The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-08-03


send a note to each farmer asking for
500, 5000 or $500.
lis that an assessment on the value
of the CROP"
Senor-No. The value Of the crop
makes no difference The brigands
want their money and must have it,
whether the farmers profit be much
or little.
Surprising the farmer refuses?"
Senor-He would be crazy to do that.
His sugar cane is all dry. Tt extends
would make it blaze like a prairie fire
Nothing would be saved. Much better
for the farmer to pay the money and
have the brigands guard his crop for
him, for the soldiers could not guard IL.
''HOw if the farmer could not raise
the money!"
SenOr-Oh, he must raise It some
how or other. There are no two ways
about it. He must raise the money.
What benefit does brigandage con-
fer on the farmerP"
Senor-None at all. They have to
pay to support the brigands.
Then they are only on the side OF
the robbers through fearP''
SenOr-That is all.
why don't the authorities go to
work to clear the island of those fell
lows? Are they in league with them?"
SenOr-No, not in league with them,
but they don't go the right way about
it. They hear of a brigand camp and
41zov,
the farmers give the robbers notice
and they pack up and move about fif-
teen miles and camp again. There is
really no serious attempt to capture
them, for even if a brigand is captured
he escapes again Immediately.
"How?"
Senor-The civil judges connive at
his escape, and in courts where the
judges are honest, as is now and then
the case, the clerk or some other official
loses the papers and the witnesses are
spirited away, so it is hopeless mat
ter trying to convict one of them.
as there no way of stopping all
thisP'
Senor-There is.
"HowP"
The young senior rubbed his thumb
over his forefnger with a swift out
ward motion and smiled and shrugged
his shoulders.
Money, money, money" he said.
| Offer a reward for each and you could
! get all their heads in one wig, They
are all known. When BlancO was
| Captain-Genera1 of the island, eight
years ago, the brigands dared not say
boo. He caught them by the score
and killed sometimes thirty a day in
MORO Castle. If Captain-General
Marin was any kind of man he
could do the same"
Does Marin get money for allow
ing the bandits to ply their trade in
peaceP"
SenOr-NO. not Marin. But the
| judges do, Some of these are appoint.
ed by the Spanish Government, Others
by the civil governments of the various
provinces, and others again are elected
by vote in which One-third of the
adult male population take part. The
judges who are elected are tbs worst
of all"
| A1OW uO NOt0TS QudAA1y
Senor-By education and property.
But that is all theory. II you are &
partisan your faction will fix 1t up 81
that you can vote no matter how ignO
rant and poor you are. The same a.
they do here, you know. Swear yOl
through as a citizen and give you {
vote
What will the recent changes il
the Spanish ministry do for Cuba?'
SenOr-They will work much i'm
provement The retirement of tn,
Colonial Minister Balagaer will insur,
the withdrawal of Marin, the Captain
General, and any thing which make
Marin withdraw would be a godsent
to the island of Cuba. We could no
possibly have worse than Marin, an,
we might have better. Sagasta will
now form a Liberal Ministry, and vii
, send us a better and more eficien
Captain-General. The army In Cub
is ample to keep order in a population
five times as large, for there is a regu
lar army of %, 900 men and vOluntee
force OF $4,000.
What do you think of the storie
published in La LWcha, alleging, O
the authority of affidavits of prisoners
+ that torture is employed in the prison
of Havana to compel confessions?"
q Senor-I don't believe it. 1 was
. member of the volunteers there an
: many time did my turn Of sentr
duty in front of tier of cells in tn
a city prison. / was all over the plac
and know all the officials. If tortur
! was employed it is almost impossible
, that / should not have heard of it.
y have so many friends in official circle
4 who would tell me.
''Do the brigands ever use torture o
D their prisoners?"
E Senor-Only when compelled to
b. so by necessity.
q For instanceP"
y SenOr-Well, if a man refuses (
give up his money to them. A mont
q or two ago they caught an old ma
{ whom they thought was rich. The
q were mistaken this time. They aske
a for $4,000 in gold and he said he Onl
I could give IS, 600. Then they put tn
K thumbscrews first on one thumb an
k then on the other till the bone
t cracked. But he still told the sam
Q story, and they made an investigate
s and found he was telling the truth.
/. they apologized to him and nurse
d him on the fat of the land till III
s $5, 900 for his ransom arrived. Sti
d torture is seldom used by the brigand
s only on some crank or very stubbor
J. man. and they never kill anybody {
r all, except they have TO, when a ma
a refuses to give up money, and the
never rob the poor, only the ricl
T9bavr a ~ ,yarrr ,i,-sI s-o~ 4law,or pe.an1