The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-10
A CRUEL CRIME.
The Inflated Love of American for a
Beautiful Mexican Girl in Colorado.

Beautiful Mexican Girl in Colorado.
Denver News
In Mexican hamlet near the border of New
Mexico there lived some years ago Juan Romero,
with his wife Dorotea and daughter Lucia. The
latter was most gloriousy handsome specimen
of tropical beauty. The young Mexican gallants
In the surrounding settlements, as we'll as that
of her own, had sued in vain for her favor.
Proud, imperious and naughty any queen,
she laughed their advances to scOrn. Being an
only child. she was idoized by her parents,
especially by the father, to whom she was
little less than goddess. Although
Romero made no great pretensions to
refinement himself, yet the profits from
the wool of his large flock OF sheep were not
inconsiderable, and he had been able to send
Lucia to the convent at Santa Fe, where
she had acquired an education and accomplish
ments far above those of her station Whilst
loving his daughter to a degree almost bordering
on alteration and humoring her every within,
Romero in disposition to everyone else, hiswife
included was cross, revengeful and tyrannical,
brooking no opposition to his wishes and was
generally feared as we'll as disllked by all who
knew him.
One day there came to his ranch on the edge
of the settlement a curly headed, blueeyed
American whose easy manners and laughing dis
position soon ATTRACTED the attention of the
hitherto unapproachable Lucia. He gave his
name as Earnest Saunders, the of a wealthy
New York merchant, and had come West with
government surveying party, and who, having
completed his engagement wandering
through the country on horseback, stopping at
the different settlements, and especially enjoy
ing the rough frontier life At the time of his
arrival at Romeros ranch. the latter was
absent from home attending to the an
nual shearng of his focks. During
the three days of his absence Lucias
admiration for the young man ripened with the
rapdity of tropical growth into love that
passionate as it enduring AS for Ernest,
he returned the love with Saxon fervor which
fully equaled hers. 1t did not take Romero long
after his return to learn the true State of affairs
and, with fierce passion, he forbade it's contin-
uance and ordered the young from his
house, despite the entreaties of both his wife and
daughter Thereafter their meetings for several
days were held in secret, in a clump of cotton
woods until one evil day they surprised by
the father. terrible scene ensued, and Rom
gro threatened, with the fercest oaths, that he
would kill Saunders If he did not at once leave
the neighborhood. Then dragging his daughter
rudely to the house. he thrust her inside
with considerable violence. The scene outside
was repeated within, the poor, suffering wife
being upbralded as the cause of the attachment
Threatening that on the very next day he would
return Lucla to the convent, where she would be
beyond the reach of danger, he went out of the
house IN passion fearful to behold That
night, shortly after every one was supposed to
have retired, a veied figure emerged from the
door of the house and glided swiftly down the
path to the gate, thence along the road to
as if by an apparently preconcerted arrange
ment, stood a man holding two horses by their
brides. Both mounted without uttering a word
and galloped down the long, white road and
were soon lost in the distance.
Lucia's flight was discovered in the morning
and Romero's rage was perfectly appalling to see
Bitterly he upbraided his wife, and refusing all
food, he hastily saddleG horse and started in
persuit of the tugitives. For months the search
was kept up without even clue Neither storm
M hIpn faf1
from the pursuit, but all of his inquiries proved
frultless until one day he met countryman of
his sheep shearer who was tramping to his
home. and from whom he obtained news of the
object of his search. With feversh anxiety
born OF his hellish purpose. of revenge he
travelled night and day. and at last reached the
place described.
The was setting over the points of the
Needle mountains, tiuting their snowy pinnacles
as with the marvellous touch of a necromancer
making them seem like many gilded cathedral
spires pointing toward heaven The beautiful
valley OF the San Juan, just coming into shadow
lay IN all the quiet beauty of its premature tw-
light. On the opposite side, like ambitious
rivals OF the naughty peaks, for miles distant
rose for two hundred feet ormore majestic pines
whose tops We're yet glorious with the gorgeous
touch of the blessed sunlight, while the valley
below was already shrouded in q semi-gloom
The green sward, thicklv dotted with fieur de lis
and wild roses, with wood honeysuckies and col
umbipes in massive clusters near the edge of
the marvellous forest. were just visible enough to
be suggestive of the glories of this exquisite
garden OF nature. Located Ia the
midst of this natural grandeur, on
the side of a small knoll was
cottage which had originally been a rude cabin
of logs hastily constructed by its first occupant
but to which a later owner, with q touch of
civilized refinement had made frame addition
in front which was neatly whitewashed and had
beside a porch at the door whose sides
treliised with Mexican vines and roses I'M
mediately in front of the house a small space
had been cleared and tiny but well kept garden
of geraniums verbenas, petunias and other homess
like plants gave evidence of a womans kindly
care and attention. Suddenly in the dim twi
light there could have been seen a rustling move
ment IN the thick underbrush in the rear of the
dwelling, if some animal were crawling
stealthily along through them. Then the
movement ceased. and dark object
appeared on the edge of the brush
nearest the clearing It was the head
of man with a swarthy, ferocious face on
which was the cruel cunning look of a wolf or
some hunted ferocous beast. Peering eau
tiously over the small space between him and tie
dwelling, and finding the way clear, the
crawed his belly like snake until close
under one of the windows. from which shone
light. Stealthily gazing through the easement
for an instant, he dropped back into his crouch
ing attitude, muttering ''Caramba!' For hours
the Mexican crouched with his dirty blanket
drawn over his head. as if the better to conceal
himself from the obseI walton of an occasional
traveller on the road beyond, raising his