is nearest the hour of their birth, and the saint is expected to look
after them. When a man comes here who doesn’t happen to be christened
after a saint, the ignorant people express their surprise, and ask, “Who
takes care of him? Who preserves him from evil?”
General Barrios was always dramatic. He was dramatic in the simplicity
and frugality of his private life, as he was in the displays he was
constantly making for the diversion of the people. In striking contrast
with the customs of the country where the garments and the manners of
men are the objects of the most fastidious attention, he was careless in
his clothing, brusque in his manner, and frank in his declarations.
[Illustration: MARKET-PLACE, GUATEMALA.]
It is said that the Spanish language was framed to conceal thoughts, but
Barrios used none of its honeyed phrases, and had the candor of an
American frontiersman. He was incapable of duplicity, but naturally
secretive. He had no confidants, made his own plans without consulting
any one, and when he was ready to announce them he used language that
could not be misunderstood. In disposition he was sympathetic and
affectionate, and when he liked a man he showered favors upon him; when
he distrusted, he was cold and repelling; and when he hated, his
vengeance was swift and sure. To be detected in an intrigue against his
life, or the stability of the Government, which was the same thing, was
death or exile, and his natural powers of perception seemed almost
miraculous. The last time his assassination was attempted he pardoned
the men whose hands threw the bomb at him,
[Illustration: IN THE RAINY SEASON.]
but those who hired them saved their lives by flight from the country.
If caught, they would have been shot without trial. He was the most
industrious man in Central America; slept little, ate little, and never
indulged in the siesta that is as much a part of the daily life of the
people as breakfast and dinner. He did everything with a nervous
impetuosity, thought rapidly, and acted instantly. The ambition of his
life was to reunite the republics of Central America in a confederacy
such as existed a few years after independence. The benefits of such a
union are apparent to all who understand the political, geographical,
and commercial conditions of the continent, and are acknowledged by the
thinking men of the five States, but the consummation of the plan is
prevented by the selfish ambition of local leaders. Each is willing to
join the union if he can be Dictator, but none will permit a union with
any other man as chief.
[Illustration: MAGUEY PLANT.]
Diplomatic negotiations looking to a consolidation of the five Central
American republics extended over a period of several years, but were
fruitless because of local jealousies. The leading politicians in the
several States feared they would lose their prominence and power, and
distrusted Barrios, although he assured them that he was not ambitious
to be Dictator. He thought he was the right man to carry out the plan,
but as soon as it was consummated he proposed to retire and permit the
people to frame their Constitution and elect their Executive, promising
that he would not be a candidate. As he told me shortly after his
_coup-d’état_, he desired to retire from public life and reside in the
United States, which he considered the paradise of nations. He had
already purchased a residence in New York, and invested money there, and
was educating his children with that intention.
Sending emissaries into the several States to study public sentiment, he
became assured that the time was ripe for the consummation of his plans.
He believed that the masses of the people were ready to join in a
reunion of the republics, and had the assurance of Zaldivar, the
President of San Salvador, and Bogran, the President of Honduras, that
they would consent to his temporary dictatorship. He determined upon a
_coup-d’état_. Moral suasion had failed, so he decided to try force,
with the co-operation of San Salvador and Honduras, which with Guatemala
represented five-sixths of the population of Central America. He
believed he could persuade Nicaragua and Costa Rica to accept a manifest
destiny and voluntarily join the union.
Realizing how impressionable the people he governed were, and knowing
their love for excitement, he always introduced his reforms in some
novel way, with a blast of trumpets and a gorgeous background.
