The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-11-04
A NOTED CUBAN BR|GAND.
The Famous Manuel Garcia,
His Many Crimes and His
Great Popularity.
A UNIQUE CHARACTER.
He Was Ambushed and Killed By
the Civil Guard and It Caused
a Sensation.

Men and Murder-Said, After He Was
Shot, to Have Left a Buried Treasure
Outlook for Brigands in Cuba Not Good
Now.
Among the institutions of Spanish
rule in Cuba which are expected to go
along with the bullfght and the lot
terry is brigandage. A Cuban once de-
cIared that brigandage was not really
an institution, but rather an old and
deeply rooted custom. Some of the
American Army officers have express
ed fear that the American troops who
are TO garrison the island will have
plenty to do in keeping down bandits
in the rural regions. They argue that
the disbanding of the insurgents on one
hand and the local guerrillas, who were
part of the Spanish Army, on the other
hand, will turn loose considerable
number of lawless men, who will re-
turn to what was once a profession.
The Cuban leaders do not share this
fear. The suggestion was once made
to Gen. Gomez that after peace came
trouble might arise from this lawless
element, but the grim old warrior re-
piled that dead men never gave trou-
ble What he meant was that he
would suppress any attempt at brigand-
age at the very beginning.
In the constant struggle of Spain to
maintain her supremacy, and in the
continual oppression to which the peo-
pie of the island were subjected, there
were bandits who were not exactly he
roes of the rural population, but whose
existence was tolerated. 1t was one
of the schemes of the Spanish authori-
ties at the beginning of the insurrec-
ton to make out that the ranks of the
insurgents were chiefly recruited from
the lawless and the criminal classes.
AS a matter of fact, the bulk of the
criminal classes joined the Spanish
guerrillas. Nevertheless, the insur-
gents had their share of the lawless
element. Gomez's iron discipline soon
reformed recruits of this class or drove
them from the ranks of the insurgents
to the Spanish guerrillas.
Several petty chiefs, who were in
reality bandits, were executed by his
order. One of the incidents last win
ter was the killing of two former bril-
gands by their own followers. They
were known as Cayito Alvarez and
Major Nunez, and were brothers-in-
law. They entered the ranks of the
instruction, became tractable and re-
cefved a small command from Gomez
An arrangement was made by them to
accept autonomy, as they called it.
This simply meant they had taken
bribe offered them by the Spanish au-
thorities. With some forty insurgents
they were encamped near a hamlet in
Santa Clara province. When they got
ready to ride into the Spanish lines
they made known their purpose to
their followers and were Immediately
shot. Both were daring and desper-
ate men. They must have known the
risk they were taking, yet they evil
IDENTIFY relied on the fear in which they
were held by their own followers.
The most picturesque of the Cuban
bandits of recent years was Manuel
Garcia. He was ambushed and killed
by the civil guard little more than
three years ago. 1t was just at the
beginning of the revolution, and his
death caused great sensation in the
island. Books were written about his
exploits, a romantic glamour was
thrown over his crimes, and the dis
cussion of his fate filed more space
than did the beginning of the insurrec-
ton which was to end the power of
Spain. The Havana theatres of the
dime-museum variety gave exhibitions
with Garcia as the central figure. So
attractive and popular were these ex-
hibitions that they were not displaced
until the death of Maceo. Then the
Spanish element in Havana had the in
cidents of Maceo's life produced for it's
benefit, and Garcia, the bandit, disap-
peared from the stage.
Garcia's history was eventful. 1t
was said that his first crime was COM
united in avenging an insult offered
to his mother, and that, as boy, be-
coming fugitive from justice, he went
a step further and became a brigand.
For many years he was able to escape
the civil guard because the country
people to whom he was known did not
betray him. He was a sort of Robin
Hood, levying tribute only on the rich.
Fear, however, had as much to do with
his security as his failure to rob the
poor, for he did not hesitate to MUIR
der country people who were suspect
ed of attempting to betray him. Gar
cia gathered about him small band of
men as reckless and daring as him
self. He had an unusual facility for
Disgusting himself, and the popular
story represented him as meeting the
civil guard sometimes as peddler and
sometimes as simple countryman.
He had some fierce encounters with the