THe Kincj. of tfve
FiUbuJtererj
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
AWN OF a September morning 7!
years ago. Along the beach outsldi
the seaport of Trujillo In Honduras
straggled a file of swarthy-faced sol
tilers, their rifles slanting across tin
shoulders of their dirty-white uni
forms, their bare feet kicking lit
little spurts of sand as they shuffled
along.
In their midst was another little man. but un
like his captors he was light-haired (a "cotton
head" they called him back In his native Ten
nessee), freckle-faced, almost boyishly slender
for all of his thirty-six years. Ills old flannel
shirt was open at the throat, his ragged trousers
were tucked into worn boots and in his hand he
carried a battered, faded old black hat
Beside him walked a tall black robed Spanish
priest who held a crucifix In front of the little
blonde man's face. But it Is doubtful If his cold
gray eyes saw it. They were looking away across
the fringe of the tropical Jungle to the black and
purple-shadowed mountains which the rays of
the morning sun were beginning to paint’ with
gold.
"Haiti" The line of marching men stopped,
but only the little man in the center obeyed the
command with true military precision. Another
sharp command and the slouching rifle-bearers
formed a ragged line along the beach. An offi
cer came forward with a handkerchief In his
hand, but the little man waved him aside. As
he looked into the black mouths of the rifles
pointed at his heart, he spoke slowly, gently:
"The war which I made upon you was wrong,
and I want to avail myself of this last oppor
tunity to beg your forgiveness. That done, I die
resigned. I would like to think that my life and
my death will have been for the good of society.”
“Fire!” As the little man sagged down to the
ground, another volley of bullets rained upon his
crumpled form. Then a single soldier walked
forward, placed the muzzle of his gun close to
the little man's head and fired.
Thus died William Walker, "the gray-eyed man
of destiny,” “the nineteenth-century Cortez,” “the
Napoleon of Central America." He was all of
these and much more, for this tow-headed soldier
of fortune was one of the most remarkable char
acters In American history. There was a time
when his doings were a matter of international
concern, when he was a figure In the slavery dis
pute which led to the Civil war and when "he
occupied more columns of news and editorials
in American and British Journals than Presidents
Pierce and Buchanan or Queen Victoria. No man
ever so dazzled the American mind and heart as
this quiet little man. He was the beginning of
that peculiar madness which affects New l’ork
city whenever a hero visits there.”
iune was running m v> Miners euriy eureer,
unless It was the versatility of the man, to Indi
cate the Important role he was destined to play
on the stage of world affairs. The son of a
Scotch Presbyterian banker In Nashville, Tenn.,
Walker was a precocious child who was gradu
ated from the University of Nashville at the age
of seventeen. His father wanted him to be a
minister but his inclination was to medicine.
Studying for two years in the medical school
of the University of Pennsylvania, he then went
abroad to complete his education at Edinburgh
and Paris. At the age of twenty-one he was
back in Nashville “the most accomplished sur
geon that ever visited the city."
But he soon tired of medicine and next took
up the study of law. As soon ns he was ready
to practice, he moved to New Orleans but be
cause of his retiring disposition, which resulted
in a lack of clients, he gave up the law for Jour
nalism. In 1848 he became one of the editors
and proprietors of the Crescent which soon be
came an important newspaper in that city. At
that time New Orleans was the outfitting place
for many filibustering expeditions In Entln-Ainer
lcnn waters and countries. Considering Walker's
later career it seems strange that his editorial
policy concerning such expeditions was an ex
tremely conservative one. But It was and that
had something to do with the failure of his
paper.
However, an unfortunate love affair was the
principal reason for his leaving New Orleans and
seeking his fortune In the California gold fields.
He soon drifted Into Journalism ngnln, this time
as editor of the San Francisco Daily Herald.
