in Paris, and the entire family, including Lonfranco, joined her on the continent
the following May for a two month family reunion.
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RENALDO
The first-class passage to Europe was a far cry from what the young Italian
had experienced on his initial crossing of the Atlantic. The other passengers
reveled in his stories of hardship and deprivation as they sipped champagne from
the finest crystal. How things had changed for the boy from Livorno. Steerage-
class hardships were a distant memory. Only the best available amenities were
acceptable for the general and his entourage.
The family traveled on to London after their stay on the continent, where
Lonfranco and the general set about acquiring some of the best polo ponies that
money could buy. The general made a special gift of one fine grey Arabian mare
to Lonfranco, a gesture that brought heartfelt tears to the young man’s eyes.
They even managed to play a few chuckers of polo at an exclusive club
on the outskirts of London, the president of the club being very willing to rub
shoulders with an Argentine war hero and businessman. Lonfranco had played
the game with great enthusiasm many times since that first day at the picnic in
Buenos Aires, and he had displayed such talent that the general now included
him in his first-team lineup.
The polo ponies were not the only business matters that the general
tended to while indulging himself at the sport he loved. The man responsible
for San Marco’s presence at Hocking’s Squire Polo Club was none other than the
president of British Rail Overseas Limited, Wendel Barrington Thompson.
Thompson, a retired cavalry officer in the Queen’s Dragoons, was, like
much of the British public captivated by the stories of daring from the American
Wild West. Several famous frontiersmen were now touring the continent,
displaying their polished western skills with a six-shooter, lariat, and carbine.
Wild Bill Hickok, Sitting Bull, and Annie Oakley were only a few of
the characters that had leapt out of the periodical pages into the arenas and
fairgrounds of Europe. Although less widely publicized than its American
counterpart, the Argentine struggle against its native Indians had followed a
similarly bloodthirsty path. The romantic image of the gaucho and the fabled
tales of Argentina’s most successful Indian fighter raised the profile of General
Figueroa San Marco to celebrity status during his visit to England. It also
opened some extremely coveted doors into the inner boardrooms of British
commerce and finance.
The general, through Wendel Thompson’s influence, had made an
impressive presentation to the corporate board of directors of British Rail
Overseas Limited. The thrust of his message stated the case for extensive
expansion of the rail lines that the British company owned or controlled into
the Pampas heartland of Argentina.
The facts spoke for themselves. Improved agricultural techniques and
revolutionary mechanical devices, combined with the staggering influx of
knowledgeable farmers and astute scientists from Europe, meant that the fertile
Argentine plain was ripe for tremendous expansion and development.
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JAMES McCREATH
Vastly improved beef cattle were successfully being bred and nurtured on
the Pampas’ endless expanse. Slaughterhouses needed direct lines to the ports
to enable timely export of their highly sought-after products. Sheep, cotton,
grains, and vegetables were all there as well for any person with foresight to
capitalize upon the idea.
The general offered his wide-reaching influence in any and every way
possible to the Englishmen, and the fact that he backed up his enthusiasm for
their investment dollars with a spectacular display of polo skills was not lost
on several polo-playing board members. The British Rail Overseas Corporation
promised to send high-ranking officials to Buenos Aires on the next available
crossing to further discuss the matter with their associates there. The general
was assured that his expertise and connections would be invaluable to the
corporation and that contact would be made immediately upon his return to
South America.
The horn of plenty spread its bounty over the rich lands of Buenos
Recuerdos for the next three years. Through the general’s diligence and
painstaking attention to detail, a modern industrial and agricultural revolution
took place right there in Pergamino.
Figueroa San Marco had been able to convince the Englishmen to use his
own expansive lands as an experimental testing ground. Some seventy miles
of track were laid as a trunk spur from the main estancia compound to a site
on the Parana River, just south of the town of San Nicholas de los Arroyos.
This location became the terminus and deep-water port for the general’s own
exported goods. A slaughterhouse, tannery, grain mill, and cotton gin all
became integral operating facets of ‘Port San Marco.’
The financial viability of such a project quickly became evident to the
British Rail operators. They were dazzled by General San Marco’s resourcefulness.
One full year had not elapsed since the first railway tie had been laid at Buenos
Recuerdos, but Wendel Barrington Thompson had already seen enough. He
pleaded with the general to open negotiations immediately with the Argentine
government to secure vast tracts of land for rail expansion.
