Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-11-29
portcullis and castle were fred and the

portcullis and castle were fired, and the
baron and his followers perished.
When daylight began to Whiten the tops
of the juniper trees, the castle ruins were
still smoking, and through the breaches in
the walls could be seen the figure OF the
"wicked caballero" fully armed, hanging
to one of the beams of the banqueting hall.
For a time, the village was at peace:
Thistles began to grow in the deserted
"patios," ivy crept over the charred ruins,
and only the wailing of the wind, the hoot-
ing of owls and the rustling of snakes dis
turbed the silence of death which reigned
in that accursed spot. Unburied bones lay
white in the moonlight, and still that bum
die of armor of the Senor del Segre could
be seen hanging to the blackened rafters.
On day, the village saw an eXtraOrdina-
ry phenomenon. At twilight, from dis
tance, mysterious lights were seen here and
there on the hill Of the Sergre, now follow
ing the curves of the river, now waving in
and out among the ruins of the castle. The
strange apparition was repeated three or
four nights during the month, and the be-
wildered villagers awaited new develop
ments with anxious hearts. They had not
long to wait. Farm houses were burnt,
cattle were "lifted," and the bodies of un-
fortunate travellers were found hanging
from the trees. Murder became fire.
quent, and the terror of the villagers in
creased each day. The "regime" appeared
to have returned, and matters came to such
a pass that no one dared to stir outside his
door, for fear Of meeting the ghost OF the
old baron For the arroor of the wicked
caballero had disappeared from the pillar
in the banoueting hall, and it was whisper
ed about that he marched at the head OF the
freebooters, covered from head to foot in
mail with vizor closed. In the battles
which began afresh, victory was pretty
evenly divided. The prisoners made were
shortly shriven. But the confession OF one
of the band, made the peasants quake with
fear.
81 belong" he said, 'sto noble family.
Ny eXtravaganceS, vices and crimes brought
on me the anger of my father, who cursed
me when he died. Having no means of
living, persuaded other youths in as bad
a condition as myself, to form a band and
live as freebooters. We chose this country
for the scene of our exploits, and the aban-
doned castle for our shelter, because owing
to it's isolated position and bad name, we
thought ourselves secure from interference.
One night round our bonfire, under the ruin
ed arches, we were debating who should be
chief of the band. Each asserted his claims;
some were quarreling among themselves;
others, half Intoxicated, placed their hands
on their dagger hilts to emphasize their
words, when q clash of arms, accompanied
by hollow sound of footsteps, made us turn
pale and spring to our feet. The sounds came
nearer and nearer. We drew our swords,
determined to sell our lives dearly, when
suddenly man, tremendous of stature, arm
ed from head to foot, with vizor down, and
brandishingan enormous broad sword, strobe
towards u.s. Placing the weapon upon
a broken column, he said, in voice like
the sound of rushing waters: "If any one
wishes to be chief on my ground while
am here, let him WELD this blade" We
were all dumb with terror, but on recover
ing our speech, with one voice we proclaim
ed him our Captain, and SWOre fealty to him
by tremendous oaths. From that hour we
were one. Our mysterious chief always
led the way. Fire never touched him;
bullets never hurt him. Never once has
he taken off his armor or raised his viZor;
he never joined us in our revelry or shut
his eyes in sleep. Swords pierced the joints
of his mail, but they neither wounded him
nor drew blood He despises gold and abb
hors beauty. Only when our hands were
red with human blood, when women scream
ed and prayed for mercy, and old men fell
dead before our blows, only then did our
Captain eNult and laugh aloud"
Many were the prisoners who followed the
speaker to the scatf0ld, but the mysterious
captain was invisible, and added daily fresh
recruits to his standard. The desperate
peasants at last made up their mind to con-
suit a sanity man, who lived outside of the
town, in small hermitage dedicated to st.
Bartholomew. This venerable hermit, after
having implored divine pity through his
guardian saint, (whO, as I'VE all know, had
very close and frequent personal encounters
with the deviD, advised them to lie in wait
for the enemy at the foot Of a crooked path
which led from the castle, and to use no other
arms to seize him than short prayer, which
they were to commit to memory, and with
which, so the chronicle states, st. Bartholo-
NEW took the devil prisoner.
The result exceeded their widest hopes,
and another sun had not risen upon the vii
lage of Believer, before groups of peasants
were relating to each other in the Plaza
Mayor, with mysterious air, how that night
the famous captain of the Segre had been
brought into the village on the back of
mule, and chained hand and foot; Hardly
had the news spread from mouth to mouth,
than the whole village surged toward the
prison. The parish bells summoned the
authorities to the town hall, and all waited
anXiously the hour when the prisoner should
appear in Court. The judges in such cases,
when authorized to administer sharp and
summary Justice. After deliberating among
themselves for a few minutes, they sent for
the culprit to hear his sentence.
The Plaza Mayor, us we'll as the narrow
streets through which the prisoner had to
pass, was packed to overHoWing with people.
The popular. Indignation was SO intense
around the prison doors, that the guards be-
came alarmed for their own safety, and were
much relieved when the order came to bring
out the prisoner.
When he appeared dressed in armOr from
head to foot, vizor down, a deep murmur of
delight thrilled through the densely crowd
ed ranks which slowly opened to let him
pass All recognized the armor of the old
Senor del Segre, which had terrified them
so much in days gone by; that black plume
had been seen too often waving from that
helmet to be easily forgotten. The myste-
riOus bandit ut last reached the town hall,
his arnOr rattlingand creaking as he moved.
The Judge, in a trembling voice, asked his
name. The silence was oppressive. All
strained to catch the slightest whisper from
the prisoner, but the Captain stared at his
Judges with an insOlent and cOntemptuOuS
air which eXasperated them. Three times
they repeated the question, and three times
he answered nothing.
'Lift his vizor! Uncover him ~ shrieked
the populace. "I.et us see whether he will
dare to insult us face to face p"
"Uncover your face" said the Judge.
The Captain stood perfectly still.
eve order you, by our authority, to I'M
cover"
No movement on thr mart of the Cantain