The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-01-14
NOTED CUBAN BRlGAND
MANUEL GARCIA, HIS CRIMES AND
HIS POPULAR FAME.

9 His Specially the Abduction of Rich M
and Murder-Saidt to Have Left Burr
Treasure-Outlook For BrigandaEe
D Cuba Not Good Now.
VI Among the institutions of SPANS
rule in Cuba which are expected /
the New York Sun to 60 along wit
the bullfght and the lotter- is brigan,
age. A Cuban once declared tn,
brigandage was not really an institr
ton, but rather an old and deepl
rooted custom. Some of the Amer
can Army officers have expressed fea
that the American troops who are (
garrison the island will have plenty t
do in keeping down bandits in tn
rural regions. They argue that th
dlsbanding of insurgents on one han,
and OF the local guerrillas, who wer
part of the Spanish army, on tn
other hand, will turn loose a consider
able number of lawless men, who will
return to what was once profession
The Cuban leaders do not share thi.
fear. The suggestion was once made
to General Gomez that after peace
came trouble might arise from this
iawless element, but the grim old
warrior replied that dead men never
gave trouble. What he meant was
that he would suppress any attempt
ct brigandage at the very beginning.
In the constant struggle of Spain
to maintain her supremacy, and in
the continual oppression to which the
people OF the island were subjected,
there were bandits who were not ex-
actly heroes OF the rural population,
but whose existence was tolerated. IT
was one of the schemes of the Spanish
authorities at the beginning of the in
surrection to make out that the ranks
of the insurgents were chiefly recruit
ed from the lawless and the criminal
classes. As amatter of fact the bulk
OF the criminal classes Joined the
Spanish guerrillas. Nevertheless. the
insurgents had their share of the law
less element. Gomez's iron discipline
soon reformed recruits of this class or
drove them from the ranks of the in
surgents 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 |
brigands by their own followers. They
were known as Cayito Alvarez and |
Major Nunez, and were brothers-in-
aw. They entered the ranks of the
became tractable and re-
,eived small command from Gomez.
An arrangement was made by them to
accept autonomy, as they called it.
This simply meant they had taken a
tribe offered them by the Spanish
authorities. With some forty insur-
tents they were encamped near q ham.
ct in Santa Clara province. When
hey got ready to ride into the Spanish
ines they made known their purpose
o their followers and were immedi-
tely shot. Both were daring and
esperate men. They must have
nown the risk they were taking, yet
hey evidently relied on the fear in
hitch they were held by their own
blowers.
The most picturesque of the Cuban =.
andits of recent years was Manuel I,
arcia. he was ambushed and killed
the civil guard little more than
lree years ago. 1t was just at the .
eginning Of the revolution, and his :
oath caused great sensation in the =
land. Books were written about his :,
iploits, romantic glamour was :,
rown over his crimes, and. the dis :,
lssion OF his fate filed more space G
AN did the beginning of the insur- :
ction which was to end the power CT 8,
pain. The Havana theatres of the - -
me-museum variety gave exhibitions =,
lth Garcia as the central figure. So :,
tractive and popular were these ex- \
billions that they we're not displaced :;
It'll the death of Maceo. Then the =.
'anish element in Havana had the =:
cidents of Maceo's life produced for r,
benefit, and Garcia, the bandit, >,
sappeared from the stage. ., .,
Garcia's history was eventful, It r.
IS said that his first crime was com "
tied in avenging an insult offered
his mother, and that, as q boy. be-
ming fugitive from justice, he went 70
'tep further and became q brigand. ~
r many years he was able to escape a.
civil guard because the country
ople to whom he was known did not -,
ray him. He was a sort of Robin IN
cd, levying tribute only on the On
b. Fear, however, had as much to a.
with his security as his failure to e.,
the poor, for he did not hesitate ao
murder country people who were 70,
pected of attempting to betray him. ~
rcia gathered about him a small =,
I'd of men as reckless and daring as s;o
lself. He had an unusual facility clo
Disgusting himself, and the popu- ha
story represented him as meeting 40,
civil guard sometimes as q ped Nh
and sometimes as simple coun- 10,
men. He had some fierce encoun- hol
with the officers of the law and ~,
several times wounded. At one Got Got
od, when pursuit grew very warm, wo,
crossed over to Florida and re- con
ned in seclusion for year or more. hor
carried large sum of money with bs,
1t was said that he had re- r. ;
he'd, but the authorities put no ooo
t in these statements. not
time Garcia was back at his old al.
ats and was holder than ever. VIII.
'ral daring robberies were COM osc.
ed bv him His favorita ,,ro ot;oa