At this point in his life, Figueroa San Marco had all but retired from active
military duty. He preferred to spend his time overseeing the hands-on toils at
his rapidly developing estancia and seaport, and when necessary, traveling to
the capital to lobby government officials in an effort to achieve more favorable
trade tariffs for foreign governments.
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RENALDO
It was in his new capacity as a paid lobbyist that the general first opened
discussions with President Julio Argentino Roca concerning the tremendous
economic benefits that Argentina could derive should the Pampas be extensively
and efficiently connected to the ports of Rosario and Buenos Aires by means of
expanded rail service. Roca was impressed with the forecasts and statistics and
promised to inform the Minister of the Interior of the British Rail proposal.
Lonfranco De Seta was the general’s constant companion in each and
every aspect of this complicated puzzle. The boy had learned to type, and
this enabled the general to dictate and courier off memos or dispatches on a
moment’s notice.
The former ‘pick and shovel man’ was appointed executive assistant to
the general at a large formal dinner in his behalf at Casa San Marco in Buenos
Aires. There was no area of the family business of which the young Italian did
not have intimate knowledge.
Still, the newly appointed executive assistant had trouble understanding
why he deserved to be so fortunate, when he had really given the general and
his family little more than devotion and hard work in return. The continual
affection and respect showered upon him made the equation even harder to
solve. There was not on
e thing that he longed for, be it spiritual, emotional, or
material. He could honestly say that he had never been happier!
Nothing could have prepared him for the explosive end to this idyllic life
one beautiful Sunday morning, in November of 1905.
5
Chapter Five
The Argentine political landscape at the turn of the century was, for the
most part, one of ‘peace and efficient administration,’ brought forth by
the ruling National Autonomist Party.
This was definitely a pro-capitalist regime and broad expansion of
the economy was courted with the use of foreign capital. But not everyone
prospered during the mandate of President Julio Argentino Roca, and civil
unrest intensified under the guise of a new populist political party, The Radical
Social Union.
Initially, the R.S.U. was nonviolent in its attempts to lure voters to their
platform, but 1905 brought rampant inflation and an economic downturn to
the country that hit the working classes the hardest. Demonstrations and minor
disruptions of public services gave way to bombings of government facilities and
kidnappings of high-ranking officials. In desperation, President Roca turned to
the one man he felt could take charge of the situation and restore law and order,
General Figueroa San Marco.
The general had initially protested that he was all but retired from
military affairs and preferred to have a younger man cut his teeth on this latest
crisis. President Roca could not be swayed, however, insisting that the general’s
high profile as a war hero and economic miracle worker could allay the peoples’
fears of a full-scale revolution.
Roca was also aware that the general possessed the ruthlessness to use
whatever force required to achieve the destruction of the R.S.U., if he was
pressed to do so.
To sweeten the reward, Roca promised the general all remaining lands
required by the British Rail investors if he succeeded in bringing an end to the
upheaval. Roca swore that this would enable San Marco to retire to his business
interests full-time, with an even greater public profile.
“Perhaps a great political career could be in the general’s future, if he so
desired. Why, even the presidency could be within your grasp. I certainly do
not plan to be here forever!” Roca eluded.
There was nothing San Marco could do but heed the call of his president
in a time of great turmoil. An assassination attempt on the life of the Minister
of the Interior the very next day brought home the urgency of the situation.
The general mobilized the army, arrested thousands of suspected subversives,
JAMES McCREATH
placed a curfew on the streets of Buenos Aires from dusk until dawn, and
banned all public gathering.
The harsh measures were supported by the majority of Porteños, who were
anxious to restore economic stability and not discourage the influx of foreign
capital.
It was one bloody confrontation with a large group of R.S.U. activists that
turned the tide of the struggle in the government’s favor. The army had been
tipped off by a paid informer that the leadership of the R.S.U. was holding
a strategy meeting at an old bull fighting stadium in the Monserrat Barrio.
Several hundred supporters would also be present to handle security.
General San Marco gave the orders to allow the meeting to take place.
Once the subversives were inside the stadium, the army closed off all the escape
routes, jammed the streets in the surrounding area with artillery loaded with
grapeshot, backed the artillery up with mounted cavalry, then set fire to the
stadium. The result was nothing but a slaughter. There were only a handful
of survivors when all the shooting stopped. The hierarchy of the R.S.U. was
wiped out completely, and it ceased to be a political or terrorist force from that
day on.