The union of Central America was announced in the same way, and came
upon the people like a shock of earthquake. On the evening of Sunday,
the 28th of February, 1885, the aristocracy of Guatemala were gathered
as usual at the National Theatre to witness the performance of
“Boccaccio” by a French opera company. In the midst of the play one of
the most exciting situations was interrupted by the appearance of a
uniformed officer upon the stage, who motioned the performers back from
the foot-lights, and read the proclamation issued by Rufino Barrios, the
President of Guatemala, who declared himself Dictator and Supreme
Commander of all Central America, and called upon the citizens of the
five republics to acknowledge his authority and take the oath of
allegiance. The people were accustomed to earthquakes, but no
terrestrial commotion ever created so much excitement as the eruption of
this political volcano. The actresses and ballet-dancers fled in
surprise to their dressing-rooms, while the audience at once organized
into an impromptu mass-meeting to ratify the audacity of their
President.
Few eyes were closed that night in Guatemala. Those who attempted to
sleep were kept awake by the explosion of fireworks, the firing of
cannon, the music of bands, and shouts of the populace, who, crazy with
excitement, thronged the streets, and forming processions marched up and
down the principal thoroughfares, rending the air with shouts of “Long
live Dictator Barrios!” “Vive la Union!” A people naturally
enthusiastic, and as inflammable as powder, to whom excitement was
recreation and repose distress, suddenly and unexpectedly confronted
with the greatest sensation of their lives, became almost insane, and
turned the town into a bedlam. Although every one knew that Barrios
aspired to restore the old Union of the Republic, no one seemed to be
prepared for the _coup-d’état_, and the announcement fell with a force
that made the whole country tremble. Next morning, as if by magic, the
town seemed filled with soldiers. Where they came from or how they got
there so suddenly the people did not seem to comprehend. And when the
doors of great warehouses opened to disclose large supplies of
ammunition and arms, the public eye was distended with amazement. All
these preparations were made so silently and secretly that the surprise
was complete. But for three or four years Barrios had been preparing for
this day, and his plans were laid with a success that challenged even
his own admiration. He ordered all the soldiers in the republic to be at
Guatemala City on the 1st of March; the commands were given secretly,
and the captain of one company was not aware that another was expected.
It was not done by the wand of a magician, as the superstitious people
are given to believing, but was the result of a long and carefully
studied plan by one who was born a dictator, and knew how to perform the
part.
But the commotion was even greater in the other republics over which
Barrios had assumed uninvited control. The same night that the official
announcement was made, telegrams were sent to the Presidents of
Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, calling upon them to
acknowledge the temporary supremacy of Dictator Barrios, and to sign
articles of confederation which should form the constitution of the
Central American Union. Messengers had been sent in advance bearing
printed official copies of the proclamation, in which the reasons for
the step were set forth, and they were told to withhold these documents
from the Presidents of the neighboring republics until notified by
telegram to present them.
The President of Honduras accepted the dictatorship with great
readiness, having been in close conference with Barrios on the subject
previous to the announcement. The President of San Salvador, Dr.
Zaldivar, who was also aware of the intentions of Barrios, and was
expected to fall into the plan as readily as President Bogran, created
some surprise by asking time to consider. As far as he was personally
concerned, he said, there was nothing that would please him more than to
comply with the wishes of the Dictator, but he must consult the people.
He promised to call the Congress together at once, and after due
consideration they would take such action as they thought proper.
Nicaragua boldly and emphatically refused to recognize the authority of
Barrios, and rejected the plan of the union. Costa Rica replied in the
same manner. Her President telegraphed Barrios that she wanted no union
with the other Central American States, was satisfied with her own
independence, and recognized no dictator. Her people would protect their
soil and defend their liberty, and would appeal to the civilized world
for protection against any unwarranted attack upon her freedom.
The policy of Nicaragua was governed by the influence of a firm of
British merchants in Leon with which President Cardenas has a pecuniary
interest, and by whom his official acts are controlled. The policy of
Costa Rica was governed by a conservative sentiment that has always
prevailed in that country, while the influence of Mexico was felt
throughout the entire group of nations. As soon as the proclamation of
Barrios was announced at the capital of the latter republic, President
Diaz ordered an army into the field, and telegraphed offers of
assistance to Nicaragua, San Salvador, and Costa Rica, with threats of
violence to Honduras if she yielded submission to Barrios. Mexico was
always jealous of Guatemala. The boundary-line between the two nations
is unsettled, and a rich tract of country is in dispute. Feeling a
natural distrust of the power below her, strengthened by consolidation
with the other States, Mexico was prepared to resist the plans of
Barrios to the last degree, and sent him a declaration of war.
