- 1 , 1 1, - I,, , .-- -
$100 a Year. In Advance. "FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY. AND FOR TRUTH." ' single Copy. S Cents.
.VOL XII. PLYMOUTH, N. C., FRIDAY AUGUST 23, 1901. NO. 25.
t t i .
V
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
Atlanta Constitution.
. How naturally mankind adapt them
selves to those of their kind, their age,
eex- and mental condition. Birds of the
same feather will flock togdherj and so
these little grandchildren will run away
from me to frolic with other little tots,
and it makes me jealous. Just so the
next set from 10 to 12 years clan to
gether. Then comes the blushing
school girls from 12 to 15, who have
lengthened out their dresses and ceased
to pull up their garters every few
minutes as they walk about. It is the
game with the boys, and when they get
to "be baseball experts with a college at
tachment they talk of their exploits in
a language that is heathen Chinee to
everybody except themselves and claim
to be the elect. And so it goes on and
on until we have passed our maturity,
and then we veterans take our comfort
in communion with veterans and pay
our tribute to the good old times that
will never return. We are the elect.
I believe it is true that nobody but
the old men and women give praise
to the old times and . the customs of
their fathers, and so if every generation
of old people believe that the age of
their youth was the best, then the times
must have degenerated awfully Bince
the days of the prophets. Have they
or have they not gotten better instead
of worse? The answer is, they are bet?
ter in some respects and worse
others. Public morals were very loo;-:
a hundred years ago. Andrew Jaokson
was a gambler, horse racer and duelist
seventy-five years ago. Such a man
could not be elected president now.
Foreign missions and Sabbath schools
were almost unknown. The slave
trade with Africa was in full blast in
New England, and New England rum
was the purchase money. Imprison
ment for debt wag the law generally,
and so was flogging in the navy.
Whisky was unknown, but brandy
and rum were kept in almost every
respectable household. Illiteracy pre
. "vailed almost all over the south except
among the aristocracy. There were
but few books to read and fewer news
papers. There were no railroads or
telegraphs or sewing machines. But
the people were generally honest and
religious. 'There were no - trusts, no
strikes, no millionaires, no suicides or
robberies, and & murder was a , rare
event and done in the heat of passion.
No doubt but that there are a hundred
of these crimes committed now to one
then according to population. Well,
then, why arraign the old people for
lamenting that the good old times
have gone? Not long ago I heard a
'"' gifted and cultured minister of the
olden time preach a most charming
and impressive sermon from the text in
Jeremiah which reads, "Stand in the
way and ask for the old paths, which
is the good way, and walk therein, and
ye shall find rest for your souls."
One of the best tests of the strength of
a sermon is your remembrance of the
text. When a gifted and scholarly
minister is done with it and with holy
hands says, "Let us pray," what a
solemnity fills the place, and the text
lingers with you for years to come.
It does not seem like the same scrip
ture. "The old paths," "walk yet in
the old paths," has been ringing in my
ears ever since.
I know that Lord Bacon was growing
old when he wrote, "Old wood to burn,
old wine to drink, old friends to trust
and old authors to read." And Gold
smith said, "I love everything that is
old." King James used to call for his
old shoes when he was tired.
There is something almost sacred
about the old songs, such as "Auld
Lang Syne," "The Old Oaken Bucket,"
"The Old Arm Chair," and even "Old
"v Grimes is dead, that good old man.,'
My friend Tom Sawyer, of Florida,
.', writes that he still clings to his old
clothes; that he has worn his pants for
years and years and had ' them half-
- sojed in the seat and reinforced at the
knees and rehemmed at the bottom;
. that he bought a home made pair of
socks twenty-seven years ago and is
wearing them still, though he has had
new feet knit to them three times and
new topB twice. He says that Governor
Bloxam dearly loves the old things
old heir-looms, etc., and boasts that he
has an old barrel that has been in the
family ever since Columbus discovered
America for he brought it over with
him full of brandy, and it has had
good liquor of some sort in it ever since;
that his great great grandfathers put
new staves in it, and his great grand
father put. new heads and his father
put new hoops on it, but the same old
bung-hole still remains and when the
fluid is drawn the same old sound goes
goodle-goodle. Tom says he is going
to take the bung-hole and the goodie
to the Atlanta exposition and exhibit
them as the only relics of Christopher
, Columbus.
