Talk:William A. Chanler

Disputed: Insurrection in Venezuela, 1902

Cannot find any mention of William Chanler's involvement in an insurrection in Venezuela online or in the cited sources. There is no mention of it, as far as I can tell, in the biography of him and his siblings, nor in the cited novel. 65.112.8.60 (talk) 01:36, 23 March 2023 (UTC)

The link to A Pride of Lions you provide is a limited preview, and the relevant chapters are missing. The 1999 edition was considerably expanded and contains more detail but is not available online. I have amended the reference so that it refers to the 1999 edition, quoted below. The novel A Man's Game uses a fictional country, Mescalia, but is based loosely on Chanler's experiences. Cmacauley (talk) 03:24, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

I own a copy of the 1999 edition of Thomas's book. Here is the passage quoted:

"[Chanler] needed capital to carry out the [Tampico] contract… He was visited by an emissary of the Dutch consortium who told him that they and their European associates were responsible for his inability to raise working capital. The embargo could be lifted, the man said, if [Chanler] would agree to help them in Venezuela. That country’s exceedingly venal dictator-president, Cipriano Castro, was trying to float another international loan, and an American syndicate was prepared to underwrite initial bonds at an extortionate premium; the first installment had actually been paid.

The Venezuelan government was nearly bankrupt already, staggering under outstanding bond issues held mainly by European investors. Reports of the new loan were causing these bonds to plummet on the European exchanges, and to complicate the situation, German bankers were intriguing with Castro to get a foothold in that country. As bait, they had sold him two Krupp Cannon, with which Castro hoped to overcome his rivals. The Dutch investors were not opposed to the American loan, but they wished to save their own investments and turn back the threatened German take over. To do this they were ready to back an insurrection against Castro. The revolutionaries were pro-American and pro-Dutch but they needed help. Perhaps Chanler might raise a body of irregulars–soldiers of fortune who could come to the aid of the insurgents at the critical moment.

Through his connections with dubious characters in the Far West, he recruited several hundred desperadoes and soldiers of Fortune–cow punchers and cattle rustlers, bank robbers and gunman, gamblers and Indian scouts, ex-lawmen and "wanted" fugitives. All were hard riders, expert with weapons and spoiling for a fight. The freebooters, thinly disguised as colonists, were transported to a point on the Venezuelan border. They were well-armed and mounted and provided with logistical support. At a signal from the insurgents, they marched inland, overcame opposition in some spirited fighting, captured the Krupp Cannon intended for Castro, and appeared on the verge of overthrowing the dictator when suddenly the revolution was called off. Only then did [Chanler] discover that the uprising had never been intended to succeed; it was merely meant to force Castro to break with the Germans and come to terms with his European bondholders.

Although furious at this betrayal, [Chanler] was compelled to disperse his men. Venezuelan bonds rallied, and [Chanler] found his credit good on Wall Street. Backed by adequate capital, he carried out the job at Tampico, although the profit turned out to be smaller than he had estimated; but to the Chanlers, money was always a secondary reward.” Lately Thomas, The Astor Orphans: A Pride of Lions, Washington Park Press, 1999; pp 169-171 Cmacauley (talk) 22:44, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

Can you please explain the brackets ([]) encompassing every instance of Chanler. It makes it seem the name does not actually appear within the text.--☾Loriendrew☽ ☏(ring-ring) 22:19, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Thomas refers to Chanler as "Willie." The book is about the 10 Chanler brothers and sisters, so this makes sense. I was just ensuring that the reader knows who he is talking about, Cmacauley (talk) 22:35, 25 March 2023 (UTC)