At this time down In Central America Nicar
agua was undergoing one of Its periodical revolu
tions, a war In which the Democrats and Legiti
mists were struggling for control. Walker wrote
to General Castellon, head of the Democrats, of
fering the service of 300 American colonists
“liable to military service If they would agree
to provide land for them.” Castellon was de
lighted to have such allies and readily signed the
agreement, so In May, 1855, Walker at the head
of 56 adventurers sailed from San Francisco
aboard the S. S. Vesta which had been secretly
loaded with arms and ammunition. Arriving In
Realejo, the American leader hastened to Leon,
the Democrats’ base, where he was warmly wel
comed by Castellon, who made him a colonel and
placed him In command of the "American I'ha
lanx.”
Supported by a force of several hundred Dem
ocrat soldiers. Walker, acting under orders from
Castellon, marched to the attack of Rivas, one
of the leading cities of Nicaragua, which was
defended by some COO Legitimist troops. But
during the march Walker's Nicaraguan allies be
gan deserting and by the time he reached the
city they had dwindled to 100, all of whom lied
at the first fire of the Legitimists. Despite this
defection. Walker led his 56 Americans on to
the capture of the city, losing 6 dead and 12
wounded.
Unable to hold the city with his tiny force,
Walker retreated to Leon, where he threatened
to leave Castellon’s service and enlist under the
banner of the president of Honduras. But their
difficulties were patched up and Walker went on
from victory to victory, the climax coming In
his capture of Granada, the principal city of
Nicaragua, by a surprise attack made from a
steamer on Lake Nicaragua. Soon afterwards he
signed a peace agreement with General Corral,
leuder of the Legitimists, by which Don Patricio
William
Walker
^Joaquin
" Miller j
inmifj UU11U I
Walker'sFlacj /
'**r
Cornelius
Vanderbilt
Rivas was appointed provisional president, Corral
minister of wur and Walker, generalissimo of the
army.
Then Corral tried to double-cross Walker, who
exposed the minister's plot and had him execut
ed. By this time Walker was virtually dictator
over Nicaragua and he ruled with an Iron hand.
Americans and other foreigners to the number
of more than 1,200 had Joined him. Some of
them were desperate characters who looked for
ward to unlimited opportunities for free living
and free looting. But they were bitterly disap
pointed.
While Walker was master of Nicaragua that
country enjoyed a peace and contentment it
had not known for years. But trouble was brew
ing for him on the outside. The other Central
American republics, Costa Rica, Honduras, Salv
ador, and Guatemala, were becoming alarmed
over the prospect of his forming a "United States
of Centra! America," as he was dreaming of do
ing. and extending his influence over their coun
tries.
Great Britain was also becoming concerned
over his growing power. If the United States
secured control of Nicaragua and dug a Nicar
aguan canal, England's commercial supremacy
would be threatened. If he extended his power
throughout Central America, It meant a lessen
ing of England's influence there. And France
and Spain agreed with Britain that the expan
sion of the Uuited States in that quarter was
undesirable.
As a matter of fact their fears were ground
less so far as Walker's having an ofllcial stand
ing as an agent of American imperialism was
concerned. For he was persona non grata with
his own country as much as he was with the
others. William L. Marcy, secretary of state,
looked upon him as littie more than a criminal
and one whose example might stimulate filibus
tering and embroil the United States in endless
difficulties with her southern neighbors. In the
South he was something of a hero but in the
North where anti-slavery sentiment was growing,
his pro-slavery views were causing suspicion and
alarm. But even though it is doubtful if Walker
had any idea of trying to aid the extension of
slavery, he made the fatal mistake of antagoniz
ing the powerful financial Interests of the North,
notably the group of men headed by old Cor
nelius Vanderbilt who had been exploiting Nicar
agua.
ihey were the owners of the Transit company
which had a contract to dig a Nicaraguan canal
and which was running a line of steamers from
New York to Nicaragua on the Atlantic side and
another line from that country up to San Fran
cisco on the Pacific side. This company had
agreed to pay Nicaragua $10,000 and 10 per cent
of its profits each year in return for a monopoly
of the carrying trade to and from that country.