General San Marco was hailed as a hero and the savior of Argentina’s
economic prosperity by President Roca. For his part, the general did not relish
the means by which he had accomplished the demise of the R.S.U., but he was
happy that the ordeal was concluded, and that he would be able to retire fully
from military life as the president had promised.
Because of the spring planting season, Lonfranco had remained at Buenos
Recuerdos to oversee the work schedule and tend to other business in his
employer’s absence. He was mildly troubled by the general’s last visit to the
estancia, just days before he assumed his new military duties for President
Roca.
There had been something different about the man, a melancholy
sentiment that Lonfranco had never witnessed before. He had left his assistant
an extended list of duties to fulfill, leaving behind his personal diaries and
notes in Lonfranco’s care for ‘safekeeping.’
Their last night together was spent under the stars, with Roc Sena and
his guitar along to provide musical accompaniment. The three men sang and
drank and talked about old times with a lingering sadness rather than the
usual lusty bravado. At one point, without saying a word, the general turned to
Lonfranco, extending his hands. The younger man was stunned for a moment,
but he finally extended his own, grasping those of the general. They sat in
silence for more than a minute before San Marco spoke.
“You will never know how much pleasure you have brought me, Lonfranco.
You are the son I never had. As God is my witness, there is no man that ever
meant more to me than you.”
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RENALDO
Their eyes met for an instant before the general withdrew his hands. He
called for his favorite guitar medley, “Estilo Pampeano,” from Roc Sena to make
the mood more upbeat, but Lonfranco swore that he had seen tears in the older
man’s eyes as the general turned to put another log on the fire. When Lonfranco
arose the next morning, the old warrior had already departed for the capital.
Señora San Marco insisted on staying in Buenos Aires with her three
youngest daughters so that they could complete their school terms and lead as
normal an existence as possible during the hostilities. The general grudgingly
acquiesced, insisting on around-the-clock military guards and escorts for his
family. Only Maria, who had returned to France for her final year of studies two
months prior, was unaffected by the political situation at home.
The first Sunday after the slaughter at the bullring, President Roca
extended an invitation to the general and his family to worship with him at the
Cathedral Metropolitana. He told the general that it would be a good display
of public unity and also allow his adoring public one last glimpse of the famed
military hero before he withdrew into the private sector.
It was an offer that the general could not readily refuse. He adorned
himself in full military regalia, hitched up his most ornate open carriage, and
with his four ladies in their resplendent Sunday gowns, set off for what he
hoped would be his final command performance.
All went according to plan initially. A large, friendly crowd lined the
streets surrounding t
he cathedral in anticipation of the arrival of the president
and his revered military guest. Usually the general and his family worshipped at
the smaller basilica in Palermo without much fuss or bother. But his daughters
were enjoying the pageantry of the morning, with many of the city’s social elite
joining the procession of carriages that inched towards the foot of the great
cathedral’s steps.
Soldiers held the swelling crowd back from the edge of the plaza that
surrounded the great building. Officers in their finest uniforms, along with
mounted police of the President’s Guard, formed a corridor through which each
of the dignitaries would pass.
As the general’s carriage neared the point of embarkation, a commotion
erupted in the throng of people to their immediate right. Several gunshots rang
out and screams of panic filled the air. While a platoon of soldiers converged on
the troublesome area, a man on the opposite side of the plaza stepped out of the
crowd and followed the flow of the extra troopers. He took a long drag on the
cigar that he was smoking, then reached into his sachel and lit the short fuse
of a melon-size bomb.
The man was now beside the general’s carriage, and he calmly tossed the
explosive device onto its floor. The general, who was standing but facing the
opposite direction, turned just in time to meet the man’s glare, and hear him
snarl, “Death to all enemies of the people!”
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JAMES McCREATH
The explosion was ear-shattering, and its effects horrific. The general and
his family didn’t stand a chance of survival. In total, twelve people were killed
by the deadly blast.
The subsequent investigation showed that the attacker was a member of
the R.S.U., who had lost two brothers during the bullring massacre. He did
not survive the bomb’s devastation either, which was obviously his intention.
The gunshots and commotion in the crowd had been a planned diversionary act
which had worked to perfection.
No arrests were made at the site of the assassination. However, President
Roca imposed a city-wide curfew for two days that enabled the security forces to
incarcerate several hundred suspects. Many never walked the streets of Buenos
Aires as free men again.
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