The sun., 1896-08-18
MATAG rs rs DEAD.
He Was n 6aentionan as . Bnndie, but Noe
Mueh Good az n soldier for Cuba.


Much Good AZ n a.soidier for Cuba.
MataRas is dead. In his way he was .
great man. The Marquis is wondering who
will fill his placei not that he is anxious fov
any to do 1t, but It eeems 80 desirable
place that he he Is afraid there may be many
applicants, and some ono Of different call
bre may ret Il. After all, the MARQUIS says,
for a bandit MataRas was good deal of Q
gentleman.
1t was his misfortune. not his fault. that he
became q briRani; at least II is said that he so
excused himself. He was a coal-b black negro,
and was employed by some in Puerto Prin.
oipe a mon ero, or cattle driver. In that
district, as in the Western States Of America,
the cattle run at largo and once a year are
rounded up; but 1t so happened that through
oversight or premature desire to be the
first Matagas rounded up some cattle and
drove them TO Cardenas before the recognized
time.
Then his misfortunes began, and society
turned against him He was secluded for
few years, and after he left this secusion his
desire for quiet life was 80 intense that he re-
tired. with others of a similar nature, TO tho
great CieneRa, which then became his home.
The Cienega is an immense swamp, some
twenty miles wide and ni.ety miles
LONG, with OCCASIONAL oasis Of solid land
big enough to form town site: and
there amid the alligstors and other aquatic
beasts Matasas built his home. What wonder
that society having discarded him. he in turn
tase of society. After all: f.ne. ls.d been Gov
year ho Would ave been wei"o.ned by society
everywhere. But he wasn't and so he had to
content himself with predatory raids on his
Here his gentsmanly qualities showed them
came into his hands even II tie ransom politely
demanded was nor !orthcoIulng. Ii Is true
.hat sometimes his young and hot headed eu-
tenants would break TINS rule for instance
when they kuleu Ab-iarGo's father: but then
he was suspected OF EiNiIg news OF t:e1n 10 tho
civil guard, and II Is said that AHaHas never
ceased to regret his dea,h AS time went on,
lie advanced IL. his profession, and became
somewhat OF a fnanci"r lie saw that il he
stopped the countrS man, alter all. there was
nothing bur Il sult OF clOt.ts. II hot Sc. and per-
haps, once IN a while. Il saddle To reward him
Tor his ACTIVITY: but LOCKING over the iie4ds OF
a"c. waving In tho wind. his genius re"oR-
N. et the fact that ~ match skItuIly applied
W 'uld reduce them TO ashes, and that L-any .
planter would gladly inou:e ms helds from
Thus he loined Ia h!ii n ,d,,C6
And II pa!d him we'll, So much so that he
was now i'll a position 10 help MS reedy neigh
bors, and to Is crolt Oe II said that he dld go
freely. not letlInH his left haud know what his
right did. 1t IS true that lie found sOme OF hls
more hard heated than others. Iuese
garded his style of fire Insurance rs immoral,
and 80 did not. insure against fire. But what
often happens when one is uninsured happened
TO lhem an they lost their sugar cane.
luIo leu 10 u real uHpAcuSdniDesS. Ono OF
these though less uninsured persons was SO in
censed that he offered a reward OF $4,000 To
any one no would bring him Matagas dead or
alive. and ne actually got the government To
give its sanction to tie project. and deposited
the money III the bank AT Havana He did not
get Aiatagas. much As some of the people
would have liked 10 earn the money. bur MI
tagas found the CieneVa unhealthlQl at that
time and moved over into the centre of the
island, where he spent the winter at the house
OF an eminently respecta6le gentleman, who
was on Intimate terms With him, having for
some years employed MN 10 effect his llSur-
ance:
Matagas a once proclaimed himself in favor
of cuba libre, and accepted II commission from
Brig. ten Rego Hui TINS proved his undong.
After the years of freedom he had enjoyed hiA
proud spirit could Ett!e brook the authority OF
a superior. When ten. Rego ordered him 10
fLl uand, form part OF u column 10 30 10 Plnar
del Rio. he declined to move. and sui"ed in his
CieneGa and the district of the Villas, but he
would be as r;uch astray in l'inar del Rio az
su II instinct survive more than one generation.
ten. Rego threatened aud swure he would
s1 s1s AG1 casy w lie paiH N" axe Xes, e e was was not
ground undo the tyrants heel. and he had
bis own Cuba liare, so there he stnSel. still!
learned that he had accepicd u commission,
and they LcSan to mako lncursipns into tho
Gicnegn, hot thai tl"y dd him any real
harm, INT 1t Is urplraaant on rainy day
wnen the water 10 hi;n 10 have To leave your
dry hose and wade into the swamp.
There was another rnuro unplensant thing.
During Llu winter the CubIns, knowing the
diiiculty OF penetrating i"to the Cienega, sent
any number OF their wOuIGed aud sick to bo
cared for ~ Matagts, Win his usual good
nature he would gladly have cared tor them,
but as Il was difficult u 10 tar ontside for
cattle, 'ie question Of supplies became dir.
tcult, and IL psined Matugus To see his own
friends suffer ere for the benefit or the
wuuRded tr,m other parts of the country,
s"me sad that Marasas was coward and
consequentlr afraid 10 como out, and Cueto
was. was some years aso, when Matag"s had oap-
tured 2ueto, and Ind LIN tied ur In the
Cienega waiting Il ransom OF $1,000. But
Mrtagas WAS not n coward for he finally
came out with his men when tho CieLega
was too full Vf tho wounded aud the spanish
troops were max NJ Lal!y incursions, and Go
meI personally had ordered him ON.
Sorry the day, for tao days afterward
they met II detachment OF troCps who engaged
them. and NJ the first vuiley Matagas was
slot through tus abdomen. HIS b dy was
hurne Off by his followers and buried shorB
distance from whore he foil, but was after
ward dsinterred and identified by tho Span
.ards. And so departed MataGas, aud who
wIII take his placer