllM
cull ".nan iims " a-- ,
Near the ground, you see, there are cue
rents of air coming up from the earth,
and others coming down meeting them,
nd others coming crosswise.
"Well, my husband wbb Tying at
great velocity quite near the earth,
when an unexpected current of air sud
denly turned his machine completely
over, throwing him violently to th.
r"Hedwsa at once taken to hla mother's
house, which was fortunately near.
There he lay unconscious two hours.
"I am glad that I wasn't thera I re
ceived a wire immediately, but when I
get to his mothers house he was all
right, though his face oh. It was dread
ful "Previous to hit present trip to Amer
ica he hss always experimented for hira--lf.
never as public performer. At
first. In spit., of th. yery tempting
offer to cpBB. here hels te ret about
tie 000, I understand a. hesitated,
owing to th. tct thst his three months'
stay in this country would set him back
la his .Bperi-nents for Improving his
mschlnew At Paris, ha I said. h. Is con
tinually tnsklng improvement a and he
has been experimenting recently with
sjew saetor far stronger and better thafl
the on. he now has. In fact, the
trouble with his machine at present is
the motor It Is not really adapted for
carrying more than one person et
time in the machine.
Build Many Airships,
"Eventually my husband hopes t
build a number of airships and sell
them, for you will understand that ths
expenses of his constant experimenting
are enormous. The Deutsch prize of
$10,000, won by him in January, and
another of $2,000 have only served te
cover his recent expenses.
"One source of heavy expense is th.
high pay he has to glv. his mechanic,
Herbster. An airship mechanic, you
must know, Is an engineer willing to da
the dirty urork, which most engineer
will not do. Herbster we always call
him Maurice has been with my hus
band from the start and thoroughly
understands the machine. He cam.
from the Automobile Palac. at Parts,
the big sjsraga run by my husband and
his brother.
"Another point about his flights her.
in America, which will b dlfterent
from the conditions under which he has
been accustomed to work at Paris, will
be that he will probably undertake to
fly sometimes when wind snd weather
are not quite satisfactory, since he will
not want to disappoint those who gather
to see htm do It. But I am glad to say
that those who brought him over her.
re intelligent men, who understand -perfectly
well that an aeroplane cannot
fly to order; that certain conditions
re necessary to make a flight a suc
cess. And the crowds thst go to
Brighton expecting to see my husband
fly must use their own Judgment be
fore starting as to whether or not thes.
conditions may be fulfilled and not ex
pect to see him fly Just because they
have come out wjth that end In view.
"And there will be another difference
here In the United States the Sunday.
If weather conditions permit, my hUB
band w 111 fly st Brighton Beach on Sun
6ay aa well as on week days.
'"Now, In Paris h. never takes hlalr
ship vp on Sundays That day be keeps
for me. At th. outset of his airship ex
periments ho promised me that ho
would do so and he has never even once
broken th. rule. '
"But here, of course, with th. crowds
coming to s htm fi. he will be obliged
to go on Sundays, too."
A"1 Farmaa elghod" r.grt-
)
i.