But about old friends. Every veteran
has them and it gives pleasure to see
them honored. Thevery prospect of
Beeing Henry G. Turner in the gover
nor's chair gives me pleasure, for I
know him well and love him. Maybe
I would love Colonel Estill or Pope
Brown just as well if I knew them as
well. I have great respect for them
and am proud of their records. I be
lieve that either would dignify the
gubernatorial chair, but as Judge
Underwood said to me in the long ago :
"Major, let me tell you why I wou'd
like tc be governor of. Georgia. You
will admit that knowledge is a little bet
ter than faith. There are many good
men whom I believe would make a
good governor, but I don't know it.
Now I do know that I would; and
there is a difference between faith and
knowledge. Don't you perceive?" Just
so I believe that Colonel Estill or Pope
Brown would make a good governor,
but I know that Henry G. Turner
would and knowledge is better than
faith. "Don't you preceive?" If he
is not an incorruptible, unselfish, brainy
statesman, we have none. Let his
name be presented and I believe the
verdict will be as the king said of Mor
decai: "Thus shall it be done unto the
man whom the people delighted to
honor' , BillArp.
Two Fact made Plain.
Charlotte Observer
Two things that our special reports
of the three-days meetings in South
Carolina have made manifest, are: 1,
that the disfranchisement of the negro,
while it has driven him from the polls'
has not taken him out of politics.
Speaking more correctly, he is dragged
in again and is about as much of an
issue as ever. 2, that Senator Tillman
and his brigade are ready for a war
upon the cotton manufacturers and
propose to attack them by stirring up
the mill operatives against the proprie
tors. Unless his words belie him and
he is totally misjudged, he is preparing
to usurp the prerogatives of the walk
ing delegate and professional agitator
and put the devil in the mill people.
It may be asked what these operatives
have to hope for in turning against
their employes and following him.
Nothing, of course. They ought to be
able to see that he has fed the farmers
nothing for all these years except dry
husks, and take warning accordingly,
but the prejudices of people are easily
played upon and it is no difficult
task to persuade employes in certain
lines that they are ill-treated. The
threats of Senator Tillman in this con
nection bode no good to the cotton
mill industry of South Carolina, but
that State sowed to the wind when it
first gave ear to his senseless agitation,
and it may expect, as a logical se
quence, to reap the whirlwind.
Grand Carnival and Free Street Fair
tula Fall.
Richmond, Va., will hold, during the
week of October 7th, lasting the entire
week, a Free Street Fair Carnival, and
Electrical Fete that, from present
indications, will be a monster.
Plans are out for arching the entire
length of Broad street with electric
arches, and at the foot of each of these
arches will be a handsome pagoda, in
which will be displayed electrical
devices of all kinds for cooking.baking,
welding irons, driving machinerys and,
in fact, a perfect exposition of the pos
sibilties of electricity as now known.
The streets' will be lined with booths.
Shows will be there galore. Parades
will be mere plentiful and greater,
than last year. One day will be given
to the military, witn Roosevelt and other
distinguished men as guests of honor.
Electrical fountains will entertain you.
Bands will play, and, altogether, all
Richmond will more than do herself
proud during her "Week of Wonders."
Peculiarities of Australia.
There is no continent which has so
much dry land as Australia. It is a
great dry heart, with a few patches of
green about the edges. On the east
side facing the Pacific is a long range
of mountains, roughly speaking run
ning north and south, and the most of
the good land lies betwen those moun
tains and the sea, West of the moun
tains vast plateaus begin and extend on
and on, spotted here and there by low
rocky ranges for more than 2,000 miles.
The land falls slightly as it goes toward
the west, but at the end is still 1,000
feet high. It is 2,000 feet high at the
east, and in the Astralian Alps or the
Eastern range it rises to more than
7,000 feet. There is a general slope to
ward the south in some places so great
that the continent falls to the level of
the sea, but in others it keeps an alti
tude of 500 and 600 feet, ending in
cliffs at that height, which line the
Australian Bight for hundreds of miles.
Bees Kill a lien.
Charlotte News.
' Superintendent McCall, of the coun
ty home, has a badly swollen face. He
has a bee hive that is near his chicken
coop. This morning when Mrs. Mc
Call went into the yard she saw that the
bees had attacked one of the hens and
wag stinging it dreadfully. She ran in
and called to Mr. McCall, saying the
bees were killing the hen. Mr. McCall
went out to rescue the hen. No sooner
did he appear on the battle ground than
the bees attacked him. They stug him
in the face and on the hands. The
chicken died was stung to death.
