Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-06-04
ieces. Thus, oneby one, they were all

1
CORY deck of the San Rafael to the
pirates rendezvous on shore. They
also bore to the land their dead and
wounded comrades, the former for
burial-with crosses at their heads,
OF course-and the latter for hospital
treatment.
With the last load went Ell Diablo,
taking along the two captive girls; but
before leaving the merchantmen he
had her scuttled in deep water, where
she would sink completely from sight,
and her fate, it was to be presumed,
left q mystery forever to all but her
destroyers. They did not dare to
burn her, for fear that the flames after
nightfall would attract notice and
bring down upon them one OF. tho
Spanish cruisers that kept up
pretended and generally frultless
lookout for pirates in those waters.
Arrived at the pirates home, the
girls were speedily made acquainted
with the fate, worse than death, for
which they had been reserved.
Dolores was the prey of the pirate
Captain, Ell Diablo. He had person
ally discovered her, but independent
of that he chose to claim her and there
were none bold enough to dispute his
right to her possession.
Nanita was abandoned to the
merciless lusts of the gang. Among
them was a rigidly enforced law OF d.
vision OF their spoils. The Captain
had by common consent certain
number of shares; then lesser num-
Der of shares belonged to his Lieuten-
ant, Ell Labo 1.-THE Wolf land Sanchez,
the Portuguese. After that, one share
each went to the living members of the
gang. IA share" of Nanita was valu-
ed at one ounce of gold.
| Those who chose to abandon their
interest in her were entitled to receive,
each one, that amount from the 9th
ers who chose to retain their shares.
Thirty-fve elected to hold their shares.
Twenty preferred the gold. Fifteen of
the gang had been killed, 80 their
shares were already settled, not only
in this business, but for the future, as
it was a law among them that all were
equal inheritors from the dead.
Among the thirty-five who thus had a.
claim upon Nanita, gambling then be-
gan for shares, the dice being thrown
to determine whose she should be.
| All this was done in the presence of
the unhappy girl, who fully under.
stood the horror that confronted her.
| The chances of the dice reduced to
seventeen the number of her owners.
Beyond that point they would not go,
for neither was willing to even take q
chance Of losing. Still, they went on
throwing the dice for decisions that
may be left to the imagination.
! BY this time night had fallen dark,
and, as liquor had been flowing freely,
the pirates we're all in their most
fiendish condition. Then commenced,
In wild orgie, the last scene of the
horrible tragedy in which poor, bright
pretty little Nanita was sacrificed. 1t
was too revolving, too horrible for de-
scription. Her tears and piteous
plead1ngs only amused them, and
made her seem more charming; her
struggles for self-defense we're in vain;
her sufferings but whetted their bes.
tial appetites.
She was almost exhausted and mad
dened by agony, shame and despair,
when she at length managed to clutch
a knife from the belt o. one of
her brutal ravishers, and stabbed him.
He, in the impulse, of ungovernable,
drunken fury, wrested the weapon
from her, and buried it in her throat.
Her blood spurted over him in a tor
rent, and she laid in his arms corpse
The villains poor triumph was short
lived, for his companions, enraged at
being robbed of their share OF her tor
ture, fell upon him and killed him.
Dolores, in the cabin CT Ell Di&hlo,
but a little way removed from the
scene OF those diabolical crimes,
heard the wild shouts of the men
and the shrieks of the wretched
Nanita for time, but her own agon-
lied cries and vain appeals for mercy
were soon mingling with those of the
poor Andalusian, for she, too, was the
prey OF the despoiler. Less fortunate
than her maid, Dolores outlived that
night OF pain, shame and grief.
An old negress, the captains slave,
nursed her through the brain fever
that ensued, and when she got we'll she
seemed to have philosophically &C.
! cepted her fate. She became the mis-
tress of the wretch who had murdered
her father, brother and her innocence,
uttered no word discrimination, and
succeeded ere long in making him
believe that she really loved him. For
full fifteen months she lived that life
in the pirates den. She learned to
look upon deeds of blood without a.
shudder, and won the confidence not
only of her master, but Of the entire
band.
BY that time Ell Diablo had recruit
ed forces up to a little over ahundred
men, and gained possession of a swift
and handsome schooner, La Mad
| rilena, more than double the size
Of any vessel he had owned before,
! and believed that Dolores had brought
to him and the gang good luck. His
new vessel, indeed, was named in com.
pliment to her. When it came into
his hands it was titled Ell Zefro, but
as soon as he had killed all aboard
! and painted it's hull dark green, he re-,
christened it La Madrilena.
At length, so far did he trust her,
that he sent her in disguise to Laguay-
ra, there to learn as spy the date
of sailing and cargo value of some
great ship for Spain, which he could
way!ay and take upon the high seas.
Dolores was gone about week, and
when she returned to him it was With
the information that in about fort
| night from the date OF her return q
large merchant vessel, Ell Castillo,
would be dispatched from Laguayra
for Spain with q cargo aboard tho
value of which would not be less than
| fifty thousand doubloons. So far as
| she could learn, the armament and
manning of the vessel would not be
formidable-at least, not sufficiently
| 40 to deter them from the endaayor