Walker, believing that the Transit company
had been cheating his adopted country, started
an investigation. The result was that he de
manded a settlement of $250,000 which the finan
ciers refused. Thereupon he seized the company's
property as security for the debt, revoked its
charter and granted a new one to a rival com
pany. Old Cornelius Vanderbilt was furious.
He resolved to smash Walker.
Costa Itica had already started war against
Nicaragua and Honduras was preparing to take
up arms. Both of the hostile countries were
being supplied with arms, if not financial sup
port, by England. It is said that the necessary
financial support was given by Vanderbilt and
his colleagues. In a preliminary skirmish a Costa
Itlcan force, led by the Prussian general, Von
Bulow, and made up of mercenaries as well as
natives of Costa Ilica, defeated a force of Nicar
aguans and lilibusterers, led by one of Walker’s
subordinates, and captured Ilivas.
But it was a different story when Walker rode
out from Granada in April, 1856, with 500 men,
four-fifths of them Americans, to give battle to
the army of 3,200 Costa Iticans. Although he
was driven from the battlefield, he Inflicted such
heavy losses on the enemy that they were glad
to withdraw.
A mixed army of Leonese and Hondurans next
menaced him from the north but by quick work
he repulsed it, then turned his attention to in
ternal affairs. He became a candidate for the
presidency of Nicaragua and in July, 1856, won
the election with the largest vote ever cast for
that office. But he was not allowed to enjoy his
triumph very long. Soon his enemies were cross
ing the border again. There followed a series
of defeats which forced him to evacuate Granada
and he destroyed It to keep It from falling Into
the hands of the enemy. Finally with a remnant
of the army which had followed him so devoted
ly, he was cornered In a coast town. In April,
1857, the American warship St. Mary's sailed Into
the harbor and Captain Davis, its commander,
demnnded that Walker surrender “In the name
of humanity.” Walker refused, but when he
saw that his small force was doomed to be over
whelmed by the enemy he was willing to accept
the safe convoy which Davis offered him.
Going aboard the St. Mary's he was taken to
Panama and from there made his way to New
York, where he was received In triumph. Hasten
ing on to Washington, he demanded that -the
United States government support him In re
storing to him the presidency of Nicaragua to
which he had been legally elected. But Wash
ington turned a deaf ear to his pleas. He went
on into the South where he was received with
the wildest enthusiasm and the papers of that
period are filled with news of his schemes for
regaining the power he had once held.
In the meantime Nicaragua had elected an
other president but Walker was not willing to
accept this evidence that the southern republic
was through with Its "gringo presidente.” He
organized another filibustering expedition, was
arrested for doing so but, when brought to trial,
was acquitted. Within two weeks he had sailed
from New Orleans with a force'of 150 men, land
ed his munitions at San Juan del Norte and cap
tured Castle Viejo.
In December Commodore Paulding nrrlved in
the United States frigate Wabash, landed a forty,
of 350 men, trained his guns on Walker's camy"
and demanded his surrender. Walker was taken
to Washington as a prisoner of war. But the
federal government refused to receive him and
President Buchanan even rebuked Paulding for
his act and suspended him from duty. Although
Walker was turned free, a public proclamation
forbade his interfering with Central American
affairs again.
By now the presidency of Nicaragua had be
come an obsession with Walker. For two years
he made several attempts to lead another ex
pedition to Nicaragua but he was too closely
watched by both the American and British gov
ernments to succeed. Unable to go there direct,
he decided to get into the country by way of
Honduras. In August, I860, he sailed from Mo
bile with 100 devoted followers. Within two
weeks he had entered Nicaragua and captured
the town of Trujillo.
Then a warship appeared—this time a British
vessel, the Icarus, commanded by Captain Sal
mon. Declaring that Walker was Interfering
with British rights In the town, Salmon demand
ed the fillbusterer’s surrender. Walker refused
but when a force of Hondurans commanded by
General Alvarez began to mass to recapture the
town. Walker evacuated It and with 70 men re
treated down the coast. The Honduran leader
and his British ally followed and cornered the
filibustered at Rio Negro.
