Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-07-28

deed. The next night he came agail
and found the house still shut up. IL,
waited, but got no sign of hope, an,
so he shook his head several time
slowly and walked away, looking bacl
every now and then. never set eye
on him again. A week later the young
lady's aunt had recovered from he
sickness and the house was once more
lady sat behind the lace curtains
peeping out Of the parlor window
She was dressed in her finest attir,
apd she waited long and a%nXiouSly for
her cavalier to come, but he did no
appear. Night after night she patient
ly waited, sitting in her best dress
looking out through the bars, but h,
never came. She would rise to hel
feet and look out through the bars o
her cage, for the girl is Gagged il
Havana. Up the street and down tn,
street She would look, but he never
came. She had seer him for the las
time.
SenOr-Oh, those reports in the
American papers about brigandage ar,
very much exaggerated. Cuba i,
heavily wooded and contains only
Loot 600 people, and there are robber,
there, the same as in this country.
The brigands are very nice gentlemen
almost all of them are eX-soldiers from
the rebel army which tried to drive
the SpaniardS out of Cuba. They dc
no harm, but treat their prisoners well.
OF course If a prisoner is ugly and tries
to resist and fight them he gets in
trouble. Well, they killhim. But they dc
not interfere with poor men and they
don't ask any mar for money unless
they know he has got it. They not
only know that their prisoner has
money, but they also know much he
has got and whore it is banked, They
have their secretaries all over the
island. The first time | came in con-
tact with the brigands of Cuba was in
the year 1881, in the district of Nuelta
Arriba, in the Province of Santa Clara.
| was looking oyer the plantations
there, buying the ncwly-harvested leaf
tobacco. As ! was riding along a quiet
road through a wood one day four men
came out from among the trees and
called on me to halt. They We're
g~ood-loOking, well-drcssed, sun-burncd
fellows, of military appearance, They
informed me that rs | was a stranger |
would have TO put up money in order
to secure me in peace while transact
ing my business. looked them over
and seeing that they were intelligent
men | began to talk to them. "See
here | said, II am a buyer, and if
you rob the buyers they will come to
your province no more. The farmers
will not be able to sell their crops if
the buyers do not come here, and if
the farmers don't sell their crops and
the buyers don't come you will be in "A
nice box. There will be no one for
YOU to rob" Well, they saw what |
said vas true, and instead Of rObbing
me they took me to their camp
in the woods, where they Toasted
me and opened wine. Oh, they live
in grand style. Their food is luXu-
rious. the finest beef and pork aud NUT
ton and chickens and all other kinds
Of fowls and all kinds of shell fish and
canned goods and preserves and the
finest wines and cigars. Their arms
are very superior and costly and their
tents are fine and well fin ished. They
have plenty Of horses, and excellent
horses they are. They have no houses
or permanent places of residence,
but live all the time in tents aud on
horseback. After they had Toasted me
and we had enjoyed some Of the
finest wine ! ever encountered, I was
led to Il very comfortable couch of
skins. In the morning | was break
tasted and sent away in peace. Since
then | have been a great deal among
the ~brigands and have spent many and
many a night with them. | have had
to pay assessments, but never any thing
bigger than 800. | could travel any
where among them in safety. The
island is divided by them into districts
over which a chief rules. Over all of
them is a great chief and lieutenant.
Lcuglg Romero is the great chief and
Garcia is his lieutenant. Romero is a
very popular man in Cuba. He does
not kill anybody, and he only robs the
rich. II was Romero who caught the
Spanish Colonel, Galinda, in the PROV
incc of Mgtan2a. Galinda was the
commander Of volunteers. He was out
walking with his book keeper and with
his nephew and Romero picked up the
whole party. $50 back TO your work.
he said to the nephew and the book
keeper, 'and see that you are indus
trious, for | have now an interest in the
plantation" He and his men took Ga
linda to the woods with them and
wrote a letter demanding $50, 600 in
gold. After much bargaining they
agreed to take $4,000 in paper, worth
about $4,000 in gold. They demand
ed and received this in bills of 81, O0O
each. Then they sent him home. He
was elegantly treated while with them.
They did every thing to make him
happy and keep him amused. Oh, they
are very nice gentlemen.
Senora-lndeed. they are very nice
gentlemen. Don't you remember that
brigand chief who stayed at our house
in Havana for a month? What a
handsome man he was-not a bit
fierce. Big black beard and jet black
rolling eyes and white teeth and thick
black hair and fine features. A most
romantic looking gentleman. and one
OF the mildest | ever saw while he was
awake. But when he was asleep. oh,
my. No n else in the house could
sleep then, for he had all his fight.
over again, and yelled and swore and
growled and made unearthly noises
like live or six cats fighting at once,
lie could not help that, of course, poor