[Illustration: A NATIVE SANDAL.]
In the mean time Barrios appealed for the approval of the United States
and the nations of Europe. During the brief administration of President
Garfield he visited Washington, and there received assurances of
encouragement from Mr. Blaine in his plan to reorganize the Central
American Confederacy. Their personal interviews were followed by an
extended correspondence, and no one was so fully informed of the plans
of Barrios as Mr. Henry C. Hall, the United States minister at
Guatemala.
Unfortunately the cable to Europe and the United States was under the
control of San Salvador, landing at La Libertad, the principal port of
that republic. Here was the greatest obstacle in the way of Barrios’s
success. All his messages to foreign governments were sent by telegraph
overland to La Libertad for transmission by cable from that place, but
none of them reached their destination. The commandant of the port,
under orders from Zaldivar, seized the office and suppressed the
messages. Barrios took pains to inform the foreign powers fully of his
plans, and the motives which prompted them, and to each he repeated the
assurance that he was not inspired by personal ambition, and would
accept only a temporary dictatorship. As soon as a constitutional
convention of delegates from the several republics could assemble he
would retire, and permit the choice of a President of the consolidated
republics by a popular election, he himself under no circumstances to be
a candidate. But these messages were never sent. In place of them
Zaldivar transmitted a series of despatches misrepresenting the
situation, and appealing for protection against the tyranny of Barrios.
Thus the Old World was not informed of the motives and intentions of the
man and the situation of the republics.
The replies of foreign nations and the comments of the press, based upon
the falsehoods of Zaldivar, had a very depressing effect upon the
people. They were more or less doctored before publication, and bogus
bulletins were posted for the purpose of deceiving the people. The
inhabitants of San Salvador were led to believe that naval fleets were
on their way from the United States and Europe to forcibly prevent the
consolidation of the republics, that an army was on its way from Mexico
overland to attack Guatemala on the north, and that several transports
loaded with troops had left New Orleans for the east coast of Nicaragua
and Honduras.
The United States Coast Survey ship _Ranger_, carrying four small guns,
happening to enter at La Union, Nicaragua, engaged in its regular
duties, was magnified into a fleet of hundreds of thousands of tons; and
when the people of San Salvador and Nicaragua were convinced that
submission to Barrios would require them to engage the combined forces
of Europe and the United States, they rose in resistance and supported
Zaldivar in his treachery.
The effect in Guatemala was similar, although not so pronounced. There
was a reversion of feeling against the Government. The moneyed men, who
in their original enthusiasm tendered their funds to the President,
withdrew their promises; the common people were nervous, and lost their
confidence in their hero; while the Diplomatic Corps, representing every
nation of importance on the globe, were in a state of panic because
they received no instructions from home. The German and French
ministers, like the minister from the United States, were favorable to
the plans of Barrios; the Spanish minister was outspoken in opposition;
the English and Italian ministers non-committal; but none of them knew
what to say or how to act in the absence of instructions. They
telegraphed to their home governments repeatedly, but could obtain no
replies, and suspected that the troubles might be in San Salvador. Mr.
Hall, the American minister, transmitted a full description of the
situation every evening, and begged for instructions, but did not
receive a word.
[Illustration: ORNAMENTAL, BUT NOISY.]
