Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-10
A MAN or COURAGE.
A Desperate ENCOUNTER With Brignnds
ineMcxiCO.


A Desperate Encounter With Brfya nds
ineMcxico.
speaking of a6ts Of courageous self
sacrifice for the pIb1ic good" remarked a
gentleman, who had lived several years in
Mexico, to a StaM writer, Il knew man
in Mexico who could give pointers to some
of those old RomShis we read about. At
the time of my acquaintance with him he
was seventy-five years old, and was living
with his second wifes by whom he had three
or four children. Nhen he was thirty years
of age he lived onNa ranch with his wife
and one child, boy5Eof ten, and their home
was in a neighborhoed infested with brig
ands, or what PASSED for brigands, who
made frequent incursions into the valleys
from their mountain resorts, robbing and
cattle killing and numbering. pretty much
as it pleased them, to which was added
the further diversion of picking up travel
ers and others, who were worth the
money, and holding them for ransom.
$50 notorious had their depredations be-
come and so helpless were the authorities
in the matter that the entire section babe
fair to become a bowling waste, for travel
ers stepped coming and the inhabitants
were getting out as fast as they coulo.
Up to this time Garcia, for that was my
old friends name, had been in better luck
than most of his neighbors. due largely to
| the fact that he was a brave man, and had
| in his employ on his ranch men who were
| as quick to fight as any brigand in the
mountains. One day. however, the blow
struck Garcia, and when he came home in
| the evening he found his wife crazy with
grief and the boy carried off.
| He knew 1T was for ransom and waited
until the robbers should come to the sur
face for their booty. believing that the
| boy would be we'll cared for as long as
| there was hope of getting money for him
| In fVyn
| the effect that the boy was safe in the
hands of Capt Manuel. the leader of the
| gang, and the very soul and spirit of it
| and that for the sum of ZOO paid to him
| reply to the note was to be left in GER
| tain place a dozen miles to the north OF
Garcia's ranch, and from there Manue
| would get 1t. Garcia made up his mind a
once what to do, and he sent word t.
Manuel that the money would be paid, ant
| asked further instructions.
He was duly notified that he was t.
| come alone to a distant point in the noun
tains, and there deliver the money and ge
| the boy. That was all, and taking thu
chances of treaehery, he started out, havin,
with him dozen of his best men. Thes
he left as near to the place of meeting a.
he dared and went forward, alone, SOM
miles. In a remote spot he was met b,
Manuel, whom he knew, accompanied b.
five men. Garcia was heavily armed an,
wore under his clothes a coat of chail
mall for his was a desperate purpose
Manuel at once demanded that Garcia la,
down his arms as a sign of good faith AM
hand over the money and they would TAX
him to the boy. II he did not they woul,
kill him and the boy also.
'In an instant Garcia replied with sho
that went through Manuels brain, an,
then before the others could recover thei
senses he had killed two of them, next ii
command. Then as others came in re
Spouse to the firing, he started on a will,
run down the gorge Of the mountain witt
the bullets raining round him like hail an,
that follows men in just such predica
ments, he got away with his life, thank
to his chain mail. but he was badly wound
ed. and when he reached his own men h
fell in dead faint. and didn't know any
thing for two weeks
when no recovered his senses it was t
find that his wife had died in a hysterica
fit and that the boy had been killed by tn
brigands. or that portion of them left afte
Garcia's force had finished with them ant
drove them back into the mountains. Tha
ended the brigand business in that vi
cinity for good and all, but Garcia himsel
went about for a long time so sad an
broken hearted that all that his grateful
fellow citizens and the country at larg
could do for him seemed to have but lttl
effect. After ten years the shadow ha
been dispelled somewhat. and he marrie
again. and though he had fine wife an
good children he could not forget tn
others, and fer forty-five years no man ha
ever seen him smile, although he was al
ways gentle and kind and good"