The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-20
A RIDE FOR LIFE.
Mistaken for Bandits May
or Seymour and a Party
Escape Over a Cuban
Plain.
CHASED FOR TEN MILES
Tagging Horses Spurred to Re-
newed Effort-Humors of
the Situation.
CHASED FOR TEN MILES

The talk, says the Newark "Adver-
tiser," turned to the escape of Senorita
| Cisneros. Ed. Whitehead, whose enthu-
siasm is always at high tide after a good
dinner, cut short a rhapsody on Colonel
Price and the Democratic clambake at
Avon-by-the-Sea to glow over the daring
rescue of the fair Cuban. The reporter in
the party listened to Eds swelling strain.
but Mayor Seymour's mind, apparently,
was elsewhere. He did not speak, but
a beam of recollection CLEANED in his
eye. The smile that lurked around the
corners of his mouth showed that the
recollection had amusement in 1t.
Yes" he said. when Ed had finished
his fight, cit was a daring stroke of en-
terprise. It brings to my mind an escape
I once made, and in Cuba, too. That
escape did not create a sensation in the
political or social world, but, I tell you, it
was sensational to me. The flight was
full of sensations that were far from
agreeable, n the escape had its own
sensations, but of another kind"
The Mayor is exceedingly interesting
in narrative. His companions surnised
that he was going to relate az incident,
and settled back in their chairs for en-
joyment.
in my twenty-third year." he began, ST
spent eight months in Cuba, s~uperintend-
ing for a New York iron house the con-
struction of a railroad. This railroad was
to connect Puerto Principe with the
nearest harbor, Nuevftas. The distance
between the two cities is over fifty
miles.
Il had under me both Cubans and
/ A roorioap nc Ar ppn runnnenf T was giving
orders in Spanish to the former, at the
next in English to the latter. Among the
Americans was Bob Stevens, of Hoboken.
Bob was an adventurous spirit, brave
and daring. He was the stuff that
pioneers are made of. He lost his life
not long afterwards in Mexico, for which
our Government has stil an unsettled
claim against that Republic.
One day Stevens invited me to make
one of a party to ride to the plantation
of Santa Maria, which was some thirty
miles distant. A good time awaited us,
he said. l did not hesitate to accept. Early
the next morning we set off. The sun rose
brilliantly, the air was bainy and every
thing promised an enjoyable ride.
In those days bandits. or banderas, as
they are called. were thick IN Cuba.
These fellows were thorough savages
Their barbarFties We're appalling. The in
human cfueitles tney practiceu on those
VINO fell in their hands We're chilling to
the marrow. tn government was maxi
ing an earnest effort TO destroy them
utterly and root QUO b~rigandage once for
all. The night before, live bandits mad
been taken. Three were taken alive, the
others dead. The bodies OF these two
lay upon the plaza and we say them as
we mounted to ride away.
wei, it WAS a very pleasant trip. Our
4 yCai lpd aRrnSS the ~ yolnah In tho
party was a Frellchman, who did not ride
very wei. Stevens rode as if he were a
part OF the horse, and the other two.
both OF them Cubans, We're tine horse
men. like most OF their countrynen. But
We logged on Ieisureiy for Inc French
man S sake.
Our ride was uneventful until we came
to about ten mites rom Santa Maria. All
this point we came iii sight OF another
road which erosser a ridge Of hills that
shirted the Savannah to the right. This
road dipped down the hill until it Joined
the road we were on some three miles
farther on toward Santa Maria. As we
came in sight OF it we saw far up toward
the crest a band of herselnen. They far
outnumbered our party, and were coming
down at a brisk gait, as was proved by
the cloud OF dust they raised.
up to that time we had been chatting
and laughing; but suddenly silence fell
upon the party. Stevens. the gayest Of
gone far before he turned around.
Gentlemen he said. I am no eoward
but 1 propose that we get out of the way
OF that band up there. If we counted as
many l would advise stand and fight"
but we don't by a good many. and be-
sides are not properly armed
we set spurs to our horses. We were
then about three miles from the junction
| of the roads and had a slight advantage
in distance. AS our pace auickened theirs
did also. The cloud of dust aroun them
rose thicker and higher. Their picturesque
costumes were obscured, excepting the
first half dozen.
our horses were somewhat fatigued, and,
must confess that l was a little scared.
The horrible cruelties practieed by those
barbarians came wildly to mind. 1
thought of my home and my friends here
in the United States, and facied them
being shocked by the account of my
my body. Many other thoughts of like
nature flashed through my mind, and I
guess the Others were thinking just as
hard, for all We're silent. The pace was
furious. My spurs were dug again and
again in my horses TANKS. l never rode
SO fast In my life, either before or after.
W. won the first heat, that is to the
junction of the roads. But we were only
about a quarter of a mile ahead. We
could see the foremost riders straining
before the cloud of dust. The plantation
was still three miles away, and now we
were on even terms with our pursuers.
/ tell you we We're a solemn party, for
But we spurred on. At the end Of the sec
ond we were still ahead by a comforta-
Bile distance and began to nave high hopes
for there before US the plantation build
ings were in sight.
Il suppose we were not 200 yards ahead
of our pursuerS when we dashed into the
plantation gates. We did not lessen speed
till we got to the courtyard. Enough
breath was left in the party to gasp out
an alarm, and in a moment the planter
had summoned his hands to repel at
| tack.
"But when we dismounted and looked
back to the ~Frenchnan. whofbrought up
! the rear, O funny sight we saw. There
hung the Frenchman with his arms
around his horses's neck, and his body
under that of the horse. His saddle had
come loose and slipped around. and he
had raced the last few hundred yards in
this ridiculous position.
Scarcely. had the plantation hands
gathered than our purSuers swept into
the gates. And who do you suppose they
were? Gems d'armes, government police.
who had chased us for ten miles, suppos-
ing that we were bandits.
well, we had a jolly good laugh over
that all-around mistake. The planter in
vited our party and also the gems d'armes
to spend the night with him, and / tell
YOU I never enjoyed a night more than /
did that. Maybe our narrow escape had
| something to do with our enjoyment
At Yfidfz Kiosk.
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