Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-10-12
TWO PIECES OF SILVER.
How They Saved the Life of a
Mine Manager.
"Muerte a los gringosp'


shook with rage. Her black face grew
blacker than its natural hue, if that
wore possible. Trembling III every
nerve, she glared viciously, and shook
long, bony finger in the faces of the
group of miners who with jests and
jeers had met her applications for
charity.
Get out of shis, you black devil!'
one shouted I'VE have had enough
of you"
"She's got plenty of money" cried
another.
"Wears diamonds in the city,"
sneered third.
Get plt! No beggars allowedw they
all shouted.
"Muerte los gringos." repeated the
woman, with shrek which would
have chilled the blood of men unused
to her vicious ways.
Manager France, of the Bull Domin-
go, heard the disturbance between the
miners and the miserable old woman
as he came up the gulch
Here, my good woman" said he,
there are two silver dollars You had
better not stay around here" he added,
kindly, as she took the money and
called the blessings of the saints upon
his generous soul. "The men are not
used to giving aims, and they will only
treat you unkindly."
He'd better be savin' them two dol
lars to help out the payroll of the Bull
Domingo who has been keeping slate
for nearly three months for the &C
commodation of workmen on that
property"
Its woman as always breaks a
suckers heart" urged miner. And
then the crowd fell to discussing the
material affairs of the camp, and for
time forgot the Mexican woman who
occasionally came up from Durango on
begging expedition,
Sonora Rosalina Ortiz once enjoyed a
happy home in the City of Mexico, her
birthplace She had all the opportu-
mites of education, both in Spanish
and English, and In her early married
life had travelled much. But mis- for-
tune came to her in the death of her
husband and two of their three chill
dren, after the loss of all the property
they possessed. They had for several
years made their home in the United
States, where Senior Ortiz had died,
leaving his widow penniless. Poverty
and sin were her undoing, and when
the Colorado mining fever filled the
mountains with fortune seekers of
high and low degree Sonora Ortiz
drifted to Durango. She had sunk SO
low in vice and crime that she was ac-
counted we'll fitted for anything from
begging to petty thieving, even to the
cutting of throat.
She was living as his mistress with a
hardened character known as "Robber
Dan," an American, whose life both in
and out of the penitentiary was a
series of misdeeds. He had earned his
title as she had earned hers. They
were well matched in their criminal ca
reers, although the woman had thus far
known no more of prison life than is
afforded by county jails Her only
child, boy of twelve years, had, like
his mother, became professional beg.
gar and thief
The i'll treatment she had received
at the hands and tongues of the
miners at Rico had burned into her
soul like hot iron, though the wound
was largely healed by the soft words
and the silver so kindly bestowed by
John France But, since she was not
likely ever to be able to carry out her
threat of death to all save her own
race and equally incapacitated to in
sure the blessings of the saints which
she had invoked, neither her curses
nor her prayers were needed. How
ever, none who knew her had any
faith in Black Rosa's possession Of
goodwill toward any one of American
or European blood.
Even Robber Dan and his male com
paniops in crime-who formed the
most notorious and daring band Of
robbers in southern Colorado-did moi
escape the vindictive spirit of Black
Rosa But the woman was useful tC
them, and when plentifully supplied
with drink there was no crime toe
black for her wicked heart nor scheme
too deep for her cunning brain. L
she possessed a single re6eeming trail
no one had been able to discover it.
Durango had been ablaze with the
glory of frontier life-a glory which
comes but once in the lifetime of 6
new town. But there was then little
regard felt for the future by the for
tune hunters who swarmed the street!
, and filed up the hotels and held higl
revelry in the saloons and dance hall
of that camp
Honest men with capital seeking tC
double their investments in a fort
night, stood on the same level of as
ISOLATION with the horse thief ant
! the road agent Mine promoters ant
gamblers drank over the same bar
! The crack of the stage drivers WIFI
was but the echo of the pistol shot
Business conversations and ribal,
songs, laughter and curses inter
mingled in a wild hurrah chorus
John France stood leaning with hi
back against the end of the bar in tn
saloon attached to the leading hote
), of the town. His hands were thrus
into the side pockets of his sack coat
/, while his face bore a puzzled look
' John Frances handkerchief was miss
, ing. That was mere incident, yet h
continued to look puzzled.
Going back to the mine in the morn
ing?" asked the clerk of the hotel
T, minute later, as France approache
the desk and asked for writing ma
), serial.
eYes, surer'
"Stage leaves at two o'clock"
J "Well, call me a half hour earlier