The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-03

tain gentlemen among the passengers
who volunteered 10 act as seconds upon
one side or the other. and the FRAY began
The duelists were nearly wei matched
Their styles OF swori-play. however. we're
totally In contrast The Splnisrd made
al his play with mis- wrist his arm held
straight before him without any bending
AZ The elbow. He kept himself in a rath-
er crouching position. His lunges were
short and quick. and his psrrles exact.
without much brllliance or scope. His
sword moved forward and backward in
rigidly straight line. Don Arturo. on
the contrary, fought In a bold and fi0wery
style, which would have seemed 10 a tyro
TO have been imprudent. Ii was observed.
however. that just al the moment when
Don Esteban had begun TO wear a smile
upon his visage. the colonel abruptly
changed his mode OF fence. With subtle
ease, he glided into the very method en-
ploysd by Don Esteban, and soon proved
his superiority By making him retreat re-
peatedly.
Suddenly the colonel adopted new tao
tics. as If 10 prove his wonderful versa
tility. a series Of eccentric movements.
too swift for the eye of his enemy to toll
low and fathom. eliminated in a half
circular sweep OF his weapon in carte, fol-
lowed by two lightning-like feints in
tlerce. and then like magic the sword OF
the Mexican flashed from his right hand
TO his left Ere the Spaniard could raise
his blade, Don Arturo had run him
through the lungs. Don Esteban died in
the hospital az Vera Cruz that night.
The vieeroy made 1t hot for Dor Ar
turo after that lie managed 90 have aim
falsely accused before the council of the
inquisitiOn OF heresy. Don Arturo only
escaped from the prison and the torture
chamber by fleeing TO the mountains
Here he lived in obscuriJy for several
years, not judging it prudent TO brave
the church.
Joined Cause If Iturbidc.
When the vieeroy had been summoned
home and the power of the church began
to wane under the new regime, Don Ar
turo returned to Morelia, his former
home. Here he was converted 10 repuO!-
eanism by Iturbide, who though hO,ding
q commission in the royallst army, was
already Liberal in secret. Don Arturo
was now sOured on the world, ami he
cared nothing further for fame and for
tune. Iturbida, however, convinced him
that he owed q debt to mis- native land.
and when the revolution broke out he
went over with Iturbide 10 TIE side of the
patriots.
He elung TO Iturbide through ali his
vicissitudes in Mexico, and when mis-
friend was made emperor, he accepted
with reluctance a high position at court.
having preferred TO retire 20 Ac-ella and
lead the life of student.
When IturbiIe met with deposition
and exile year after reigning, Don Ar
turO shortly after left Mexico and went
to live at Bologna, in italy. He was too
furious with the MeXicaus for their treat
ment of Iturbide TO stay iUnSer in his Ia
tive land.
MANY years after the sad fate OF Itur-
bide, who was shot by the MeXicans upon
his rash return from Europe N lS2f, Don
Arturo concluded to go back TO his old
home at MOrela. Here he passed the
known remainder of his life In the study
of Aztec and TOltec ruins.
His fate is a mystery. In the early
thirties he is said 10 nave set Out for a
wild and remote part of JhidpaS for the
purpose of exploring the ruins OF GER
tain temples. Hostile Indians we're ram
pant in that part of the country at that
period, and as Don Arturo, with his SER
wants, has never been heard of since. At
is reasonable to conclude that the last Of
the cavaliers fell before q poisoned ar
row."