The times., 1899-06-25
INTERESTING TALES
OF CUBAN BANDITS
Thoroughly Up to Date in
Methods of Procedure.
Used the Mails and Tried to Avoid
BlOodshed.
Victims Seldom Complained to the
Authorities s-PecuIiar AdNan-
taScs of the Judiciary.

One of the recently returned volunteer
officers, who had exceptional opportunities
for observing life back in the Interior Of
Cuba and in other cities than Havana.
says that the bandits are among the few
Cuban craftsmen who do not seem TO be
hopelessly afflicted with Incidence, says
a Toledo. Ohio, correspondent of the New
York Sun"
"One Sunday night in Cienfuegos, he
said, while the Sixth Ohio Band was
educating the masses as to Sousa, rag
time two-steps. and other american mu-
steal joys, noticed a peculiar procession
coming along one side of the plaza. First
came a big sergeant of United States in
fantry. with pistol in one hand, holding
tight to his side with the other 4 bulky
haversack. Behind him marched two men
in dirty linen clothing, with the right
wrist of one bound tight to the left fore
arm of the other. Right after them came
two privates with their Krag-Jorgensen
rifles at the port. The party turned into
the palace, and l strolled over to find out
what had happened. There l found General
Bates and his staff jubilant 1t seems that
few days before a paymaster in the
Spanish army had come down from Havana
to pay off some of the Spanish soldiers
who were then being embarked at Glen
fuegos for Spain. The two men who were
tied together were Spanish soldiers, and
had stolen $1,000 of the paymaster's money
and made their escape to Havana They
had been acting as paymasters' clerks,
which gave them exceptional opportunities
to secure the money. The Spanish gen.
eral commanding reported the case to
General Bates. but said at the time that he
had no hopes that the Americans would be
sharp enough to find the thieves. Yet
within FIVE days the men were captured,
and in the haversack was the gold, less a
trifling amount which had been consumed
in travelling expenses.
Returning to the plaza, met an Amer
icau by the name OF Murray, who has lived
in Cuba for thirty-odd years, and asked
him what the Spanish Government would
do with soldiers who were both deserters
and thieves.
AS the money was captured with the
thieves said Mr.. Murray slowly, it is
hard TO say just what will happen. Now.
if the soldiers had not had the money in
their possession it would have been plain
sailing with them. With $1,000 in gold
salted away they could have made a very
good bargain with their Spanish captors-
got their freedom, probably, for about half
of what they stole. In that case, nothing
would ever have been reported to Spain.
AS matters stand now, the loss of the
money has doubtless been reported to
Spain, and l don't suppose that any part
of it will find its way back into the pay
masters chest. So, you see, the presence
of the thieves at this juncture when all
hands are on the eve ofileaving for Spain,
is an embarrassment to the men who have
got the gold back ~Ee
You see, down in this country people
who have been robbed usually keep their
own counsel. Things stolen are gone for
ever, and under the Spanish regime the
man who suffered "a theft was careful not
to let the police know 1t; otherwise he
would be required to put up the amount
needed to prosecute the thieves, if the
thieves We're ever captured There was
only the slightest probability of the police
capturing anybody, and the costs for
prosecution were simply a part of the Off
cial profits. II by any chance stolen mon
ey ever reached the courts the loser was
no better off than if the money had stayed
in the hands of the bandits
Bandits? | enquired- Did you say
bandits-here in Cuba?
My boy,' was the reply, there never
was 4 time when the bandit industry in
Cuba was not worked to the limit; even
during the last few years of the war One
does not hear much about them jrst now,
for private griefs have been eclipsed by
national wrongs. And people were not
apt to do much talking anyway. for the
reasons / have Just given. Cuban bandits
work in a thoroughly modern way. They
use the malls as much as they can and
don't mind shooting a man down if he
is known to carry much money and is
far enough from a town. but as a rule
they conduct their business by CORE
spondence. man of means is watche
for a time and his resources estimated.
Then n letter is written 10 him advising
him that he is assessed SO many pesos.
He is further notified as to the days of
grace allowed and the manner in which
the money is to be delivered. The letter
throughout breathes the spirit that an
early remittance is respectfully demanded
If that man has lived long in Cuba
he will probably know enough about the
way bandits do business to give him ag-
gravated Insomnia, and it is more than
likely that he will send his agent to the
place designated, and. on the appointed
minute, too, with all or nearly all the
money asked. He knows that If he does
not pay any attention to the letter 1t is
cnly a question of time until he is kid
naped. In such a cese the affair takes
on a different aspect. The friends or
family of the captive are notified of the
amount of money required, and II this is
not forthcoming at the appointed time
CHASTITY mememtoes OF the absent one be-
gin to arrive. One CT the favorite methods
is to send the first joint of the captured
mans first finger of the left hand; not
enough to disable to captive, you see. but
sufficient of him to arouse considerable in
terest In the proceedings. Sometimes the
captive is allowed to send an accompany
ing letter, and he usually calls his friends
attention to the fact that 1t is a condition
and not theory which is then confront
ing him.
~ know that 10 the average American
these sound like fairy tales, but 1t was
not very many years ago that a captain
general of Cuba was captured and held
for $40. 900 ransom. A compromise was
finally effected in his case and | believe
the bandits got s17,00OesaAud you will
doubtless recall the story that the Hon.
John Sherman was TO have been cap
tured when he was in Cuba some years
ago. The story was not seriously believed
in America. but l know that 1t was true.
He was to have been kidnapped while
going TO visit a certain sugar estate. but
through indisposition did not make the
intended visit Having recently surrender
ed the portfolio of the Treasury of the
United States these simple-minded Cubans
supposed he would be swimming in wealth
Their own experience with ministers OF
finance very naturally led up to that