Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-07-18
AN ESCAPE FROM
BANDITS.

DIR. ]. Hampden Porter, the wen
known naturalist and one OF the sVf
iaborators in anthropology connec'eu
with the National museum, has passed.
through about as many adventures oi
an uncomfortable nature as would SAT
isfy any one in the course OF nfe-
time. He has from youth been mueh
of a traveller, and likes the free ar "
outdoor life. He Is not much given 70
talking about himself, however. but
pursues his scientific investigations W /
a quiet way. taking as matter OF i
course what comes with them as al
yenturous adjunets. He was for
long time in Mexico, particularly be
fore and during the time Diaz was OPP
posing the government OF Jnarez' ana
had a narrow escape ON one occasion
from capture and perhaps worse nj
the hands OF Saturnino ossuna, one oi
the most reckless OF the free roysrs q
that stormy period. A Post reporter
managed to persuade him to tell 81
this recently,
"Saturnino Ossuna," said Dr. Porter,
was ranchero OF considerable
wealth In Land after he came into the
estate left him by his father III the
province OF Sinaloa He soon achieved
an unenviable notorIety by several lit
tle episodes. OF which rapine and muir
der were the outcome, but did not
come into particular prominence until
one day at Rosario he committed an
act OF notorIety that made him forever
feared.
aOssuna was about as BEAUTIFUL
specimen Of man as ! have ever seen-
l say beautiful. because he was slender
OF build. symmetrically rather than
strongly put together. and his hands
and feet were models OF daintiness.
His face was fair. his voice as soft as
a woman's. He always dressed gayly
In clothes or the richest patterns and
made a most picturesque fgure on his
horse. which he sat as II nodded 70 H.
He was a gambler % reckless stamp.
| and seemed 10 stop at nothing that
would satisfy vengeance or greed.
at was In 1871 that found myself
| In Rosario. where ! took house OPP
posite the earcel, or barracks, on the
main street Looking southwark down
| the street one could see the Catholic
| church OF the place. and every day |
| used 10 see a woman pass the house at
| the Angeius hour. She was dressed in
| deepest mourning. aud learned from
one OF the poems that she went TO place
a new wax candle on a shrine that
stood In front Of the church and ~.
/ main there 10 pray for the soul Of her
lover. who had persisted by the hand
/ OF Ossuna some months before.
.Ossuna. II seemed. had once court
ed this fair creature: won her love and
then lifted her. She afterward became
/ the sweetheart of a German engineer
who worked In the famous Rosario
silver mines When Saturnino Ossuna
heard of the new relationship IL did not
| take him long to plot revenge or TO
| swoop down on the little town with a
band of rlIffians al his back. and. cap
turing the woman's lover. drag him to
clump OF trees that grew over the
spot where the shrine afterward stood
Ossuna then had the man tied to one
OF the trees. He sent for some wine
and refreshments and cal miy sat on
the ground and ate and drank while
he pricked the poor engineer to death
by degrees with the point Of his sword.
THAT was my FIRST information
about Saturnino Ossuna. Later ! met
him, and came 10 know him casually,
for he freely made his appearance in
the place. fearless " attack by ans ~
the possible friends Of his late victim,
and usually accompanied by his trus-
ties.
When the revolutionary times be.
| Daot ri fa1 In. a. -
Diaz. but his action was only cloak
for his own deeds. When the govern
ment general, Corona, was holding
Durango and the adjacent country,
and Gen. Treveno moved down from
Sonora TO Mazatlan and spread his
cavalry along the coast. there was d
small garrison left In the carcel al
Rosario. One Sunday morning, in
1872 when the sun had grown -
fierce that the citizens were driven
into their houses, I was standing In
the shade Of my house.
| Without warning, in an instant, the
street was filed with horsemen
Riding at their head was Ossuna, and
the band came down the street like a
whirlwind. Before the sleepy senti
mel at the gate OF the carcel could give
the alarm he was shot by n well dI
rected bullet. and the followers OF o.
suna crowded into the doorway on "a
the unsuspecting garrison. II IL need
less TO go into the details Of that en-.
counter-or massacre. for such IT was
but there was not one Of the govern
ment troops left TO tell the tale. except
the captain. who managed 10 escape
over the wall and hide in some forage
in the shed Of a neighborfng yard. HI
was afterward captured and killed In
the plaza.
II had tried to get into my house