Butler to Build a Cottou mill.
Clinton, Aug 12. It is reported
here on good authority that Marion
Butler has formed a company to es
tablish and operate a cotton mill at
Elliott, his country home several miles
from Clinton. It is understood that
the capital other than his own was
subscribed by parties in the West
whom he met on his way to Alaska.
TUB 1IALDIIEADED MAN.
St. Louis Republic. .
Yesterday morning a lady, accompa
nied by her son, a very small boy,
boarded a car. The woman bore a
careworn expression, and many of the
rapid-fire questions asked by the boy
were either unheeded or answered by
unconscious sighs.
"Ma," said the boy, "tlfat man's
like a baby, ain't he?" pointing to a
baldheaded man sitting in front of
them.
"Hush!"
"Why must I hush?"
After a few moments of silence:
"Ma, what's the matter with that man's
head?"
"Hush, I tell you. 'He's bald."
"What's bald?"
"His head hasn't any hair on it."
"Did it come off?"
"I guess so."
"Will mine come off?"
"Some time, maybe."
"Then I'll be bald, won't I?"
"Yes."
"Will you care?"
"Don't ask so many questions."
After another silence the boy ex
claimed: "Ma, look at that fly on
that man's head!"
"If you don't hush I'll whip you
when we get home."
"Look! there's another fly. Look at
'em fight; look at 'em!"
"Madam," said the man, putting
aside a newspaper and looking around,
"what is the matter with that young
hyena?"
The woman blushed, stammered out
something, and attempted to smooth
back the boy's hair. The fat girl in
the next seat was getting dangerously
red in the face.
"One fly, two flies, three flies," said
the boy, and then he turned to see
what was ailing the fat girl.
"Here, you young hedgehog," said
the baldheaded man, "if you don't
shut up, I'll have the conductor put
you off."
The poor woman, not kowing what
else to do, boxed the boy!s ears, and
then gave him an orange to stop his
tears'.
' 'Ma. have I got red marks on my
head?"
"I'll whip you again if you don't
hush."
"Mister," said the boy, after a short
silence, "does it hurt to be bald
headed?" "My boy," said the man, "if you'll
keep quiet I'll give you a quarter."
The boy promised and the money
was paid over.
The man took up his paper and
resumed bis reading.
"This is my baldheaded money,"
said the boy. "When I get bald
headed I'm going to give boys money.
Mister have all baldheaded men got
money?"
The annoyed man threw down his
paper, aros and exclaimed : "Madam,
hereafter when you ride in the cars
leave that young gorrilla at home or
muzzle him. I always thought that the
old prophet was very cruel for calling
the bears to kill the children for mak
ing snort of his head, but I am now
forced to admit that he did a Christian
act, If . your boy, had been in the
crowd he would have died first. ' If I
can't find another seat in this car I'll
take the next one. Good day,
ma'am!"
"The baldheaded man is gone,"
said the boy, and as the woman leaned
back a tired sigh escaped her lips.
From Prison Walls.
Sing Sing Star of Hope. .
We have heard of men sowing wild
oats, but woman's mission is to sow
tares.
Many of us have learned by this time
that an honest dollar is the noblest
work of man.
The most difficult ups and downs of
this life are keeping expenses down and
appearances up.
When you met a man you don't
want to speak to he generally insists
upon shaking hands with you.
It isn't the amount of religion a man
has that makes him good and fits him
for heaven; it is the amount he uses.
. Some men who marry and settle
down would have done the world more
good had they remained single and
settled up.
Came Through all Right.
The editor of The Buncombe Pioneer
is a good one. He tells this story :
"We were fired at twice last night as
we were seated in our sanctum peace
fully devouring cold turkey with cran
berry sauce and two loaves of home made
bread, sent us by Sis Tripp, who has
been a subscriber to our paper for twenty-five
years ever since she lost her
third husband, who Was one of the best
men in the country, and stood six feet
four in the woolen socks she knitted
for him with her own hands, which are
never weary in well-doing, and which
will one day receive a crown of glory in
lands beyond the sky. Well, as we
said before, we were fired at twice last
night, but both shots missed us and
only killed our foreman and the yellow
dog by which he was distinguished.
