River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-07-17
A MEXICAN BANDIT.
rne Death Of a Beautiful Female Diavolo.


The Death OF Beautiful Female DiavoIo.
A Mexican letter says: La Caram-
coda, the woman brigand, long ter
ror to travellers in this region, Is dead at
! last, with bullet in her heart. Her
operations extended over many years
and were of the most daring description.
For long time the authorities found it
very difficult to trace or even to explain
the crimes which she committed, for no
one suspected that a woman was the
guilty person. No two of her robberies
we're committed in the same manner.
Sometimes she was passenger and at
other times she was with the bandits,
and took part in the shooting, if there
was any to be done. A woman of some
personal charms when appropriately
dressed, she was fiend when about her
business of murder and pillage whom
very few cared to encounter. Her male
assistants were many and devouted.
One of her schemes, it mas been
learned, was to bide her time in some
town until she found some one or two
Iaen of means who were going by the
diligence to some distant point and
then to take passage with them. 1t Is
suspected that on more than one occa-
sion she took the driver into her conf
dence, but when this could not be done
she readily deceived or quoted him
with bullet. A perfect mistress of the
art of discrimination, and possessing a
soft and insinuating manner, she had no
difficulty in working herself into the
good graces of travellers who did not
look for Mexican bandit under her
attractive guise. In this way she easily
detected who had money and valuables
and who had not. If she found a man
who appeared to be of some consequence
but who did not have much money, she
betrayed him into the hands of her con-
federates, who held him tor ransom.
If her victim proved to be well supplied
with cash he usually met violent death
within twenty -four hours.
Leaving a town before daybreak in
company with two travellers whom she
had marked for robbery, she would coy
ly accept the customary innocent at
tention at their hands, and perhaps in
dulge in little conversation with them.
An hour later, when we'll on their jour
ney, watching her opportunity, she
would draw the revolvers, and, before
they could detect her movement, lodge
bullet in the back of each of them.
The driver, busy with his team, and
perhaps paid not to be too attentive to
what was going on behind him, would
not disturb her. With her booty Sc
cured, she would take her own time
about leaving the stage, always waiting
until point convenient to the fastness
of some of her confederates was reached.
1t was known that the highways were
infested by robbers, and it was not
thought strange that an occasional MUIR
der was perpetrated, but the similarity
between several cases soon attracted at
tention, and various experiments led to
the discovery that woman, operating
first on one road and then on another,
was at the bottom of them. The plaus-
IDLE stories told by the drivers served to
mystify the officers more than anything
else. They always asserted that high
waymen had done the work, and if in
quiry was made at one end of the route
for the woman who started, it was al
ways said that she arrived at her destin-
alton unmolested. The absence of tele-
graphs, and of any regular means of
communication made it possible to keep
up this deception for long time.
When the woman found that she was
suspected she abandoned this plan of
operations and, remained with the rob
Der band to which she was attached,
devoted the greater part of her time to
the abduction of wealthy agrioultuists.
Her plan in these cases was very much
the same as in stage robbery enterprises
First winning the confidence of her in
tended victim and getting him involved
in some intrigue. She would betray
him at the proper time into the hands
of her associates, who would spirit him
away and presently open negotiations
for his return. While these were in
progress she would be busy setting her
net for fresh victim hundred miles
away.
La Caramboda's latest exploit was
unsuccessful. She was lowering about
the San Juanico hacienda with the in
tention of securing the abduction of
Don Civelo Vasquez or one of his sons,
when fellow who had long served In
her train deserted and communicated
her secret to. the authorities. They
made elaborate preparations to capture
her entire party, but, failing in this,
they made sure of her, and soon had her
in irons. Hearing of her fate, her follow
ers determined on rescue. They pur-
sued the officers for 90 miles and, over
taking them at Connindad, opened fire
at once. The troops returned the shots
and lively engagement ensued. in the
course of which three of the bandits
were killed and the rest put TO fight.
When the troops approached their
prisoner after the fight they found her
dead, presumably from bullet fred by
her own friends The chains were re-
moved from her limbs and she was
buried by the roadside. One of her
captors described her as beautiful
woman, not more than 30 years old,
with clear complexion and long
abundant hair, but with wicked eye
and cruel-looking mouth when in re-