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I HE caprice of a dark eyed Spanish beauty.
Slgmora Uabella Anfrule y Montlava. ia aald to
be the real cause of the revolution In Para
guay. The fact ia a diplomatic nee ret. and
only became known by mereat chance. Even
now the circumstances connected with one
of the most romantic Incidents In the history
of South American revolutions will be strenu
ously denied at Washington. It la for this reason that the
etdry can be told only In a guarded way.
;On the surface the revolution In raraguay has appeared
to; be like almost all other South American revolutions.
There has been the usual revolt against the government
party. The usual battle, the usual seizure of steamers snd
gunboats, the usual bombardments, the same officious, fussy
unxiety of foreign consuls, the customary negotiations, and
the expected happy ending for all parties concerned except
for the man who paid for the excitement and the fireworks
; Now that It is all over, it Is said that the secret of it all
wss the refusal of Isabella Angules y Montlava to marry
Lieut. Ector Carreras until he became president of the re
public. Romance af the Bottom of It.
, : Paraguay has had an able president In the person ot
Juan Bsquarra ever since 1(KU, and his term of office does
not expire until Between Lieut. Ector Carreras and
the presidency there Is a long list of swarthy generals. But
Jjeut. Carreras did not care for either President Esquarra
cr the swarthy generals. He was much In love with Isabella
Angules y Montlava. and if she would not marry him until
he became president, why. the swarthy generals would have
if stand out of the way. or take the consequences.
: I uabella Is th daughter of a wealthy ranchero whose
t'tantatlon extends back, for scores of miles from the river
v Vx "V v w aw s
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Rio de la Platte. He la as wealthy that he does not really
know how many acrea of grass land, how many acres of
mahogany and rubber trees, how many silver mines, or how
many horses and csttle be owns. His wife and daughter
spend most or their time in Parts, and It ia only for a few
brief weeks that they consent to grace the society of the
South America republic with their presence.
It was at the president's ball that Lieut. Ector Carreras
first met Isabella Angules y Montlava. and even before he
knew that she was the only child of old Fernandez Mont
lava he fell desperately in love with her. He wasn't so bad
rv-3 t-o'Tsn r
2
a match, for his father was as wealthy as Fernandez Mont
lava. So he could not be looked upon as a mere fortuno
hunter.
Leader in Battle and Ballroom.
Lieut. Carreras was more than the rich son of a rich
father. He was handsome, and he had proved that he, could
wear a fatigue uniform in the campaign against the enemies
oi the republic with as much grace as he wore his full dress
uniform in the ballroom on the nights of the president's glit
tering receptions. In other words, he was a bold, dashing
soldier, content to serve as a subaltern.
Ector Carreras was amDltious to reach no higher rank thufi
that of a lieutenant until he met Isabella Angules y Mont
lava. He wooed her with all the impetuous fervor of his
Spanish nature, and won hor almost. He declared his love
at the diplomatic reception at the president's palace.
Isabella was almost ready to consent and thin the will
ful caprice of her nature assorted itself. With a glance
at the magnificent rooms of the palace she flashed her glo
rious eyes into those of Ector Carreras and declared Bhe
would wed him when he could make her the mistress of the
president's palace.
" Become president of Paraguay," said Isabella Angules
y Montlava. " and I will marry you."
" Do you mean It? " asked Lieut. Ector.
" Yes, If you dare it," retorted Isabella.
" Dare It! I'd start twenty revolutions in Paraguay to
win you," said the lieutenant. " I'll start a revolution to
morrow morning."
"Suppose you do. and fail. What then?'
"What then? I suppose they will stand me blindfolded
against a stone wall and let a file of soldiers shoot bullets
through me," answered Lieut. Ector, with a laugh, "but
I'm not going to fall. Good-by,' he said, holding out hl
hand. " I am going to begin work on the revolution tonight."
How to Begin a Revolution.
It ia not a difficult matter to begin a revolution in a
South American republic. Lieut. Ector Carreras knew all
the intricacies of the art. It whs only a question of money
to buy men and guns especially men. He had the money
and he knew where men were to bo bought and guns were
to be found.
Within an hour Lieut. Ector had managed to hold a few
minutes' conversation with several members of the minis
try. He discovered in the ordinary course of conversation
that the minister of the navy, the ministry of the Interior,
and the minister for foreign affairs were dissatisfied. One
was too poor to keep up his social position and wanted
money. Another was eager to be sent to Paris as minister to
France, because his wife and daughter insisted on living in
Parla and could not afford It. The minister of the navy
only wanted to fight. He was tired of peace.
Ector Carreras was so rich that even a cabinet minister
was humbled before him. So his promises were as good as
an account in a Paris bank. To the minister of the Interior
Lieut. Ector promised a fortune. To the minister of foreign
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affairs he promised a six years' residence in Paris at a salary
equal to that of the British ambassador. To the miniate,
ot the navy he promised a war. And thus Lieut. Ector. lain
the foundation for his revolution.
Ector Carreras knew that the minister of war was
wealthy and not to be bribed. He was loyal and hence not
dissatisfied. It looked to Carreras as If he would have to
fight against t,he minister of war.
