The sun., 1895-03-03
CUBA'S FOREMOST BANDIT.
ErPLoIIs oFMANUEL GARCIA, VINO
MAS BEEN REPORIED KILLED.


Thousands OF Dollars by Kidnapping
Wealthy Men-He Was Not Hero OF
Romance, but n Coid-biooded Murderer
Manuel Garcia the most famous OF all the
Cuban bandits, Is reported killed. For many
years there has been reward OF 81 Q, 900 for his
capture, dead alive. and IL Is supposed that he
was killed by band of soldiers who have been
hunting him without interruption since last
October, when he kidnapped Antonio Fernandez
Q Castro, owner of the big C0rmen estate near
havana. Castro was kept In captivity bv Garcia
until his agents delivered 100000 in gold.
Cubans in this city who are acquainted with
the remarkable history OF Garcia believe that II
tho troops did succeed in capturing him. or
even getting close enough to him to kill him, he
was betrayed by some of tho country people for
q share of the reward. During the twenty years
of his active and hstonishingly successful
career as a bandit the few inhabitants in the
sparscly settled country in which Garcia had
his headquarters were either openly or secretly
his allies. Like the ranchers in the foothills of
the San Joaquin Valley in California who for
months aided the famous Sontag train robbers
to escape from the State and Federal authori-
ties, the peasants, small traders and even some
of the small planters of Cuba, have given aid
and concealnent to Garcia. Some of these were
thereby earned immunity from his professional
attention, and some. as was proved in the trial
OF other bandits, aided him for profit.
Manuel Garcia is supposed to have been As
years OF age. He came from poor people in the
interior. and it is believed served q short time
In the army. About twenty or twenty-five
years ago an unusually bold, desperate, and
cunning band of bandits began operations in
the country about the mountain chain of
Cienega de Zapata. in tho province of Matanzas.
There had always been bandits In Cuba-they
were the earliest product of West Indian civili-
Eation-but never before had q band operated
with much cunning and strategy, or with
such success. 1t was soon learned that this par
ticular band never operated at haphazard; they
were accurately informed concerning not only
the movements Of the wealthy persons they had
determined upon AZ victims. but of their
servants and agents: As to how and when
they travelled, and where. This was Manuel
Garcia's band. 1t was he who first Sc
cured either the passive or active assistance of
the tenants Of planters. and Of servants and
small traders. For some time his operations
were confined to the Matanzas province. but
since then he has exploited the entire island.
and made himself allies and followers In every
province. In Matanzas his escape. when pur-
sued by troops, was through q swampy country
into which the troops would not dare and were
never ordered to go. because Carcia's men knew
the swamps as the troops did the open road and
safely shot down from ambush any pursuers.
Often tho soldiers were sent on the wrong trail
by the poor people of the country, for, besides
the fact that they had many Of them been ter
rorized or cajoled by Garcia, their sympathy
was always against the soldiers, even whom tho
soldiers were in pursuit Of . bandit.
In the many stories told about him It is fire.
.l.. = a..
robber. and that he never robbed dwellings. 1t
is probable. however, that this Is country folk
talk, or the result of the natural desire of
writers who have attempted to give his history
to preserve for him q romantic reputation as a
kidnapper only. 1t has frequently been asserted
also that Garcia was . humane m an, and treated
his captives with distinguished courtesy. Such
is not the testimony of those who have been his
captives. and the fact that he has committed q
score OF murders, killing helpless and innocent
captives because the whole amount of his exor-
bitant demands were not Forthcoming proves
The best that can be said Of him Is that he was
physically q brave man. He proved that in
Roseo Barnueao Psrrieo Torres ana othss
bandit bar leaders Of his time did not always send
sa hs to Ss but
able. able one prior to the kidnapping Of Castro re-
Herrero In 1893, within the lines OF Gordon Of
i,C.s 1000 soldiers who were par,uing him. Garcia
the, plantation of Herrero with which he was
ws dac9qsptsd IA ne and found the planter sur
by only D hs
key dc los cs%pos!" The bandit ' foro.d Ssh Her.
tnaliy secured ransom Of 5000, and had had al al
foTs the soldiers aware w tSs. be-
had s;i.vs escaped through their lines, II is
man who could not afford Vte to pay afRsS at fssss
As ss5, 900. lie scheduled his demand on Atfe the
basis OF the probable sum that the captive could
induce his friends ana agents to raise. II he
ever overestimated the financial ability of his
forthcoming, he never failed to carry out his
threat to XII the captive. That was to impress
when Missing shd II. .seea
Manuel Garcia, the case was one of deadly
and no compromising on the amount.
\ Spanish army officer undertook the task
mapped by bandits in Cuba. In a report pub
iished ihn by him he gives the names OF twenty
aus IN Matanzas between 1852 and 1888 OF
thirty,seyen who were kidnapped In the Prov
lnce OF santa Clara from 1880 10 1890. and
thickly settled part OF the island. twenty-five
psSminSnt prom citizens were kidnapped IN the Ave
yNo'a IN lSbb, Inere are other prov
inces which yielded nearly as rich a return to
me bandits, ana, although doubtless many of
these outrages were credited 10 Garcia Which
We're We're really perpetrated by other Kings OF the
Plain" It is reasonable to estimate that in his
career Garcia extorted hundreds OF thousands
some particulars OF a few Of the cases will
snow how the Cuban bandits operated Seior
Antonio Jiminez Hernandez was the owner of a
zen Eich plantation called Buena Vista, near sancti
Splritus, He did not, as many of the plnnters
do. llye in Havana hut resided, surroundei
with luxury, ON his plantation. One day Ave
armed bandits entered his house and without
resistance by the servants who seemed to have
always expressed more fear OF the bandits than
they probably felt marched Hernandez away
ne was taken TO the bandit chiefs headquar.
ters, not very far from the plantation, and there
compelled to write this letter:
Ny DEAR WIFE. A. this moment am surrounded Inv
we've negroes. Ihey have threatened TO XIII me
seu me al once slAly peccs uf gold (ahout uOO hV
lhs mana that WIN give you this letter. for Gods
sake, MARIA, send tue money when you receive This
II You do not send the money lie haudtttI viii Eu
me- Three uf them have me IN a thirsIt. "
ANfuNlp JiMINEZ HErNANnF2.
Maria began at once nnanciering, and she
soon had the pleces OF gold in the TuessUngcr'S
hands; Antonio returned safe aud sound al
though thoroughly scared, the next morning
Don Pedro EiZa \ Nalazptfay