Verily, the Lord will provide.
We have three kinds of teotle in the
world the wills, the won'ts arid' the
cant's.
PHILIPPINE TEACHER A WIFE.
Husband Wants War Department to
Send Her Home.
When Secretary Root returns to
Washington he will be confronted with
a case which is just now puzzling the
War Department officers. It is the
complaint of a man living in Nebraska
that the War Department was a party
to taking his wife from him and send
ing her to the Philippines to teach the
little Filipinos while she had children
of her own in this country. It was
early in July that Miss Fannie Wads
worth, of Mellwood, Neb., was selected
for appointment as a teacher in the
Philippines. Her name was sent to the
War Department by a teachers' agency
in Boston and her appointment was
credited to Prof. Atkinson, who is at
the head of the Philippines school sys
tem. Upon the receipt of her name at the
War Department a telegram was sent
her asking if she would accept and
when she could leave for Manila. She
responded at once that she accepted the
appointment and could leave whenever
the Department desired. Just at that
time a transport was at San Francisco
preparing to take several hundred
teachers to the Philippines and she was
accordingly notified that transportation
would be furnished her without delay.
Meanwhile the Department was aston
ished to receive a telegram from Mell
wood, saving that Miss Fannie Wads
worth could not accept the appointment
because she had a husband and chil
dren. This dispatch was signed "By
her husband, George Wadsworth."
The War Department telegraphed
Miss Fannie Wadsworth what her hus
band said. She replied that she could
go, that she had no children, and ask
ed that the transportation be forwarded
to her at a little town in Kansas, where
she was going before leaving for Manila.
Notwithstanding the husband's protest,
the transportation was forwarded to the
young woman, but in the name of
"Mrs. Fannie Wadsworth" instead of
Miss Fannie Wadsworth. Upon re
ceiving the Department's letter she hur
ried to San Francisco and there em
barked on the transport with the other
teachers.
George Wadsworth again addressed
the War Department, this time by let
ter. He remarked that from the tele
grams which were coming to Mellwood
to his wife he gathered that the Depart
ment officers had not recei ved his re
cent messages to the eifect that the
teacher was married and was leaving
her home and children. He explained
that he could suiiort his wife and that
while she had on several occasions left
her home to teach she had always re
turned repentant of her conduct.
The husband argued that he could
not believe that the officers would do
anything to separate his wife from her
family and he felt assured that her ap
pointment would be cancelled. His
letter came too late however, as Mrs.
Fannie Wadsworth had sailed. It is
understood, however, that her friends
explained to the War Department that,
while she was married, the children
were not hers, but her husband's by a
former wife. Whether her appointment
will be cancelled will be determined
later after a fuller inquiry.
North Carolina History Served in
Delicious Bits.
The B. F. Johnson Publishing Com
pany, Richmond, Va,, have just issued
a series of delightful sketches entitled
"North Carolina History Stories," by
Professor W. C. Allen, , Superintendent
of the Waynesville School. The
stories begin with the landing of the
first English people, and present the
most important features of North Car
olina's history from this point down
through the Revolution. The sketches
have a local flavor and coloring not to
be found in a primary history, and
they make delightful reading not only
for the school children, for whom they
are especially intended, but for every
lover of North Carolina. It is announ
ced that this series will be followed by
another, bringing the history of the
State down to the present time. There
are forty-five stories issued in five parts
in paper covers at 10 cents each, and
they will also be bound together in a
single cloth volume, price 50 cents.
Some of the titles will give one some
thing of the flavor of the contents, viz. :
Two Indian Boys, Visit to a Strange
Land, Loss of a Silver Cup, Lane's
Search for Gold. The Lord of Roanoke,
Story of Virginia Dare, The Tardy Gov
ernor, John Lawson and the Alligators,
The Carolina Pirate, Cornwallis in a
Hornest s Nest, General Green ithout
a Penny, etc.
Which Was Unconverted?
There is a story told of a candidate
for priest's orders who was preaching
an extempore trial sermon before the
late Archbishop Tait and Dean Stanley,
and who, in his embarrassment, com
menced his sermon by saying: "I will
divide my congregation into two classes
the converted and the uaoonverted."
This was too much for Dean Stan
ley's sense of humor, and he interrupt
ted the speaker by saying: "As there
are only two of us you had letter say
which is which."
