The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-05-04
DUEL IN 4 CEMETERY.
Mexican Desperadoes who Kill from Pure
Viciousness.
fMatamoras letter to New York Sun.


fMatamoras letter to New York SUM-
"Meet me tonight on the Cemetery
road" was the purport OF a message re-
ceived one day recently by Don Miguel
Faster. at Mordeau, from Melissa Valdez.
Faster knew what the invitation meant.
He and Valdez had quarreled many times
over n love affair, and once before had
come TO violence. Valadez had been in
town for several days, and had frequently
boosted that he intended to make hash OF
Faster. The latter, the accepted sutton,
communicated with his lady love, who
urged him to accept the challenge
and offered to accompany him on his err
rand This he at first refused 10 assent to,
but, finding that she construed his attitude
as one Of cowardice, he reluctantly agreed
to call for her. After dark the man and
woman, both armed, set out on the high
way. Near the cemetery gate they en-
countered Valdez, whose rage at seeing
his rival in possession OF the object OF his
affections knew no bounds. There was a
long parley as to the method Of fighting to
be adopted, which the woman surmised
was the result Of fear. She finally
became impatient, and tainted the
men with biting words, expressing
in iorcible language. As her con-
domination seemed to rest with greater
weight on him than the other, Faster also
took up the strain, and pretending that he
had been called out by a craven, took the
woman's arm and urged her to leave with
him. She turned as il to do so, when Vala-
DEE darted forward In frenzy OF rage
and buried his knife in her back. She fell
I 90 hor =
groan, the blade still in her body, and ex-
pired instantly.
The assassin stood watching her for
moment until Faster appeared to be recov-
ering from the stupefactiOn into which he
had been thrown, then took to his heels,
Faster following. 1t was n lively race
through the cemetery and out again. Pas
ter shouted defiance at his fleeing adyer-
sary, and time and again dared him to face
him. Once Valadez disappeared, and Pas
ter in his rage called on him vehemently
to come out, offering him weapons or any
thing that he could ask il he would but
give him an opportunity to wreak his VEN
Qeance, The only answer was a laugh,
which set Faster raving fllriously up and
down the cemetery and calling on all the
angels and devils to witness that he was y
bling along heedlessly over graves and
headstones, he finally fell into new-made
grave. The next minute Valdez was on
| him. The murderer, under cover Of the
darkness, had been following Faster for
some time, in the hope that he would be
able to steal upon him unawares and fin-
ish him as he had the woman. His oppor-
tunity came sooner than he expected.
With a ferocious yell, which woke
the echoes for miles around. Valdez
sprang into the excavation, and before the
surprised Faster could regain his senses his
adversary had him by the throat, and was
dealing him murderous blows with blud-
geon which he had picked up after losing
his knife. Believing that he had finished
Faster, Valdez left him in the grave and
fled to the mountains. Since then nothing
has been heard from him. The next day n
funeral party discoved Faster lying IN the
grave unconscious but still breathing. He
was conveyed to town, and after his
wounds had been dressed he had a lucid
spell, in the course Of which he told his
story. II is not believed that he can re-
cover, as there are two fractures OF the
skull. and several of his ribs are broken.