Walker surrendered to Salmon on his promise
not to turn him over to the Hondurans, a prom
ise which the British officer broke as soon as
they returned to Trujillo. Wulker and his men
were delivered Into the hands of Alvarez. His
followers were released through the Intercession
of the British officer but when Salmon told
Walker "If you will appeal to me as an Ameri
can citizen I will save you with the rest” Walk
er's reply was "The President of Nicaragua Is
a citizen of Nicaragua.” Facing death, he would
uot give up his dream of being a ruler.
The Hondurans, who looked upon him as an
alien tyrant whose ambition threatened the se
curity of their country and all Central American
republics, court martialed him and sentenced
him to death. So on the morning of September
12, 18G0, he walked bravely to his death in front
of a firing squad.
Joaquin Miller, that queer genius who was a
follower of the "king of the filibustered” and
who later became famous as the "Poet of the
Sierras,” sought to immortalize him in a long
poem, “With Walker In Nicaragua," but It Is
doubtful If his poem Is any better known today
than is the subject of Its Inspiration. In bis day
William Walker was a “lost leader." Today he
Is a “forgotten man” nor has the recent talk of
dictators served to revive even for a little while
the memory of this ill-fated dictator over the
destinies of an American republic.
£ Western Newspaper Union.
Fight Spread of Paralysis Epidemic
I
By WILLIAM C. UTLEY
Approximately 350 cases
of poliomyelitis—"polio” for
short and popularly known
as "Infantile paralysis”—
have been brought to light In North
Carollnu in one of the worst epi
demics of the dread disease In re
cent history.
The epidemic Is rapidly spread
ing north Into Virginia. Its further
course will probably be checked
with the advent of cooler weather,
for polio Is a summer disense, nnd
by the efforts of locnl, state and fed
eral authorities, they have turned
the area Into a gigantic laboratory
for the study of the use of vaccines
In Immunizing persons to the dis
ease. Medical authorities on the
spot believe it will prove to be the
most Important experiment of Its
kind ever undertaken.
North Carolina's plight follows
In the wake of lesser epidemics In
California and elsewhere. The very
seriousness of the Increase in in
fantile paralysis cases may prove
to be a blessing in disguise If
enough can be learned about the
Insidious virus, which twists and
cripples bodies, to protect humanity
against It in the future.
The first widespread attack of
polio was noticed In Jackson coun
ty, in the far western part of North
Carolina. From there the disease
Jumped, in the words of Dr. J. C.
Knox, state epidemiologist, "like a
skyrocket," and "burst" in Italeigh
and the rest of Wake county, all
the way across the state, on the
Atlantic seaboard.
It is believed that the disease In
North Carolina has been checked
and is abating, but in Virginia the
number of cases reported Is on the
upturn, its course having seemingly
followed the highway over the en
tire length of the state, with no in
dication yet as to where its spread
will stop.
Cause of Spread Unknown.
Just how the disease was car
ried is not known. Direct contact
with a diseased person is not neces
sary to contract it. It almost never
strikes two members of the same
family. “Carriers” — people who
have such mild cases of polio that
they do not even feel sick—carry
the virus to others whose natural
immunity is low and who therefore
contract the disease in considerably
more violent form. Tiiat is much
tlie same ns the manner in which
typhoid fever and diphtheria are
spread. A single carrier, unknown
to himself, may create several se
vere cases.
When a few carriers hit a region
where the natural immunity of the
people is relatively low, nn epidemic
is usually the result. That is prob
ably what happened in North Caro
lina and Virginia.
While the disease Is not nearly
so much confined to young chil
dren as the term Infantile paralysis
would suggest. It is still more preva
lent In children of five or less than
In any other age group. For that
reason the one sure preventive Is
a difficult one to administer. It is
complete Isolation. The only way
to be absolutely certain of keeping
children from catching polio Is to
keep them away from all playmates
and from all crowds.
Unfortunately there is no Bure
way to tell who is Immune and who
is not. And there is no means of
effecting artificial immunity which
has been satisfactorily proven. Vac
cines which may do the trick are
being tested now in the southeast
epidemic.
