The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-01-10
A REAL SPANISH TRAGEDY.
The Crime which VIII Recall the TrOppman MUIR
ders Near Paris.
NAV York World

New York World.l
Madrid, Dec. l0.--All Madrid, which
talks about anything, that is all Madrid
which frequents the barber.sbops and the
cafes, has been talking for the past week
of terrible crime recently perpetrated
in the mountains of the Maestrazgo, in
Valencia, which is regarded with curl.
GUS sort of pride by the quldnuncs ofthe
capital as being quite as complete and
trightful a thing in it's awful way, as the
world-famous murders committed by
Troppman ten years ago at Psntin, near
Paris. The Maestrazgo is primitive re-
gion, and the little village Of ebert, in
the district of San Mateo is one of its
most primitive spots. Near this village
dwells, or rather dwelt, among other
simple and well-to.do families of the
same rank in life, a family by the name
of Bel, inhabiting a modest, substantial
farm house, which has been for several
generations in the possession of the race,
Cultivating a good acreage of grain land
and raising cattle, The heads of the
family were Joachim Bel and his wife,
aged about sixty, and with them lived
their three sons, two grandsons and a
house serVant--a man. The people of
the Maestrazgo are pious folk. and at 4
in the morning on recent Sunday the
whole family set out to attend early mass
at ebert in the good old.fashioned way,
Joachim Bel riding on one horse with
his wife, two of his sons, Baptist and
Joachim, following him, with the two lit
tie grandsons nicely packed into ham
per and swung at the side of Baptist's
horse, and the servant, Andrew Nos, ,trot-
ting meekly in the rear on mule. The
third son was left at home to keep the
house. As the little troop were jogging
quietly on they were suddenly halted at
a short turn in the mountain road by a
hoarse voice laundering out the familiar
and formidable cry of all Spanish robbers
on the highway, "Boca GtierTa" ("Down
in the dust ply They all looked up in
CONSERVATION, and saw among the bushes
above the road the uncanny face of a
distant kinsman of the family, one Ga.
briel Belly Beltran, a notorious scoundrel
about thirty years old, known in the
country as GEL PinCho," or "thorn in the
side" Whoh had recently served out a term
in the prison of Terragona and paid
heavy fine for an assault with intent to
kill, committed on. one of the younger
Bells. The fellow was armed with re-
volver and a dagger, and the unhappy
farmers, being entirely defenseless, were
forced to halt and dismount. Ell Pincho
came down towards them, calling out
that he meant to kill them all.
With a shot he brought the old man to
the ground, and rushing upon the others
struck down the wife and servant in rap
id succession with his long, sharp dagger.
The two sons fed for their lives, pursued
by the murderer. One of them fell, hit
by pistol shot, the other lad of II,
succeeded in reaching his home and rou-
sing the brother who had been left there
The two, snatching up the only weapons
at hand, a shepherds hook and razor,
rushed out to meet the assassin, whom
they almost Immediately encountered,
and with whom they had desperate
contest. The youngest Bel was shot,
though not fatally, but his brother, hav-
ing succeeded in striking down Ell Pincho
with the shepherds hook, with second
blow dispatched him as he arose. The
two brothers pressed on to the scene of
the attack, where, in tie sad gray light
of the early morning, a hideous spectacle
awaited them. The elder Bel was stone
dead. He had fallen forward on his hands
and knees, and the murderer had struck
him twice with his dagger after shooting
him. Their mother was lying desper-
ately wounded short distance from her
husband. The bodies of the elder son
and the servant had been rolled by the
assassin down a ravine at the roadside.
The wind had risen and was bowling dis
mally through the forests. As soon as
the story could be conveyed to the au-
thorities a picket of the Guardia Civil,
the efficient rural police Of Spain went
out. The elder son and the servant were
found still alive, and the latter, it is sup
posed, may recover. The two grandChil-
dren were carried long way off by the
frightened horse, but were recovered safe
and sound. Of course the whole neigh
borhood is in great commotion; but there
is consolation in the fact that the shep-
herds staff of young Bel should have
made it unnecessary to put the CumbroHs
machinery of Spanish justice in motion
for the Chasisement of the murderer.
Perhaps if that had not been the case,
your New York Chief of Police General
Smith, who is now here, might have
picked up some new wrinkles in that art
of how not to get rascals strangled, which
seems to command so much attention
and sympathy now in all parts of Christ
endom. Ell Pincho would certainly have
become an interesting" case of homici-
dal mania, had not that good, honest old
shepherds crook been welded by 30
stout an arm and with so true an aim.
As for Gen. Smith, the Civilities and at
tentions shown him puzzle the uninitia-
ted, but are perfectly understood, think,
at the American Legation. There are
various theories, however, as to probable
success in settling the Cuban question,
even with the help of Mr.. Lowell.
And, speaking of Mr.. Lowell, l wonder
what his Cambridge friends would have
thought had they seen him solemnly
sandwiched at royal dinner in the
Kings Alcazar, the other day, between
the Spanish Minister of Marine and the
Captain General of Madrid, two eminent
Dons in full uniform, neither of a very
merry turn of mind. The author of 'Ho-
sea BigloW,' though professor of mod
ern languages, is not a great proficient
in any of them conVersationally, and
speaks little or no Spanish. l fear be
was bored, and unless rumor bellies him,
he conveyed that idea to bis neighbors.
His wife was better of, because she sat
next but one to the wife of the British
Charge, with only the Mexican Minister
between them. The dinner was given
on the Kings birthday, and to announce
his formal betrothal to the fair Princess
Mercedes, whom he has determined to
marry in spite Of all his Ministers like
King and little man.