The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-27
A WORRIED BANDIT.

Hated to See His Best Friend Leave
the Country Without Being Robbed.
jackson Eldridge has just returned here,
after a five years stay in lower California,
a longer period than any one in this region
would want to remain there, especially if
he were Harvard graduate and heir to
a good sized fortune in Baltimore, says the
Pomona, (C1o.) correspondent to the New
York Sun. Mr.. Eldridge has been in the
district Of which the old Mission San Boras
used to be the center. He represents a
French syndicate that has placer mining
interests there, and has been inducing
peasant emigra ton from Europe
This is the first time since November
1889, that 1 have slept in an ordinary bed
and between Sheets" said Mr.. Eldridge
at the hotel upon his arrival. II give
you my word that from the time l left civ
ilized regions, nearly five years ago, until
l came to take the steamer up here l
never saw a man, woman child who
could speak English. 1 knew no Spanish
when l went but 1 am a linguist now
My associates were the most savage In
dams on this continent and the worst class
of Mexicans. The population is very
sparse.
haps you would call it adventures to lie
awake all night with gun in your hand,
afraid to go to sleep lest a desert lion
should take notion to call on you but the
only real adventure 1 have had was con-
nected with the skin of wildcat l have
up in my room now. l had knocked over
a deer one day and had strung up piece
of it between two trees my lariat /
curled up in my blanket just few feet
away and prepared for good nights rest
You see. we always sleep down there with
a carbine handy and with knife stuck
in the sand close by the right hand. 1t was
lucky for me that / had my knife handy
on this occasion, for along in the night 1
felt a weight fall on me, then sharp claw
stuck in my shoulder, a great hairy Great
ure was almost smothering me, and growls
and snarls came with the hot breath of
wildcat"
Il managed to get a left hand clutch on
the throat of the cat and my knife in my
right hand soon settled the case But I
was scratched and torn pretty badly and
was badly scared in the bargain. l suppose
the beast had been sitting upon my haunch
of venison taking a midnight luncheon
when his attention was attracted to me-
l presume l must have moved under the
blankets. At any rate, the wildcat jumped
from the venison to me, and it was lucky
for me that l had my knife at hand, or
my skin might have been dried then in the
wilderness instead of having the cats skin
to bring present to friend"
Mr.. Eldridge says such incidents as this
do not make outdoor life unbearable He
processes a sincere pity for men who live
He intends to return to Lower California
after he makes a short visit to New York
and Baltimore. He relates another expert
ence, which tends to show that what is
bred in the bandits bone must come out
one way or another.
Il picked up in a canoe in the Gulf of
California one day an old Mexican Indian,
who was sick and half starved" he said
II took him to camp and nursed him and
made him strong again. That old fellow
stuck to me for three years. We passed
through many hardships together, and he
proved himself to be my friend in more
ways than one. You would have thought
he would never dream of harming me, yet
l know it to be fact that when / start
ed to leave the country he followed along
with the intention of killing and robbing
me-
II said good bye to him at the Mission
San Borjas, but he seemed determined not
to let me get out of his sight. You see,
he had been born bandit, and he felt it
his duty to prevent me leaving the country
with what treasure had collected. Anoth-
er Mexican told me this, and / finally got a
fellow to travel with me a guard But
nv old bandit friend rode in sight of us for
100 miles. His rifle always on the POM
mel of his saddle, and l had to keep mine
handy as we'll, for If he had caught my
comrade and myself both off guard there
is no telling what might have happened.
When we got near the town where the
steamer stopped the old Indian gave up the
chase. l suppose when I go back there he
will be my best friend again, but l shall
try not to let him find out when l intend
leaving the country next time"