Visitor Charlie, your father is cal
ling you. Charlie Yes, I hear him,
but he is calling "Charlie." I don't
have to go till he yells "Charles."
FXTENDING OCR COTTON TRADE.
Atlanta Constitution.
The extension of our cotton selling
area has long been regarded by The
Constitution as one of the most im
portant subjects now before us.
We have already adverted to the re
port of Consul General McWade, that
there was not an American merchant
in southern China, a section represent
ing over two hundred million people.
With the demand for cotton more
than equal to double our present cot
ton production, the mercantile instinct
of the United States has lain dormant,
content to leave others that work which
we should do ourselves.
Another consular report is to hand
emphasizing this sad lack in our Ameri
can commercial sy stem. ConsulSmith
writes from Moscow that the production
of cotton in central Asia is increasing
every year, to which the Russian gov
ernment and the cotton consumers are
giving such encouragement as to make
it compete with American cotton.
They are, however, under the disadvan
lage of having to import their seed,
and, as pointed out by Colonel Peek,
they will have a continual expense of
irrigation to meet.
But the important parts of Consul
Smith's letter is to the effect that the
Americans themselves are making
possible thi3 competition, by refusing
to so prepare their cotton bales as to be
acceptable to buyers in the Russian
empire. They object to the bale,
believing that it suffers a loss of from
8 to 10 per cent in weight. The
Russian merchants, it is said, have
made complaints for years, but no
notice has been taken of them. All
this is explained by Consul Smith when
he points out that "all American cotton
is shipped to Russia through brokers in
Liverpool and others ports, who are
not interested in the proper packing
and endure no losses in the transporta
tion." Here is a peculiar situation indeed.
An empire in need of our products;
our cotton farmers discussing a re
striction of their production because of
want of a valuable market; the whole
situatiou' brought about because we
have sought that market through an
an indifferent intermediary who cares
for neither the producer nor the con
sumer, but who is content to rake off
his profits without regard to the future
relationship of his two principals.
The farmers of the United States
have suffered untold losses by accept
ing Europe as their middleman, and
they can only hope to reach a better
condition when they so develop their
mercantile instinct that they will go
direct to their customers, instead of
frittering away their profits in paying
middlemen who are responsible for the
losses entailed.
IVIcKeesport and Its Lost Mill.
Charlotte Observer.,
One battle in the war between the
steel trust and its striking workmen has
been fought in the village of McKees
port, Pa. There the trust has ordered
one of its big plants, the Dewees Wood
Mill, dismantled and removed to the
Kiskiminetas Valley, where it has several
non-union mills, and where it has loca
ted its school to educate new men to
take the place of strikers. McKeeeport
is furious and says the trust is trying to
destroy the town. In view of the hos
tility, however, of both the townspeople
and the town authorities to the mill
owners, the action of the trust is not
surprising. The Louisville Courier
Journal is authority for the statements
that the "mayor of McKeesport made
public proclamation that he would not
recognize any lights of the mills under
the law; that he would not permit the
police or the deputies to protect the
property of the mills from lawless
violence by strikers, and that he would
arrest any free workman who came to
McKeesport to seek work in the mills.
There was a McKeesp rt parade in his
honor for taking this anarchistic posi
tion; and when a man did have the
temerity to go to McKeesport to apply
for work in this very Dewees Wood Mill
he was arrested and was given the
choice of going to the work-house or of
leaving town."
Without going into the merits of the
dispute between mill owners and strik
ers at all, the hostility of the citizens
to the one industry that is the life of
their town is enough to cause the mill
men to desire to clear out. McKees
port abuses the goose that lays the
golden egg and then whines because
the goose goes somewhere else to lay.
Drew the Color-Line.
Skelly "Phwat hov yez quit work
for, McGinty?"
McGinty "Oi've been twold thot th'
tonnel is to run leneath th' negro
graveyard!"
Skelly "Yez are not sooperstachus,
McGinty?"
McGinty "Oi'm not. But Oi 11 not
work under a negro, be he dead or
alive."
5! lke Causing Scarcity of Cotton
Tlea.
A dispatch from Sharon, Pa., says:
"The cotton planters of the South are
beginning to feel the effects of the
steel strike, according to advices received
there. The c losing of the mills of the
Steel Hoop Company cuts off their
main supply of cotton ties and they
seem Milling to pay any price in order
to have a sufficient supply when the
time conies to move cotton.
