River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-01-17
a SPANISH TRAGEDY.
The Crisne which ~ iiI RecaII tine Tropp
sha an Murders near Paris.

Madrid. Spain, Dec. l0.--All Madrid
which talks about anything, that is all
Madrid (which freQuents the barber-shops
and cafes. has beer talking for the past
week Oh. d terrible crime recently perpe-
trated i'll the mountains of the Maestrazgo
in Valencia, which is regarded with a
curioussbrt of pride by the quidnuncs of
the CafItal as being quite as complete
and frightful thing in its way as the
world famous murders committed by
Tropplpan ten years ago at PantiE, near
Paris. :The Maesta2go is q primitive re
gion, and the little Village Of ebert, in
the district of San Alateo, is one of the
most primitive spots. Near this village
dwells, 81 rather d@elt, among other sim
pie and well-to-do families of the same
rank lite, a family by the name of Bel,
iHh hung & modest, substantial farm
hou.a, ahich has Eecn for several gener-
atoms b the possession of the race, cult
waiting good acreage OF grain-land and
raising cattle.
The beads of the family were Joachim
Bel and his wife, aged about 60, and with
them lived their three sons, two grand
sons, and a hous a-sergant-a man. The
people ef MaestrazGo are pious folk,
and I'D the morning set out to attend
early mass at ebert in the good old-fash
toned way, Joachim Bel riding on one
horse WITH his wife, bis two sons, Baptist
and joachim, following with the two little
grandsqns nicely packed into a hamper
and swlng at the side of Baptist's horse,
and the servant, Andrew Nos, trotting
meeking in the rear on mule. As the
little TROOP were halted at a sharp turn
in the mountain road hoarse voice
thundefcd out tho familiar and formid-
able cry of all Spanish robbers on the
highway '.Boea d tierra!n ("Down IN
the dussE) They all looked up in con
sternatityn, and saw among the bushes
above the road the Iincanny face of dis
tant kiTssman of the family, one Gabriel
Bel y lssltran, a notorious scoundrel, about
30 years old, known in the countryside as
'El Pincho,n or "the thorn in the side"
who hal recently served out term in the
prison IF Tarragono and paid aheavy fine
for an assault with intent to kill, com
mitted On one of the younger Bels. The
fellow ,sas armed with revolver and 8
daggeri and the uuliappy farmers, being
entirely ]efenselesa, were forced to halt
and di3ulount.
lei PiaSho came down towards them,
calling out that he meant to kill them all,
With SHOT he brought the old man to
the grohlid, and. rushing upon the others.
struck down the wife and servant in rapid
succession with his long sharp dagger.
The two sons fed for their lives, pursued
by the murderer. One of them fell,
struck dewn by pistol shot, the other,
lad of Ia, succeeded in reaching his home
and rolsing the brother who had been
left there. The two, snatching up the
only Weapons at hand, shepherds hook
and a razor, rushed out to meet the as
sassin, IShom they almost Immediately
and with whom they had a
desperate contest The youngest Bel was
shot, tIloagh. not fatally, but his brother,
having succeeded in striking down FL
Pincho with the shepherds hook with a
secondltiiow dispatched him as he was
TRYING Id rise. The two brothers pressed
on to the scene Of the attack, wherein the
sad gray light of the early morning, a
hideous spectacle awaited them. The
elder Bel was stone dead. He mad fallen
forward on his hands and knees, and tho
murderer had struck him twice with his
shooting him
Their mother WAS lying desperately
at short distance from the
husband The bodies of the elder son
and the servant bad been rolled by the
assassia down rayipe at the roadside.
The wind had risen ard was bowling dis
mally through the forests. As soon as
the stcfP could b. conveyed to the auth
critics picket OF the Guardia Civil, the
efflcient rural police of Spain, went out.
The elsie7 son and the servant were found
still alive, and the latter, it is thought
may recover. I'll two little grandchil-
dren were carried long way OF by the
horse, but were eventually re
eoveIed safe and sound. OF course the
whole a@ighborhood is in great COM
notion but some consolation seems to be
found In the fact that the shepherds staff
Of youAg Bel should have made i. UNI
necessary to put the cumbrous machinery
IF Spaiaibh justice in motion for the chas-
.isemepd of the murderer.