, 1888-04-18
BRIGANDS OF CUBA.
cold BANDITS THAT !NFEST THE
QUEEN OF THE ANTILLES.

Tales of ~brigandage in Cuba during the
past few years nave reached New York
from time to time, but the true situation
is not known save to those who live on the
island itself, and ID has become so familiar
to these ms to rave listle novelty. 1t is
largely the result of the present almost
bankrupt condition of the once proud and
wealthy Queen OF the Antilles. Poverty
is now almost universal save among the
planters and merchants in the cities, and,
unable to obtain n livelihood save by the
precarious and scarcely remunerativc &C
equations of cock fighting and lottery
ticket selling, which appear to the tourist
to be the main occupations of the Cubans,
many of the half wild peasants of the in
terror and rouglIs of the own ave taken
to brigandage. They are most numerous
ia the central part of the island, between
Matauzas on the north and Cienfuegos on
the soath. making their lairs in the woods
and hills OF the center OF the island and
operating on the roads every place where
there is any chance of wealthy persons
passing.
Tn eastern end of the island has been
singularly free from bandits, and travel
through its still virgin forests and lofty
volcanic mountains is comparatively safe.
The Guardia Civile, as the Spanish
soldiery is called, make periodical incur-
siOns from Matanzas and other cities
against the bandits, but as n rule these
raids nave little result. 1t is more than
limited that there is an understanding be
tween the soldiers and the bandits. Tn
Spanish government is always behind
hand in its payment of its Cuban soldiers
wages, and there is a general impression
that the soldiers make up for deferred or
---.g1 --- l-- T.
paid by some wealthy planter for his re
lease from captivity. Not that the
Guardia Civile are always unfaithfull
A DREADED BANDIT CHIEF.
''Matagas," said our informant, '1s
now the bandit chief most feared. He is
a mulatto and rules his followers abso-
lutely. He changes his location CON
stautly and has been rather quiet of late,
but we may heal of him at any time. He
has placed a price of $50, 900 on the per
sons of the Messrs. Stewart, who own the
well known uga plantation, La Caro-
lima, near this city, and these gentlemen
have been obliged to use much caution in
going to and from their plantation on
their visits to the city"
Tell us about Senior Casanova" we
asked.
''Well, Senior Casanova was driving
NAA'N-H ~ 'ANN NoAAAA 'iO AAt lbt
in a ~volante, over n rough and lonely
road, when the bandits suddenly appeared
from the chapparal. They surrounded
the yolante so quickly that he could do
nothing but surrender at once. They
ordered him to mount II mule, and at his
protestations that he was suffering from
u bladder complaint and that it would
kill him to ride they only laughed. They
carried him off to n little hut in the noun
tain and kept him there u week. The old
gentleman, from the complaint above
described, could only subsist on milk, and
as The bandits could not furnish this he
nearly died before he was ransomed."
GLOW did they ransom him2'
''The bandits had a note conveyed
secretly to his friends demanding
$4,000 for his ransom within n week.
This his friends raised and sent by Il
trusted messenger to n place agreed upon.
Senior Casanova was produced, the money
paid over and the bandit who received IT.
disappeared as suddenly as if the earth
had swallowed him. Casanova says that
he was not treated badly during his short
captivity, but imagine his state Of mind
and suspense during the days he was Il
captiyel'
Has no concerted action been taken to
apprehend these bandits throughout the
islandg''
"No. 1t is n sort Of local option with
different places whether they can drive
them away or not. We're All growing so
poor, however, that unless your good and
great Uncle sam will pity and annex ~
the bandits will soon suppress themselveJ
for want of prey.
FAD THE A LECTURE.
zone place, however, has rid itself OF
the pest, and in this way. You know it
is very rarely that n Cuban becomes an
officer in the Spanish army. The position
Is not considered worthy of ambition by a
Cuban, and will not be as long as the two
peoples dislike each other as they do now
But in this place a son of a well known
Cuban family was an officer in the Guardia
Ciyile. He pursued and caught n body OF
bandits, Cubans like himself. Then he
read them a lecture in this wise:
"'You know me and you know l under
stand your position. sympathize with
your poverty and know the wretched gov
has made YOU calling possible,
but | do not ~sympathize with your law
lessness. IN release you now only on
your solemn oath that you'll leave this
district at. once. If | hear of any Of you
here again I'll show you no mercy He
meant what he said, and that district was
troubled no more.n
'HOW are these n armedt'
Every poorly as a rule. They have old
fashioned muskets and now and then a
rifle. 1t is not their weapons, but their
familiarity with the country and its hid
ing places and the fact that they have
relatives and friends aud sympathizers in
most OF the villages, and even in the
cities, that make them at all formidable
with the wreiched soldiery we have. A
squad Of United States cavalry could
probably rid the island Of them in two
months time"
Docs not their presence make it unsafe
for Americans To visit Cubas"
Not in the least. These bandits do
not interfere with the railroad trains, on
which a squad of soldiers always travel,
more rs a matter of form thar anything
else, and the bandits are not to he feared
on the beaten lines OF travel. Besides,
they do not lie in wait for a tourist. They
generally learn or know all about their
man, his wealth and whether his friends
viii or will not be likely to ransom him,
before they prepare to capture him. They
would not be likely to attack a traveller
simply on the chance Of securing n roll Of
bills and a watch. They have also,
strange to say, a high regard for Ameri-
cans Like all Cubans, they look to the
United States as a possible protector and
ruler some day, and, perhaps, too, they've
heard of six shooters aud Yankee pluck.