I CHANGE INAUGURATION DAT.
Baltimore Sun.
Washington will not witness the an-
auguration of another President until
March 4, 1905. Possibly when the
time comes to install Mr. McKinlev's
successor the date of the ceremony will
nave been changed from the wintry
days of March to the balmy days of .
April or early May. When the advant
ages of such a change have been elo
quently set forth in Congress, and bills
have been introduced to bring about
this most desirable reform, the move
ment has failed of success. No effort
has been made to enlist public senti
ment in behalf of the change, although
that portion of the public whicn avu
inauguration ceremonies would be de
lighted if it could visit Washington at a
time when genuine spring weather
could be expected. Now that the peo
ple of the District of Columbia have
started in a practical and serious way to
agitate the subject of a change, there is
some hope that the reform may be ac
complished. If public opinion through
out the Union can be aroused and. the
State Governments induced to co-operate
in urging a later inauguration Con
gress may enact the necessary legisla
tion. . When President KcKinley was inau
gurated last March the heavens opened,
the floods descended and the Chief
Magistrate of the nation and the thou
sands of spectators were exposed to the
elements. At previous inaugurations
the Fourth of March has brought snow
and sleet to the discomfort of the visi
tors who crowded the streets of the
capital to witness the inaugural pageant.
Every consideration of health and com
fort can be urged in behalf of a change
in inauguration day. Every person
who has ever attended the installation of
a President and every person who con
templates a visit to the capital in the
future to see the Executive inaugurated
will give enthusiastic support to the
movement which recently originated in
the District of Columbia. There seems,
td be no convincing reason why Con
gress should not make the change..
The innovation, it is true, would
lengthen the labors of Congressmen to
a slight extent, but this is a small mat
ter compared with the comfort and en
joyment of the public. The District of
Columbia committee should persist in
its agitation until decisive results have
been obtained. The State Governments
should give the committee substantial
support, and pressure should be brought
to bear on Senators and Representatives
to enact a measure which will deprive
blustering March of inauguration day
and transfer the ceremony to a date in
late April or early May.
No Place lor Grant Bnt Hades.
JTew Orleans Times-Democrat. .
"Probably the most -popular story
told during the recent reunion at Mem
phis," remarked an old Confederate
soldier, "was one which related to a
conversation between Grant and a pri-
vate soldier.
"Of course, there was no rancor, no
bitterness in the telling of the tale, but
the fact that it brought in three of the
most prominent characters of the war
and gave the Confederates the best of a
well-rounded point caused the old fel
lows to split their sides when they heard
it, and made them anxious to repeat it.
"Grant ran into a private in the Con
federate ranks on one occasion, and the
private called, 'General, where are you
going?' 'To Petersburg, I think, but
maybe to heaven or to hell,' the Gen
eral replied. 'Well, I will tell you,
General the soldier said, dryly, 'Bob
Lee is at Petersburg; and Stonewall
Jackson is in Heaven. IlelLJs the only
place leit tor you.
"Grant enjoyed the thrust, as grim
as it was, and after peace had been re
stored he was often delighted by telling
it, and always referred to it as one of the
pleasantries of the war between Jthe
States. But he never got any more
pleasure out it than the old soldiers did
at the reunion at Memphis."
Agulnaldo's Opinion of General Fun
ktou's Teat.
The next morning, March 24th, I
had a conference with General Funston,
in which I was told by him that on the
next day there would arrive in the hay
of Palanau a warship which would take
us to Manila. In the course of the day
he informed me of the plan which had
resulted in our capture a fate which I
had believed would never befall me. It
appears that my messenger, Private
Segismundo, fell into the, hands of
General Funston, and the letters which
he carrried suggested to the general the
plan which he subsequently carried out
so brilliantly, lhe letter which 1 had
received on the 20th, and which f sup
posed had come from General Lakuna,
was a forgery executed with the great
est cleverness. It was complete in all
its details, even bearing the seal of
Lakuna, and there never occurred to
me the least suspicion of its authenti
city. I had not the slightest doubt
from that time up to the instant of
commencement of the attack which
ended in my capture. It was a bold
plan executed with skill and cleverness
in the face of difficulties which to most
men would have seemed insurmount
able. Estrada Palma fears to accept the
presidency of Cuba because of the dis
jointed political conditions.