New Britain Herald Newspaper, February 6, 1925, Page 23

WITH NERVES OF STEEL— | | CAPTAIN MACKUIN STILLFIGUTS ON Gener desist,” came the erisp, in taultless Bpanish from the white man in the uniform of a general {m the rebel Honduran army, . A drunk’n native officer scowled at the spealer, “I beg of you to desist,” the granite voice re turhed, with a cold glance from blue-gray eyes. ‘The native saw a wan nearing 60, nearly six feet, of catlike, athletic frame, brown halr turn ing gray, ruddy complexion, He was a *'forcigner b “e 70U will kindly granite-like volce The native turned away in contempt and con tingd his plundering of & house in Tegucigalpa, which his army had just captured. With the third command—it was a this time—the native wheeled and shot the white the breast—a flesh wwound, T moment the marauder lay dead in the strect. Herbert 0. Jefferies is a dead shot. “CAPTAIN MACKLIN” Jefferies, the last of the soldlers of fortune, command man in e sultured American, known and loved througho Central America,. a tower of military streng the original “Captain Macklin” of Richard Hard - ing Davis' story. Friend. adviser und maker of South Americar presidents. leader of numerous revo tutor of er adventurer who died in ' Lee Christmas—un New Orleans 1 engineer extraordinary, 1t home and in his adopted ¢ and bridge builder trusted by governments countries—that is the Jefferles méntionsd aniy ecationallyand vaguely in &now him ws a friend and ussocia news dispatches, as described by those who \ lle's getting old. His thoug K In he's in the current muss for t at very gain e De fact, fron a military dictatar Hondurus. n—to prevent of ing the presideney partment, it is said, supports Jefferies' policy. ] It wus the refusal of this governnient ta sanc on the aspirations of the Honduran gencral to succeed General Tosta to the b ALY (Tosia's government is recpgnized by 1ry) which started the 1 » QUITS PLANTATION of the Jefferies was fn Salvador managing one largest estates in that country. He couldn’t ve main idle with a revolt ip progress and went to talk with nis friend, Ggneral Ferrera, who made him aguin & mm.xr‘. the *rebel” command fighting von by his side—a boy who some day with . his 16-year-old Jefterles pro gchool in this country He's there now, J0ses to send to a military iently write The news dispatches freq “Jeffers,"” regarding his name because of the difficulty Latin On their Jefferies arlsen as a misunderst nd.v' havin people have in pronouncing it. tongues it sounds lke “Senor Jeffers.” Jefferies went to Honduras eacly tresh trom college, @ trained engineer, apparently in the §0's— Little b little he was drawn Into the endless revolutions. By the close of the 90's he had be ome one of th e chief military figures in Cential -~ A g ameérica. For a time he was acting minister of var in one of thé successtul Henduran govern nents. With the downfall of the Vasquez regime, he ®ap cxiled, and went to live in the rtly he was put in com adjoining re public of Salvador. S nand of the famous guard regiment of Ez adorian dictator, ruled aftegwards made chief of eperations who sal supreme He was cal Herpert 0. Jefferies the army of with Guatamala. Salvador when a war threatened Four or five years later Jefferies came back to "lmnduras——his exile having been revoked by a new government—and lived quistly, pur: Soon profession of engineer with great success. he had amassed a fortune, During this time he was employed as consulting engineer by many of the Centra] Amggican gov- “sernments and by huge corporatious interested in developing the His were road and bridge bullding. countyles. principal works MARRIE About 1900 Lie came back to the United States und merried an English girl. At this time he was accustomed to make frequent visits to Wash G. Hopkins likewise Well Lkuown in Central American politics ingtun to sce an old friend, Captalr S. A few years later he took his only son and lefi once more for Honduras. Soon after the positior manuger of the large eslate in Salvador was uffered him, ing companten of Richard Lard n the famous novelist and corie It was spondent made nis trip through Honduras. thut Davis eecured the “Captain Macklin.” through t sociation miatevial for irers have attempted to acquire the titie nal Captain Macklin.” embers of the party on the spot—mutual of from whom the charac s a Many natorious of “the orig Those who were friends o Loth—say thaf Jefferles is the mun ter was drawn. The novel Led as containing about 75 per cent truth per cent fiction, Macklin” ptain in flesh and blood will di with Jefferies. ands of Ameri will one of the most vivid, dar soldier of fortune. A mory indicative erfes’ character, and which also demonstrates the fealousy between the commands of General Ferrera and Genera Carias, both of the “rehel” forces im the current Honduras vebellion, is related as follows Jefferies, officer in the Ferrera command, was standing in the door of his quarters following occupation of Tegucigalpi. Two eofficers of the Carias unit staggered drunkenly towards him and tion before the door, hurled sevem! ilting remarks in bis direction. Move ony gentlemen,” gaid Jeflerie 1 Spanish You are drunk. You don't know what you are This eppare only incensed the officers, fo they countered with even more scathing mvedtives Jefferies resented these and answered in kind On of the officers made a move as to draw hix lifted f{t a bullet went crashing Into his brain Before he had half out of its Lolster Jefferies, lightning on the draw, had shot him ween the eyes. COWS OTHER ficer had als: drawn in the m time and was preparing to fire. Jefferies leveled his own pistol at him. “You w ke your gun in both hands, breuk it, and empty the cartridges,” he said In even tones. The man did as ordered. “I will not kill you,” said Jefferies, “though you guns now. And 1 furthér wish t that 1 have such contempt for u that | General Ferrera (without the hat) is idolized by his he greets each soldier personally. liave no fear in gainst the Tefr You may / of ies put one of his the capital COMMANDS SECTOR ngm Jeffe nan- n an cor he wa h were defending T during ellions at thut whithe, white maun 1 commandant of the ar group. direction of t Vasq ue « brawl. Tt i sajd that t placated was by #end him two of wine. e ol r of the South sed this He drew h's pi: r instance, soldiers. to whi plied that he was Ty BT Just then Jefferies spied that | his venom aking the artillery cc After rson, and s Jéfteries wa usages and a bot have two k up to kNl him. battle American peoples abundance, and this fact in the Genera interference was ali that saved Revolt Is Life IFE in most of the reublics in Central America {s just one revolution after another. he revolution in Honduras ended officially last May with the signing of the peace treaty of Amapala. It was one of the best treaties made in Central America ending a revolution. Contrary it guaran teed the life and property of the losers as well as the victors. representatives to precedent, It was signed by of all the different factlons in the country. It had the epproval of representa tives of the other Central American republics. But Ilondurans were two months passed and the once more on the warpath. PRI JOUR ) changes his politics overnight. Today fights the Reds —tomorrow for the Blues—and the day after for the Red-Blues Personalities enter into his politi true Central American he cal life. General Fervera, leading the on in Honduras, is one of the but his personal grievances often overshadow political affiliations. He formerly was a Red—but the last revolution found him the lead ¢ the Blues. r of war for oW revo; ablest men in the country, A his General Gregorio Ferrera ing general Roque Lopez, had caused some domestic Ferrera made mini or Ferrera what he intended to do to s home with & bomb. sent a friend to 0 no rtunaetely or unfortunately nage wes done except to the So in order to.get the ministe: a Joined the a st his former political o & thing is light at night . e, or, it he is lucky, & lan n occasional little patches raise the few chickens and of 1 live on where they ans, aras they eat. If they want to travel, they have s or mones g0 t - s no mea Bst war opens up & new vista,