The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-14
vAsQUEz DIED GAME.
A Bandits Equanimity and Quiet
Nerve on Meeting Death.
From The New York Sun.

Cotton, Cal, April PA party of
ranchmen sat about the office of the In
ternational hotel the other evening, wait
ing for the Southern Pacific train to Los
Angeles. The train was belated four
hours by a washout on the Colorado
desert, and the ranchmen had plenty of
time to tell stories as they smok ed their
pipes and cigars. A majority Of them
nad been on the plains in the west over
twenty years, and some had come over
land in the days of OK teams and buffa-
locs Louis Phillips, who owns almost
as much property in Los Angeles county
as Lucky Baldwin, and who is famous
throughout Southern California for his
wealth and plain, common mode of life,
told the most interesting Renaissance Of
the evening.
~ have seen at different times in my
thirty years Of life in California, Arizona
and New Mexico over forty men hanged
and shot for all manner of crimes. / have
taken part in the execution of about
twenty of the most ruthless bandits we
ever had on the coast, and have seen
several men dropped in the same room
with me by an assassin and outlaw but
the most remarkable villain, and the
least moved man that ! ever saw or heard
Of in the presence of DEATH was 1iburcio
Vasquez.
"Vasquez was a Mexican Of good fam
lily, but he was as bloody and bold a
brigand as was ever pursued III Arizona.
His field Of operations for ten or fifteen
years was all the way from Tucson to
Stockton Cal. The VasqueZ band was
known all over the coast in 1868 and 1870
Part Of his gang was lynched at PhGnixin
1871, and two Of the bandits then con-
fessed that they had taken the lives Of
over eighty men and boys on the coast
and along the Rio Grandc in the course of
five or six years. They did not know how
many other men had been slaughtered by
Vasquez and his fellows before they
knew the chief bandit At last
Vasquez was caught and held so
securely that he could not escape
trial and sentence Of death 1t was in
1875 that he was cOuiined in the Jail at
San Jose. and as ] knew Sheriff Adams
well | went to see Vanquez, of whom
many a time | had been in terror. AS /,
in the company of several ranchmen,
went into the Jail corridor. Vasquez was
let out of his cell to meet us. He was a
dapper little fellow, with bright, laugh
ing eyes, and we could not believe for a
time that he was really the famous ban
dit. He had Just been writing his last
letter, and came forth nodding pleasantly
TO his visitors. Each of US handed him a
cigar. i thank you gentlemen, he said
but am afraid that ! won't have time TO
smoke all these
He was 50 polite that he would not be
seated until all of us had chairs. He Cos
siped about the latest news from San
Francisco about the political troubles in
Mexico and Central America, and was
the most cheerful man on the premises.
He told me that he had heard of me many
times, and said he believed he once had
got hold of a horse with my brand upon
him, and that il was fine animal.
AS he stood there, one hand on the
arm Of his chair the newspaper in the
other, and showing a courteous interest
in the efforts Of the busting deputy to
find seats for his guests he was far from
formidable in appearance He was now
but short, broad-shouldered, dark
skinned, plcasant-faced Mexican. with
nothing whatever about him forbidding.
Indeed, his manner was engaging The
fellow was gentleman. He showed II
not only in his pOliteness. but IN the cool
courage with which he faced his dreadful
end
81 would rather talk about something
else, II IL is agreeable 10 you, gentlemen
he said 70 a reporter who had joined Us,