Eager for Excitement of War.
Lieut. Carreras left the president's reception at 10
o'clock in the evening, and before midnight had summoned
to his luxurious bachelor rooms a dozen officers like him
self rich, reckless, and ready for anything that promised
the excitement of war. All were the sons of rich planter
and all were ready enough to Juln Ector Carreras In a revo
lution or anything else.
" It's aH settled, isn't it? " called out Lieut. Rodrlgo
Nunez, as he drank off another glass of Oarreras' cham
pagne. " Yes." " Yes." " Yes," responded a chorus of the young
officers. "Vivas le revolution!"
" But where will we find soldiers? " asked a cautious
lieutenant. ft
" Why, the men on our plantations." answered Carreras.
"There ought to be several thousand of them; and we know
they would rather fight than work. Why, a revolution will
be. a holiday for them." ,
" All right, let's 'say you can get the soldiers. Where
are the guns?" persisted the cautious lieutenant.
"I'll find the guns," said Carreras. "Oentlemen," he
continued, opening the door to the adjoining room and beck
oning a Bhort. thick set man, with a bristly gray mustache,
closely cropped hair, and n bald head, " let me Introduce
Herr Schmidt of Berlin."
The lieutenant stared, then laughed, asJIerr Schmidt
bowed low.
" Herr Schmidt," continued Carreras, " is the agent of
a German company which makes a specialty of meeting the
demands of the Central and South American revolutionary
trade. Now, I happened to know that he has a whole steam
er load of Mauser rifles, machine guns, swords, ammunition,
uniforms, and camp equipage. I propose we buy the whole
cargo, send it up the river to my father's plantation, and
thus, by the simple drawing of a draft on my own bank
account in London, arm and equip our army. Easy, Isn't It? ''
The young officers applauded.
' It's all settled, isn't it?" asked Carreras.
" Yes, all settled! " declared the rest of hia comrades.
An Office Seeks the Man.
" Wait one minute, gentlemen," persisted
lieutenant once more. " After the revolution
ed, what are we to do with the government?
the cautious
has succeed
Who will be
president of Paraguay? "
The question was a poser. No one but the cautious lieu
tenant had thought of it no one but Carreras and he only
thought of Isabella Angules y Montlava.
" Count me out." declared Lieut. Rodrlgo Nunez. " I'm
going to Paris this winter."
" I'll be too busy settling up the governor's estate," said
Lieut. Miguel Rlbledo, whose father had died only a short
limp hffnrp
"Politics is a beastly bore," declared Don Rafael Fe-I
licit, who had spent a season In London.
" O, well, gentlemen." put in Carreras. "since no one'
else wants to be president and some one must be. If we sue
ceed, I may as well take the place myself."
"That's fair," shouted all the lieutenants. "As long
as you are paying all the expenses you may as well have j
the presidency."
" Who ever heard of a lieutenant being president ; of
Paraguay? " put in the cautious lieutenant.
"No, that wouldn't do, would It?" asked Lieut. Rod
rlgo Nunez, blankly; and then, his face clearing with
happy thought, he raised his champagne glass.
"Fill up your glasses," he cried, "and drink to Gen.j
Ector Carreras, commander In chief of the revolutionary
armies of Paraguay and the future president of the republic."
The lieutenants drank the toast and went away. Before
daylight Herr Schmidt had received a check upon 4he London
bank for 20,000 pounds sterling and his steamer load of '
" mining and plantation machinery " was making Its way
slowly up the river to the Carreras plantation. Mounted
messengers left the city at daylight summoning all the
white plantation hands of a dozen big estates to meet at
the Carreras plantation three days following. The Pin.
Kuayan navy three gunboats and a steam launch under ,
orders of the minister of marine steamed up the river to be
ready to assist.
Breaking the News to Her.
A violet scented note was leftf with the maid of Isabella '
Angules y Montlava to be given to that haughty beaut
when she awoke the morning after the president's reception.
It read:
" In three days."
It was not signed, but Isabella readily guessed that It
came from her lover.
" Isn't he JUBt splendid! " she cried, when she read the
note. " I'll marry htm even if he doesn't succeed that la,"
she said to herself, " If they don't shoot him."
Three days later Paraguay was profoundly surprised to
find Itself confronted by a revolution. No one had dreameo
of a revolution. Political leaders had not planned one. .
" What Is It? " asked the people of Paraguay, as they
heard the sounds of conflict.
The history of the Paraguay revolution ia already effaced
from the minds of men. It all happened more than a week
ago. and therefore no one knows whither it failed or not;
but cable messages from Paris announce the arrival there ,
ot Signora Isabella Angules y Montlava. and it la said fur- ' ''
ther that in a few weeks she Is to wed Lieut. Ector Car
reras, late of the Paraguayan army. Therefore It Is as
sumed that Isabella waa so delighted with the revolution
and so pleased that her own lieutenant escaped being shot
as a traitor that she has decided to marry him anyway,
even If he Is not president of Paraguay.