Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-17
PORTO RICAN BRIGANDS.
A BUSINESS ABOLISHED SINCE TIE
AMERICAN OCCUPATION.

the Other Has at Last Reformed
| The death knell of brigandage III
Porto Rico. was sounded when the
American troops landed at Guanica
last summer. Up to that time brig,
ands had been active. Now few, il
any, remain. Since early last Janu-
ary there has been 40 indication what
ever of their existence, and the band
that made manifestation then was
believed to be the only one that had
not yet quit business. It's expert
ence on that occasion was such as to
discourage it. The brigands had no
sooner begun operations than word
was sent to the military post at Ar
ecibo about them. A squad of sharp
shooters from the Forty-seventh New
York volunteers was Immediately de-
tailed to look after them. The SOL
diers soon came up with them and
opened fire. The brigands wero far
in advance at this time and were
mounted on the swift-footed little
mountain ponies WHICH Porto Rico
produces. They, therefore, escapsd,
but the incident opened their eyes to
the fact that American troops have a
different and far more unpleasant way
of dealing with such things than tho
old Spanish civil guard.
Prior to this, from the beginning OF
the American ecctipation; there had
been few and poorly organized faids,
Indeed, it long ago became evident
that the great leaders or captains of
the bandits of Porto Rico had for
saken their calling. The overthrow
of Spanish sovereignty was sufficient
to rid the island of them. At the COM
ing of the American troops they dug
up their gold and silver and other
vRluables and fed from the island.
There are holes to be seen in the
the ground aud mourds where, hrles
had been dug and then ref!led near
some Of the caves III the. Ponce. dis
trict, The former hot bed OF Porto
,Ricap brigapdage, ard Tie country
people say t4..at at these spots was hid
aeIl the plunder of these outlaws prior
to the American invasion.
They were brigands in every sense
of the word, not merely petty male-
factors. but rebbers. hllhdppers cut;;
throuts and feotpads: They waylaid
| travellers, levied blatkmail OH plaa:
tiers; pillaged hcmes, killed. for, pay;
| and even made leatGhts Upon villages
for booty. Some OF them made
specially of removing hated persons,
receiving for their services from $lOO
to $500, according to the financial
ability OF the person hiring them and
the prominence of the intended vic
tim OF his fighting ability. The peo-
pie of Porto Rico tell today with
certain pride that these cut-throats
never betrayed a patron. The two
most famous leaders i'll the business
up to the time of the American emp.
ture of the island were Pan Blanco, or
"White Bread,h and Agulla Blhuco,.
or "White Eagle" Whelt the city Of
Ponce fell into the hands Of tile AMI
erican treeps Pan Blahco ned }ncUn;;
tinently. His record was So bad that
he could expect 40 mercy. ,Aghila
! Blanca stood his ground and decided
to see what the Americans were like.
The result of the scrutiny was favdrd7
BILE, S, he came to the city, said he
wanted to lead better life and would
reform if the Americans would per-
NIT him, and asked for and received
sort of safe conduct.
When Pan Blanco fed he took his
entire band with him. 1t is variously
estimated that thus the island was rid
of from fifteen to twenty-five rascals.
Pan Blanco took them to the island
OF San Domingo. :,
They say he toeIi o large slim with
him to San Dol hgd: He is a Spai-
lard Who went to Porto. Rico in his
teens as Clerk. He took to gambling
and presently opened hotel which
developed into d resort for the. worst
criminals. He knew them better than
they knew themselves and could pick
on best man in Ponce for any
giveu work better than anybody else.
At first he made his recommendations
without thought of pecuniary benefit
to himself. Then he contracted to
4 have jobs done. He collected the SlOO
or $500 and sent Pancho or Pepe OF
Juanito, or auy of the other hangers
on about his place to abauct the child,
fire the house, kill the man, or do
whatever else the commission called.
Often these fellows had to do the
work for nothing and when Pan Blan-
co paid them it was rarely more than
SO. Being Spaniard, Pan BlaLco
had an advantage over the native ban
dts. The authorities winked ut his
business. They merely required him
to offend pubic decencies as little as
possible in other words, to conduct
his agency for assassination, murder
kidnapping, arson and the like quiet
ly. Many an official, moreover, was
wont to call on Pan Blanco in mo-
ments OF financial stress and effect
loans which he was very careless about
repaying, and which Pan Blanco
| utNCl DOluCIS 0(StS SS''SSS
ing. Thus Pan Blanco conducted his
profitable business for three decades
without official annoyance. He also
had highly profitable connections
with the outlaws of the mountains.
He was a fence for them, and to their
| retreats he often found it necessary,
in order to alay public indignation,
to send some of his more notorious
hencbmen. He must be about fifty
five now. When the Americans landed
he went from Pcute to San Domingo,
but it is believed that from there he
found his way back to his native
Spain. there to lead life of leisure in
his old age.
Aguila Blanca is far more pictur-
esque and romantic figure among the
bandits of Porto Rico than Pan Blan-
co. He received his name because lie