The Government at Washington had informed Mr. Hall by mail that its
policy in relation to the plan to reunite the republics was one of
non-interference, but advised that the spirit of the century was
contrary to the use of force to accomplish such an end; and acting upon
this information, Mr. Hall had frequent and cordial conferences with the
President, and received from him a promise that he would not invade
either of the neighboring republics with an army unless required to do
so. If Guatemala was invaded he would retaliate, but otherwise would not
cross the border. In the mean time the forces of Guatemala, forty
thousand strong, were massed at the capital, the streets were full of
marching soldiers, and the air was filled with martial music, while
Zaldivar was raising an army by conscription in San Salvador, and money
by forced loans. His Government daily announced the arrival of so many
“volunteers” at the capital, but the volunteering was a very transparent
myth. A current anecdote was of a conscript officer who wrote to the
Secretary of War from the Interior: “I send you forty more volunteers.
Please return me the ropes with which their hands and legs are tied, as
I shall need to bind the quota from the next town.”
In the city of San Salvador many of the merchants closed their stores,
and concealed themselves to avoid the payment of forced loans. The
Government called a “Junta,” or meeting of the wealthy residents, each
one being personally notified by an officer that his attendance was
required, and there the Secretary of War announced that a million
dollars for the equipment of troops must be raised instantly. The
Government, he said, was assured of the aid of foreign powers to defeat
the plans of Barrios, but until the armies and navies of Europe and the
United States could reach the coast the republic must protect itself.
Each merchant and _estancianado_ was assessed a certain amount, to make
the total required, and was required to pay it into the Treasury within
twenty-four hours. Some responded promptly, others procrastinated, and a
few flatly refused. The latter were thrust into jail, and the
confiscation of their property threatened unless they paid. In one or
two cases the threat was executed; but, with cold sarcasm, the day after
the meeting the _Official Gazette_ announced that the patriotic citizens
of San Salvador had voluntarily come to the assistance of the Government
with their arms and means, and had tendered financial aid to the amount
of one million dollars, the acceptance of which the President was now
considering.
Barrios, knowing that the army of Salvador would invade Guatemala and
commence an offensive campaign, so as to occupy the attention of the
people, ordered a detachment of troops to the frontier, and decided to
accompany them. The evening before he started there was what is called
“a grand _funcion_” at the National Theatre. All of the military bands
assembled at the capital--a dozen or more--were consolidated for the
occasion, and between the acts performed a march composed by a local
musician in honor of the Union of Central America, and dedicated to
General Barrios. A large screen of sheeting was elaborately painted with
the inscription,
“_All hail the Union of the Republic!_”
“_Long live the Dictator and the Generalissimo,_”
“_J. Rufino Barrios!_”
This was attached to heavy rollers, to be dropped in front of the stage
instead of the regular curtain at the end of the second act of the play,
for the purpose of creating a sensation; and a sensation it did
create--an unexpected and frightful one.
As the orchestra commenced to play the new march the curtain was lowered
slowly, and the audience greeted it with tremendous applause, rising to
their feet, shouting, and waving their hats and handkerchiefs. But
through the blunder of the stage carpenter the weights were too heavy
for the cotton sheeting; the banner split, and the heavy rollers at the
bottom fell over into the orchestra, severely wounding several of the
musicians. As fate would have it, the rent was directly through the name
of Barrios. The people, naturally superstitious, were horrified, and
stood aghast at this omen of disaster. The cheering ceased instantly,
and a dead silence prevailed, broken only by the noise of the musicians
under the wreck struggling to recover their feet. A few of the more
courageous friends of the President attempted to revive the applause,
but met with a miserable failure. Strong men shuddered, women fainted,
and Mrs. Barrios left the theatre, unable to control her emotion. The
play was suspended; the audience departed to discuss the omen, and
everybody agreed that Barrios’s _coup-d’état_ would fail.
The President left the city at the head of his army for the frontier of
San Salvador, his wife accompanying him a few miles on the way. A few
days later a small detachment of the Guatemala army, commanded by a son
of Barrios, started out on a scouting expedition, and were attacked by
an overwhelming force of Salvadorians. The young captain was killed by
the first volley, and his company were stampeded. Leaving his body on
the field, they retreated in confusion to headquarters. When Barrios
heard of the disaster he leaped upon his horse, called upon his men to
follow him, and started in pursuit of the men who had killed his son.