Dr. Maurice Brodie, working un
der Dr. William H. Parks, head of
the New York city health depart
ment, has developed the Park-Bro
die vaccine. Another hns been de
veloped by Dr. John A. Kolmer, of
the Temple university medical
school in Philadelphia. With the
William H. Merrell company, man
ufacturing chemists of Cincinnati,
Doctor Kolmer is providing between
6,000 and 7,000 “shots” of the vac
cine free every month—enough to
vaccinate about 3,600 children.
Test Two Serums.
Neither of these vaccines must
be believed to be a cure. They are
merely preventives. Both of them
contain the polio virus—not a bac
terium, but a poison. The Parks
Brodie vaccine contains the "killed”
virus and Doctor Kolmer’s contains
the greately weakened virus. Both
have been known to produce in ani
mals an immunity which lasts about
two years. How long it will last in
human beings has not yet been de
Left: Exercising the muscles of an infantile paralysis victim in
the underwater treatment Above: A new shipment of Rhesus monkeys
arrives from Asia to provide experimental serums. Right: Ready to
give their lives for science.
termined, for It has not yet had suf
ficient test.
A necessary requisite for both
vaccines is the Ilhesus monkey, the
little “blushing" monkey, so called
because of the way his face gets
red when he Is excited, which we
see In zoos.
Rhesus monkeys are Imported
from India, where they are held
to be sacred, at a cost of $10 each.
In preparation for giving Ills life
that humanity may be saved from
the scourge of polio, the monkey
Is quarantined for two weeks to
make sure that It Is In good health.
At the end of that period it Is given
nn ether anesthetic and the polio
virus is Injected through its skull
Into the brain. Infantile paralysis
develops.
When the disease reaches Its cli
max, the monkey is killed and Its
spinal cord, full of the virus, Is
removed. This cord Is hacked up
Into tiny bits and Immersed in a
salt solution In a vessel which con
tains a number of steel balls n half
Inch or so in diameter. While the
vessel Is shaken and agitated for 12
house, the halls crush the hits of
spinal cord to a pulp. The fluid
which Is thus contained Is attenu
ated with sodium ricinoleate and al
lowed to incubate for eight hours.
Then It is strained and purified and
put Into bottles which hold five
cubic centimeters each, enough to
bring Immunity to three children.
Children Replace Animals.
While Indications certainly point
to the fact that at least artificial Im
munity has been perfected, the vac
cines are still admittedly In the ex
experimental stage. The last great
experiment is- one of the most dra
matic medical tests that could be
imagined.
for instead or monkeys or white
mice, the laboratory subjects are
boys and girls. Some of them are
selected to receive the vaccine ami
an equal number are selected as
"controls” who will not receive the
injections, but who will be observed
for symptoms exactly the same as
the vaccinated subjects.
All selections are made by lot. To
Insure against the personal ac
quaintance element which might de
stroy the Impartiality so vital to
such an undertaking, the adminis
tration of the tests has been taken
out of the hands of local authori
ties. Medical men from the United
States public health service are op
erating to relieve local physicians
from the Inhuman task. Dr. James
P. Leake directs the work.
Dr. A. G. Gilliam, at Greensboro,
N. C., has been charged with the
thankless job of deciding which
children are to receive the vaccine
and which are to act as controls. It
is he who must listen to the pitiful
pleading of parents that their chil
dren be given the chance for Immu
nity. Here Is something which pay
prevent their loved ones from con
tracting one of the most dreadful of
all diseases. Even if it does not
work it will do no harm.
Rut humanity must know for cer
tain whether It will work. And If
such knowledge Is ever to be ac
quired, the tests must be conducted
Impersonally. The vaccine must be
administered to children of all
classes—the poor, the rich, the In
telligent, the unintelligent. It must
be given to many whether their par
ents want them to have it or not.
And it must be withheld from oth
ers whose parents have, like one of
the most prominent surgeons In
the South, fought tooth and toenail
and pulled every string In desper
ate attempt to secure Immunization
for them.
