Show camous HEA LINE HUNTER af U C Is US executed by FLOYD FLOTD GIBBONS CRANK RANK WHITTIE of new york city picked up a book about 1 I south american revolutions the other day and it reminded him of the time he was wandering around venezuela and ran right smack into one of those tough little two acre revolutions himself it was up in the town of coro on the north coast in the year 1929 in the spring of that year frank found himself out of a job and broke in Lagon illas and wandered from there to maracaibo looking for work there he met up with a stranded norwegian sailor and the pair of them started hiking tor for caracas but they never got to caracas and as tar far as frank Is concerned he just any hankering to go there it was pretty tough going that trip overland from maracaibo the way was through dense jungle full of snakes and animals they drank dirty swamp water and were glad to get it the towns were few and far between and they were half starved on entering every one they were about all in when they arrived at the outskirts of coro caught in middle of a revolution they were looking forward to a decent meal and something ng better than swamp water to drink but as they approached the town they heard firing in the distance and as they came closer they saw that coro was virtually in a state of siege surrounded by government soldiers another one of those south american revolutions had sprung up overnight and coro was no safe place to be ini in I 1 what to do you know those little south american revolutions are sometimes more cruel and bloody fought with less regard for human life than the big wars of europe it if they went on be right in the thick of it and if they turned back over that long jungle they might starve before they could cover the distance to the nearest town while they were deliberating the matter was decided for them halt half a dozen soldiers appeared suddenly on the road ahead and began firing frank pulled the he big norwegian down on the ground he whipped out a white handkerchief and waved it the soldiers took them prisoners marched arched in them into town they were searched and questioned in vain did frank and the norwegian protest that they were not revolutionists that they knew nothing about a revolution they were thrown into a bare dirty cell fed some dirty hat half cooked beans and left there facing the firing k squad the days rolled on frank wrote note after note to the american consul but he found out later that they were never delivered the Z in another ten seconds both of them would be dead cell faced a courtyard where recruits were being drilled all day long and frank who knew a little spanish began talking to them one re cruit in particular took a liking to him and told him there was an american senor king living in town who might help him hain franks heart leaped when he heard that king was an old boss of his in Lagon illas and knew him well frank wrote a note to king and sent it out by his friend the recruit he wrote a half dozen more in the days that followed but somehow king never got any of them and finally on the ninth day of their incarceration he heard that they were going to be taken out that morning to face a firing squad iwas true soldiers came and unlocked their cell frank and the norwegian were taken out and blindfolded they stood with their backs to an adobe wall and over at the other side of the court they could hear the venezuelan soldiers loading their rifles A native officer shouted an order to take aim in another ten seconds both of them would be dead and then suddenly franks friend the recruit came dashing into the courtyard frank heard him crying excitedly that senor king was outside getting a permit for a revolver and knew the message was meant for him if he could only reach king or get his attention some howl blindfold dash to get to king r says frank 1 I was blindfolded but my arms and legs were free I 1 have a second to lose so I 1 did the first thing that popped into my mind I 1 grabbed my friend the norwegian by the arm and we made a dash for it frank get anywhere in his blindfolded dash but he get shot either the native soldiers were so surprised that they held their fire straight across the court ran frank and the norwegian bowling over the swarthy little men who tried to stop them tugging at the cloths claths that bandaged their eyes and bumping into everything in the tha way frank know what or who he bumped into he see but he could hear well enough to realize that they were creating a commotion the uproar could be hoard heard for blocks officers judges town officials came running to the court to see what was the matter and with them came king about that time frank had his bandage off ile he saw king and yelled to him blin king saw frank and recognized him what are you doing here he wanted to know and frank told him what had happened king then turned to one of the c city ity officials angrily he told alis him juat just what the american consul would do when he heard that an american had been imprisoned without reason and sentenced to death without a trial then he turned around and walked off in a rage vowing 1 that hed have hav e the united states navy down there if frank turned loose by the following day the ven Venezuela ns hustled frank and the norwegian back into their cell on the courtyard but early the next morning an armed guard let them out put them aboard a special train and took them down to the seacoast town of la vela there they were put aboard a schooner and told they were free 0 service |