PERU: Whirligig

On the return voyage to Europe last week of the liner Oropesa (the ship that carried Edward of Wales and Prince George to Peru), her royal suite, especially fitted up for Their Royal Highnesses, was occupied by a hard-faced little man with only seven fingers.

As President Lieut.-Colonel Sanchez Cerro had pinned Edward of Wales with Peru's Order of the Sun, was pinned in return with the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. Then he was almost immediately overthrown. As he prepared to sail away from Peru last week in regal style (promising to be back in three months), yet another revolution popped.

No. 1 was the "Southern Revolution" at Arequipa (TIME, March 2). No. 2 was the "Naval Coup," when transports loaded with troops to quell the "Southern Revolution" were held up by their battleship escorts and President Sanchez Cerro was forced by navy officers to resign (TIME, March 9). No. 3 last week was the "Military Coup."

It was staged by Lieut.-Colonel Gustavo Jimenez, commander of the troops which were aquatically held up fortnight ago. To the Naval Junta he gave his word that, if allowed to land his men, he would march them straight to barracks.

But once he was on dry land at Callao, port of Lima, valiant Lieut.-Colonel Jimenez marched straight to the capital, overthrew the Government, conferred by wire with leaders of the revolutionary Government at Arequipa in the South.

Satisfactory terms having been arranged, Lieut.-Colonel Gustavo Jimenez announced that one Col. David Samanez Ocampo, "President of the Southern Junta," would proceed from Arequipa to Lima and assume the office of President of Peru (the fourth within six months, the third within a week).