Selecting the Subjecti.
There is a drama for you! What
heroes these federal men are to be
able to withstand the frantic plead
ing of loving mothers and straw
grasping fathers!
Here's the way Doctor Gilliam
'does It:
Parents who desire vaccine for
their children register with their
family physician. Half the children
are selected for vaccine and the
other half as controls by Doctor
Gilliam's office. Then those to be
vaccinated nre ordered to report
back to their physician and are
given the vaccine. The physician
must give It as ordered, must ac
count for his supply, because the
federal men have the names of the
recipients on tile and the recipients
themselves under observation. The
Idea, of course, is to observe wheth
er fewer cases develop among the
vaccinated group than among the
control group.
Of course other tests are being
made. It Is being found that In
jections of serums prepared from
the blood of convalescent cases Is
not harmful, but Is -also of very
little help. Dr. W. Lloyd Aycock,
of the Infantile paralysis commis
sion of Harvard university believes
that heredity is an Important fac
tor and Is making experiments to
determine the truth of his assump
tion.
Symptoms Often Unrecognized.
Infantile paralysis in a locality
where therg Is no epidemic Is oft
en unrecognized until actual paraly
sis sets in. At first it looks like
any one of a number of other In
fectious diseases. There Is head
ache, vomiting, drowsiness, Irrita
bility, fever, Hushing, congestion of
the throat and great sweating at
night. Usually early symptoms are
stiffness of the back and neck. Since
the inflammation reaches the nerv
ous system, there may be pnln In
the muscles and joints, tenderness
of the skin and pain In moving any
of the Joints. Tills latter pain may
be so Intense that any slight move
ment will be almost unbearable.
As soon ns the doctor suspects
polio, he will probably want to
make certain laboratory tests to
make sure, for there are other dis
eases, such ns meningitis, which
affect the spinal cord. He will prob
ably Inject a needle into the spinal
cord and draw off some of the
fluid to examine It.
In the early, or prepnrnlytlc
stages, the disease may resemble a
severe summer cold and Is Indeed
upon Instance without more harm
ful permanent effect than a cold.
Early and correct diagnosis is of
great Importance.
The victim Is immediately put to
bed and elven absolute rest. Per
haps the doctor will administer a
convalescent blood serum or a vac
cine, the usefulness of neither of
which Is certain. The patient Is
kept away from all contact with
others. And that Is about all that
can be done at that point.
Six or eight weeks may be the
period during which all movement
or exertion is highly dangerous.
The apparent helplessness of the
physician during this period some
times drives frightened parents to
accept the remedies of so-called
“natural healers” and other quacks
which often destroy the patient’s
chances for survival.
Exercise Must B« Gradual.
Not until every trace of tender
ness is gone can even the simplest
of muscle exercises begin. Fatigue
must be avoided. Relaxation and
ease must be encouraged. Swimming
pools and underwater treatment are
desirable In most cases. This meth
od was discovered In a Chicago
hospital. The development of the
Warm Springs, Ga., pool under the
patronage of its most distinguished
visitor and patient. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and using
his name for Its natural publicity
value, has encouraged many cities
to maintain pools for the underwa
ter treatment of Infantile paraly
sis.
Slowly but certainly, mankind
Is going to learn how to beat polio
myelitis, just as it has other dis
eases. One of the most Important
steps will be the experiments now
being conducted In North Carolina
and Virginia.
Meanwhile, parents whose chil
dren have been afflicted need only
to examine history to take heart.
To mention only two, there ara
men who have attained great
heights although victims of Infan
tile paralysis. Sir Walter Scott was
struck down by the disease when
hardly more than a baby, yet lived
to become Immortal In the world of
letters; Franklin D. Roosevelt Old
not contract It until he was a fully
grown man, yet he Is today Presi
dent of the United States and one
of the most tireless dynamos Of
energy In all history.
The moral is: Take heart—and
don't give up!
* O Western Newspaper Union,