LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 1, 2 January 1924, Page 13

LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS

"LITTLE DESPERATE FIGHTING.

AN EXPERIENCE IN PARAGUAY. (By J. D. LECKIE.) South America (or rather Latin America, for we must include Mexico and Central America) has always been looked on as the home of revolutions. "I hear that young X lias been in six wars." "Impossible! He is only about twenty years old!" "Yes, but he lived for a year in South America." Such a skit may be allowable, though during the last six years, so far as the number of revolutions go, European countries could give some points to South America. Abortive revolutions have recently been so frequent in Germany that they have a special name for them. They call such an upheaval a "putsch." As one who has been through some half-dozen South American revolutions, I can speak with some knowledge of the subject. Some of these revolutions were harmless, while others were accompanied by terrible outrages. It is true, as a rule few lives are lost in battle, for the contending parties show much strategy in avoiding an encounter, and the battles are generally on a very small scale. The condition is somewhat comparable to that which prevailed in Ireland shortly after the creation of the Free State—the state of anarchy and the outrages which marked that period were an exact repetition of a South American revolution. Such a revolution is often worse than a war, for it combines the horrors of war with those of anarchy. At present, at least four countries of Latin America are in the throes of a revolution—Mexico, Honduras, Paraguay, and Brazil (State of Rio Grande). The Siege of Villa Rica. The worst of the revolutions, of which I was an eye-witness and victim, was that in Paraguay in the years 1912 and 1913. The leader of this revolution was an officer named Jara, a man of undoubted bravery and skill, though locally denounced as having committed all the crimes in the calendar. I was in Villa Rica, the second city of Paraguay, when -Jara seized it and made it his capital. As a result, the town was soon besieged by the Government troops, aim the siege lasted for more than four months. During that time Jara held absolute sway, and he used his powers mercilessly. Every store in the town was plundered. Carts were commandeered (their owners also), lined up in front of the stores, and piled up witli everything of value which could be carried off. These goods were requisitioned without payment of any kind, ostensibly for the use of the rebel army, but they included women's clothing, and, in fact, anything saleable. All horses were seized for tlie use of Jara's troops. 1 had two, both of which were taken. One of these I never saw again. Tlie other was recovered after the revolution was over; but he had acquired a bad habit during the time he had been commandeered—he now insisted on stopping in front of'every house of ill-fame which he passed. Another man, whose horse was taken by force, recognised it while out at pasture and took it home. For this act of seizing his own horse he was taken before the commander and received a sound flogging. -As a result" of tne siege, provisions ■very soon became very scarce. Some articles, such as sugar, were not to be had at any price. The supplies of beer also gave out, but newly-distilled rum (there were several local distilleries) continued abundant and cheap. Meat was cheaper than ever. This was be cause the rebel leader had seized thousands of cattle, which he slaughtered for their hides (then worth about £2 each); then, posing as a public benefactor, he ordered the stolen meat to •be given away free to the poor people who called for it. Wholesale Plundering. It was a regular Bolshevik revolution, for the war cry of the rebels was, "We will make the rich poor and the poor rich." As a matter of fact, those who seized the reins of power plundered all whom they could, whether rich or poor — just as happened with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. A poor woman, going to market with a basket of homemade cheeses on her head, was stopped by a lieutenant at the head of a band of marauders.

"Hallo! old woman, let mc sample your cheeses." So saying, he took 'the basket of cheeses from the woman, and "confiscated" tlie lot, treating the matter as a great joke. The poor old woman, knowing that it was useless and even dangerous to protest, tearfully returned home. But retribution followed the mean action. The peasants, who had already been victimised by the officer, now dubbed him "Lieutenant Cheese," and the name stuck to him ever after. It sometimes happens that tlie breast which is callous to the senses of honour is keenly sensitive to the shafts of ridicule; and so it happened with "Lieutenant Cheese," who never imagined that his shameful spoliation of a poor woman would be so effectively advertised. From that day it was not safe to mention the word cheese in his presence—he always took it as a personal allusion. The siege had some curious effects. There were many rich people in the town who had no accounts with the local bank, but obtained their supplies of cash by celling cheques or drafts on outside towns, as Asuncion or Buenos Ayres, where they had banking accounts." In normal times such cheques were as good as cash. But during tlie siege, no one would cash drafts or chequqes on outside places at any price, as nobody knew how long the siege might last. In consequence, many rich tourists, strangers in the town, were in danger of starvation, as they could obtain no cash, and even if credit were obtainable in the stores, all eatables were sold only in tin? market place, strictly for cash.

On one occasion ttie commamle'.' of the Government troops received information that a strong body of the rebels had taken up a position in a dense forest which commanded a railway line over which he had to pass. As it was necessary to dislodge them before the train could proceed, .he brought up artillery and rained shot and shell on the position. He then wrote a dispatch to the Government that lie had gained a brilliant victory, but as he gave no tangible evidence of the fact, bis statement was received with suspicion. He replied that it was true be had captured no prisoners, the enemy having carried off their dead and wounded, but from the marks of blood which he saw he judged that the enemy must have suffered heavily. It afterwards turned out that there was not a soul in the wood the whole time the bombardment was going on.