Telegram-herald., 1890-12-07

o DeaSy 1kc t4~ o-7l 4esss t1o19 p a0a
% cane - it as oftsa afterwards
tassls TOR s2ssa.4s1sA IL ths uiRa q
Marc
Fcx nesrly 5 year al ~eEt well and
tae prospects tcs tie asxt year we're
qutss erltiiGnt Bst bsfers ne sa1 Of
tsslss nsnshs' partnership Nelssqa aez
hsZaa 70 sho~ s!gns of lsss~ning per-
soa4l iaterest IN the bGsinesS-
lie t0ok 0f.-rspSstea trips u San
Fraheiseo zRd made free aeas demands
fos money, 9hteA as nrst GagIo IN
EaFtAbly uset xs.h0at quesuenings bat
waen one day Vesasquez proposed 70
considerably oFersraw his account.
quarrel ensued. caused BY AaTio's re-
fusaL
Theregpon YelNsquez displayed char
scterisncs which told shat he VAS not
quite The polished gentleman he pre-
tended - be.
Bat Masio's refusal served good pur-
pose for, after this. Nelzsqaez was not
SO impOrtunate IN ais demands on the
financial resources Of tie nrm. Mat
ters went on with comparative smooth
ness FOR tirae. but Mario was not well
satisfied with his partner and often
wished that he had kept along alone in
his old quiet way. As year followed
year the Posada property continued 70
increase ia value And Sonoma wines
found a ready sale az all times. Both
Mario and his partner were making
largo sums OF money eYery year
Mario was a careful man and invested
his money very cautiously as fast as ne
made il. but VclasqueE was given 10
rash speculation. and frequently lost
large sums Of money dabbling in min
ing stocks in San Francisco.
This and his frequent absence from
the Posada cellars gave Delaro good
cause for complaint and he suggested
10 Velasquez the purchase Of his share
in the business.
To this Velssquez would not listen
He was always sure Of good thing, as
he knew full we'll, SO long as be retained
his interest In the vineyard and the
wine-cellars and he knew enough 10
stick 20 his partner.
Mario Delaro had built himself
pleasant home on the hillside little
below San PaOla- To this homo he took
alovely wife, by whom be had one child,
daughter, who WAS at the time OF her
fathers death about eight years old
The child. Armida. was bright little
brunette, combining in herself the
beauty of her handsome father and the
sweetness of her lovely mother-the
latter daughter Of a wealthy Spanish
merchant in Santa Rosa.
Mario had been very proud Of his
lovely wife and child and was the ten
derest of husbands.
Leon Velasquez. on the other hand.
possessed a history which was quite OBJ
scure up 20 the time when he made his
first bow in San Paola with a profusion
OF money and the appearance Of one
whose path in life was particularly
smooth and easy.
AS related, he soon became the part
ner of Delaro and al the time whom the
partnership was formed he appeared TO
DO a man Of about thirty-dve years,
though mono ever knew his exact age
II any one had followed him on bis
frequent trips TO San Francisco they
would have discovered that he went
there TO participate In all kinds OF
vices, and, as men whose deeds are evil
love darkness rather than light, they
would have found that he did not en-
pose himself much during the day.
He acted like man who was afraid of
being seen, and his haunts at night
were places where It required a peculiar
knock on the door as we'll as a glance
through peep-hole before the appli-
cant was admitted.
It looked as though his seclusion in
the quiet Posada vineyard was a forced
one, though he had not apparently
enough discretion or force Of will TO
keep entirely from the outside world.
he was, In short, an inveterate gam
bier. and would resort to any means in
order TO gain the material with which
TO tempt fortunes cards. He had
logged elbows with the worst classes Of
thieves and villains in San Francisco
and any one aware of his history would
have known that It was not the first
time he had associate With question
4 ablo characters.
The fact Of the matter was that Vel
ssquez had walked IN crime from an
carly age His parents had afforded
him good education. and at the age OF
sixteen he had entered large mercan-
tile house in Lisbon
lie took advantage Of the first oppor-
tunity which presented itself to steal
quite a large sum OF money, and, failing
n bis efforts TO fasten the crime upon a
fellow clerk, he eluded the vigilance OF
the Lisbon police and sccretcd himself
on a sailing vessel bound for America
The captain being susceptible 10 bribo
be managed to land safely in New York
Vslasquez lost 10 time in improving
his knowledge OF the English language,
and after Perfecting himsof as FAR az
possible be started across the coHti-
nent
At Chicago he found his way into a
I ring Of gamble who soon feeced him,
and he then sank into every kind Of
/ Woe mag insble From Chicago be
&JehQ