The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-01-04
A DESPERATE ANARCHIST
LEADER OF THE BARCELONA LYCEA
OUTRAGE CAPTURED.
Aas Been shadowed and Trailed All Over
Spain and Was Taken After Desperate
Struggle With the Officers and
Being Wounded


nection with the anarchist conspiracy
was accomplished yesterday at Sara
gcssa. The police have for some time
past had majority of the rank and
file of the anarchists, but the most
dangerous leaders of these pests of so.
ciety have, in several cases, succeeded
in evading the police. One man
strongly suspected of being concerned
in the Lycea theatre dynamite bomb
outrage vanished from Barcelona i'm
me;'iately after thnt crime was com.
mitted and efforts to find him proved
fruitless, though the police frequently
came upon his trail, but he seemed to
be kept we'll informed as to the move
ments of his pursuers and he fre.
quently escaped when they were about
to place their hands upon him.
This series of almost miraculous
escapes impressed the police with be.
lief that the anarchists were able to
obtain information of the most secret
movements and plans of the authori-
ties. The. result was a thorough in
vestigation and several members of the
Barcelonasecret police were arrested
and sent to join the anarchist gangs
awaiting transportation to the penal
settlements. After this cleansing of
the secret police force, the authorities
found themselves much strengthened
and the arrest of important anarchists
was made, but man named Franch
still remained unarrested, though the
police were more anxious to capture
him than any other anarchist in Spain.
He was known to be a man capable of
carrying out any terrible plot which
might be determined upon and in
every way leader among the leaders
of the anarchist conspirators.
II was known, for instance, that
Franch had planned and almost suc-
ceeded in executing an attempt to
l. low up portion of the prison at Bar
ceIona, where majority of the anar-
chists of that city were confined. The
plot WAS nipped in the bud by the po-
lice who arrested number of conspir-
ators, though Franch succeeded in
making one of his usually clever es
capes. BY dint of hard work and by
keeping continually, night and day,
on the trail of the anarchist leader,
Salvador Franch was finally located
again Yesterday in house situated in
highly respectable quarter of Sara
gossa. Tie police then made most
careful and thorough prep
arations to capture the long
wanted anarchist. A strong
force of policemen in plain clothes was
during the day, a few at time, dis
tributed so as to gradually surround
the house, and in addition as the hour
for making the attempted capture
drew near, detachment of police in
uniform was sent to the spot and the
pclice net was gradually closed around
| the house where the notorious anarch-
ist had sought refuge. Slowly but
surely the net was closed. The police
entered the house unopserved and a
number of the most daring of the Off :
GERS suddenly burst in the door OF the
room occupied by Franch, and re-
volver in hand dashed into the apart
ment and called upon the anarchist to
surrender, at the same time covering
him with their pistols. Franch, though
taken by surprise, drew a pistol
and was upon the point of killing the
leader of the police when he rapidly
changed his mind, and turning the
pistol toward his own right side. he
shot himself beneath the arm. This
movement, however. had been noticed
by the police, and they grappled with
him in time to prevent the anarchist
from killing himself, though the bullet
which he fred into his side penetrated
his chest, but the leaden missile came
out again three inches from the spot
where it entered. A terrible struggle
between the policemen and the an
archist followed. the officers of the law
being covered with blood by the time
they we're able to reduce the despsr-
ate man to anything like subjection.
When this was accomplished, the
policemen began to search their cap
| tivs, believing him too weak from loss
of blood to make any further effort to
take his life. In this, however, they
| were mistaken. Franch. watching
his opportunity, suddenly drew a tiny
bottle of poison from secret pocket
and before the police could prevent
him he had placed it TO his lips. This
movement was noted by the police
who were searching him, and they sue
ceeded in knocking the bottle OF poison
from his mouth, the prisoner shouting
and cursing loudly at his captors.
When before the magistrate the be-
havior Of the prisoner was desperately
violent. He struggled with his cap
| tors and continued his anarchist
threats and curses, loudly avowed his
completely in the Lycea theater out
rage, expressing fiendish regret that
more people were not killed and that
he was not able to carry out further
and more bloody outrages. This
seemed to be the prisoners only re-
gret az he cursed and swore, claiming
that the existing state of society must
be destroyed even if the people had to
wade in blood in order to do so.
After the prisoners preliminary ex-'
animation before the magistrate he
was placed in the doctors hands and
almost Immediately reduced to a state
of insensibiity in order that efforts
might be made to save his life in the
Interests OF ustice. The examination
of the doctors showed that his wounds
were more dangerous than at first sup
posed, though it is believed the physi-
cions will succeed in saving his life. AS
soon as Franch is able TO be moved he