The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-17
CUBA'S BANDIT KING.
How He signs His Papers and Conducts HIs
War Against Railroads.

How He signs His Papers and Conducts Hls
War Against Railroads.
The latest ad vices from Cuba indicate
that the arrival of General Polavieja,
the new Captain-General, is especially
welcome, because the people rely upon
his well-known energy as a military
man TO be delivered from the highway
robbers who terrorize some districts of
the island. He is the man to take radi-
cal measures against the banditti, whose
audacity could not be restrained by the
former Captain-General, who remained
only four months in Cuba, and who was
not as energetic as a purely military
man, like General Polavieja-
The famous highwayman, Manual
Garcia. is no longer satisfied with the
title OF Captain or Colonel of bandits
His proclamatiOns are signed, according
TO the usual royal custom in Spain: Il,
the King of the country people and
OF nearly the whole island of Cuba,
Manuel Garcia the First" Garcia re-
ceives monthly assessment from the
planters and merchants, to whom he
promises immunity from his depreda-
tions, and occasionally he detains
travellers until ransom has been paid
for obtaining their freedom. The Com
pany Of the VIllaneuva recently refused
to pay an assessment of SO, 900 laid
upon it by mis- Majesty Manuel Garcia.
This endangered his prestige, and pun
ishment was imperative. At the head
of half-squadron of bandjttI, well
armed and riding in their fine blue uni
form on swift horses, Manuel Garcia
occupied the depot of Quivican, took
possession of the archives and safe, and
set fire to the buildings Before leav-
ing he intrusted to the care of the depot
master letter to the directors of the
company, informing them that their
contribution was increased by S. 900 as
punishment for having disobeyed the
orders of his Gracious Majesty, as he is
styled by the Cuban narrator of the
event. By another letter he sent car
tel to the gendarmes, but was careful
not to wait for their arrival. The rail-
road company, of course, did not pay
this assessment of SIS. 600, and Garcia
raided another depot and compelled the
employees to tear out some rails from
the track. TIE next ira n was thrown
from the track, and Garcia and his band
fired upon it wounding some passen-
gers He captured locomotive engin-
eer and gave him another letter for the
railroad directors, whom he assessed
again, this time TO the amount of $780,
600. He also sent one more cartel to
the gendarmes, in which he wrote: ''If
the whole Spanish army was at my
heels it could not capture me-" Manuel
Garcia might have added: Thanks to
the swiftness of my horse" for he has
always good stock of horses and does
not run the risk of being compelled
sometimes to cry like Richard I'LL, MY
kingdom for horse"
TheseCuban banditti are superstitious,
and they think they ward of capture by
the gendarmes by reciting the following
olasphemous prayer: IN NJ |oEqqfI MRfea
sue me, let not their feet be useful for
running neither their hands take hold
of me, nor their eyes see me. Throw
them down, as Thou hast thrown those
who wanted to arrest Thee on Holy
Thursday. Deliver me from them, as
Thou hast delivered Jonah from the
whales breast" But they have not
thought of including the ropes of the
rallows in this sacrilegious invocation
N v Tribune