The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-01-13
AT BAY.

the red handed leaders of the French
Revolution. Each citizen, particularly
If he were possessed of wealth or polIt-
cal influence, lived in daily fear OF ar
rest.
To be suspected by the tyrant was to
be arrested and thrown into the 'cavll-
do" and from Quiroga's cacttao, as
from Ro~bespierre's coHsc'ergerte, few
went forth alive.
In the rear Of this grim co~nstructurc
was a walled enclosure termed the cordt
de muerte yard of DEATH; and here
scores were daily led out from their cells
and seated on the blood bench, where
they were executed.
Yet unlike R~obespierre, QulrOga was
not u coward personally, but 4 vcrltabie
jagular III war.
Oflarge stature and brawny muscle,
the scent Of battle reused him at once to
a pitch Of reckless courage; lis war
like fury in a fight knew no bounds, III
deed, he fought more like some savage
beast than like a man, as the following
account of him at the battle of 1abtddd,
given by Col. King, then a young man
In the Argentine service and an eye
witness of the action, most graphically
depicts:
''Both armies had broken into de-
tachments, and the men were fighting all
hands like blood hounds. We saw
Quiroga everywhere. He had thrown
of every vestige of of his clothing, save
his drawers. which were rolled up about
his legs. Both he and his horse were
Covered with blood, and presented an
appearance like nothing human. Goad-
Ell with the prospect of defeat. gallop
Ing madly from point, cutting down
with his sword not only his foes, but
such of his own troops as qualled or
turned for their lives, leading detach
ments into the hottest of the fight, max
el as he was and steaming with gore
from his victims, be, seemed a very per
sonation of Evil presiding over the car
mage"
Like all such human monitors, who
have for the time held power, Quiroga
lived in daily fear Of assassination not
even his associates In crime were safe
from his jealousy and his sleeplcss sus
picions.
Some years previous to the event to
be described. a party of nature sharpers
had made a collection of silver and gold
ores which they had taken TO England
and displayed to capitalists there as
specimen ores from mipes in their pos
session and they succeeded in selling
these mines to certain English parties
who formed a company and wen to the
Argentine country to work them, pro-
vlded with all the expensive machin
cry necessary to quartz-miniDg.
On their arrival in the country, they
found that they had been swindled the
titles of the mines which they had
bought were worthless, for the mines
were situated or government land which
had never been the property of the
s%larpers.
In this dilemma, the E~nglishmen APP
pealcd to Quiroga for permission to
work the mines, and he, perceiving
that their operations. might be turned
to his own account, atlength gave them
a verbal permit, but withheld his titles
to the land.
On the strength of this official permit,
the company proceeded with their en-
terprise, and after a large expenditure,
began to realize good returns
Quiroga, who had watched their pro-
gress, began to ..practice upon them the
most fragrant extortion, exacting large
sums for all privileges under his con-
troll.
For a year or more the company bore
these exactions-for their capital was
was all at stake In the enterprise. But
it 0 % became apparent that Quiroga
was determined to have their last dol
lar. Several members of the company
were already in prison work at the
mines were abandoned; and those of the
party who could command the means
left the country as expeditiously as pos
sIble-glad to escape from the clutches
of a mar who held international law in
supremeSt contempt.
Numbers of the workmen, however,
who had come out from Europe, found
themselves without the means to re-
turn.
Among these were two young mining
engineers from Germany. Wilhelm Won
H and Frederick W.
These two bad been boyhood friends,
and had studied at the same school OF
mines.
Together they had come out to Bue.
nos Ayres, in the employment of the
mining company; and between them
subsisted strong friendship and brother.
ly attachment which not unfreauently
marks the sons of the 'Fatherland'' in a
foreign country.
The miners called them the 'ttwir
brotheres;" and though unrelated By
birth, they resembled each other in tina,
both were stalwart, blonde young men,
broad chest, with frank, open ~counten-
ances and firm blue eyes. 1t was said,
too, that Wilhelm was the betrothec
lover of a very dear sister of Frederick.
When the company broke up, The
two friends found themselves unpaic
and without means. For some month.
they went about the provinces on foot
seeking ever mental labor to obtain thu
amount necessary to purchase passage
home.
Quiroga, who suspected the existenc,
Ofaconsplracy against him, was now max
log daily arrests, and, from some freal
OF jealousy, had Wilhelm apprehen
ded and shut up in the caUtldo.
AS can readily be imagined, his arres
threw Frederick into the greatest ALARM
and distress of mind. In hi. broker
Spanish, he protested and pleaded for
his more than brother before all the
officials, and at length obtained audience
of Quiroga himself.
With tears in his manly eyes, the
young foreigner besought the dictator
to spare Wilhelm life, Offering pledge.
and proofs of his entire innocence of The
charge of conspiracy.
Quiroga heard him in amused anc
c~ontemptuous silence. What the tyran1
then wanted most was not proofs of in