The Salvadorians, expecting to be pursued, lay in ambush, and the
Dictator, while galloping down the road at the head of a squadron of
cavalry, was picked off by a sharpshooter and died instantly. His men
took his body and that of his son, which was found by the roadside, and
carried them back to camp. A courier was despatched to the nearest
telegraph station with a message to the capital conveying the sad news.
It was not unexpected; since the omen at the theatre, no one supposed
the Dictator would return alive. All but himself had lost confidence,
and it transpired that even he went to the front with a presentiment of
disaster, for among his papers was found this peculiar will, written by
himself a few moments before his departure.
THE WILL OF BARRIOS.
“I am in full campaign, and make my declaration as a soldier.
“My legitimate wife is Donna Francisca Apaucio vel Vecusidario de
Quezaltenanzo.
“During our marriage we have had seven children, as follows:
Elaine, Luz, José, Maria, Carlos, Rufino, and Francisca.
“Donna Francisca is the sole owner of all my properties and
interest whatsoever. She will know how much to give our children
when they arrive at maturity, and I have full confidence in her.
“She may give to my nephew, Luciano Barrios, in two or three
instalments, $25,000, for the kindness which this nephew has
rendered to me, and which I doubt not he will continue to render to
my wife Donna Francisca.
“She will continue to provide for the education of Antonio Barrios,
who is now in the United States of America.
“She is empowered to demand and collect all debts due to me in this
country and abroad. The overseers and administrators of my
properties, wherever they may be, shall account only to Donna
Francisca or the person whom she may name.
“It is five o’clock in the morning. At this moment I start forth to
Jutiapa, where the army is.
“J. RUFINO BARRIOS.
“MONDAY, _March 23, 1885_.”
The attempt to reunite the republic ended with the death of the
Dictator, and the whole country was thrown into confusion. In Guatemala
City anarchy prevailed. The enemies of Barrios did not fear a dead lion,
and kicked his body. They came out in force, stoned his house, and his
beautiful wife was forced to seek the protection of the United States
minister, whose secretary escorted her to San José, where she took a
steamer for San Francisco, and has since resided in New York.
Señor Sinibaldi, the Vice-president of the republic, called the Congress
together, and a new election was ordered, at which Señor Barrillas, a
man of excellent ability and wise discretion, was chosen President of
the republic.
COMAYAGUA.
THE CAPITAL OF HONDURAS.
In 1540 Cortez, the Conqueror of Mexico, directed Alonzo Caceres, one of
his lieutenants, to proceed with an army of one thousand men to the
Province of Honduras, which had been subdued by Alvarado a few years
before, and select a suitable site for a city midway between the two
oceans. Caceres was a pioneer of most excellent discretion, and so good
a judge of distance was he that if a straight line were drawn from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, the centre would be just three miles north of
the plaza of Comayagua. A modern engineer, with all the scientific
appliances at his disposal, could not have obeyed instructions more
accurately; and as for location, there are few finer sites in the world
than the elevated plain upon which the little capital of Honduras
stands. A semicircle of mountains enclose it, with a wall of peaks six
and seven thousand feet high upon one side, while upon the other a great
plain stretches away nearly forty miles, gradually sloping to the
eastward. The altitude of the city is about twenty-three hundred feet
above the sea, and the climate is a perpetual June, the thermometer
seldom varying more than twenty degrees during the entire year, and
averaging about 75° Fahrenheit. The soil is deep, rich, and fertile, and
the productions of the plain are tropical; but beyond the city, in the
foothills of the mountains and upon their slopes, corn, wheat, and other
staples of the temperate zones can be raised in enormous quantities with
a minimum of labor. The pineapple and the palm tree are growing within
two hours’ ride of waving wheat-fields, while orange and apple orchards
stand within sight of each other.
[Illustration: A CONSPICUOUS LANDMARK.]