The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
PORTO RICUS BRIGANDS.
A BUSINESS ABOLISHED SINCE THE
AMERICAN OCCUPATION

NAufuoTs AIunhpptnN anu hThon EOTberly
Done for Hiro-Of the Two Great Lead
ers, One Has Taken His Band TO San
Domingo and tho Other Has Reformed.
The death khell OF briRandaRe in Porto Rico
was sounded when the American troops landed
at Guanica last summer. Up TO that time
brignnds had b~eenactlve. Now few. II any. re-
main. Since early last January there has been
no indication whatever OF their existence, and
the band that made q manifestation then was Z
believed to DO the only one that had not yet
quit business. Its experience OH tnat ocos.
sion was such as TO discourage It. The bri-
Rands had no sooner begun operations thars'
word was sent TO the military post at ArecIpo
about them. A squad OF sharpshooters from
the Forty-soventh New York Volunteers was
Immediately detailed to look after them. The
soldiers soon came up with them and opened
fire. Tho briRands were far In advance at the
time and were mounted on the swift-footed
little mountain ponies which Porto Rico pro-
duces. They therefore escaped. but the inci-
dent opened their eyes to the fact that Ameri- I
can troops have a>different and far more I'M
pleasant way Of dealing with such things than
the old Spanish civil guard, ~
Prior to this. from the beginning oftheN
American occupation. there had been few and
poorly organized raids. Indeed. 1t long ago be-
came evident that the great leaders or cap
tains OF the bandits Of Porto Rico had for
/ shO Soiiihhs - " hh'o
sovereignty was sufficient TO rid the island OF
them. At the coming OF the American troops
they dug up their gold and silver and other
valuables and fed from the island. There are
holes to be seen in the ground and mounds
wheIe holes have been dug and then re6llad =
near some OF the caves in the Ponce district.
tho former hotbed OF Porto Rican brlgandage.
and the country people say.that at these spots
was hidden the plumber Of these outlaws prior
to the American: invasion. '
They were briGands in, every sense OF the
word. not merely petty malefactors. but rob-
bers. kidnappers. cutthroats and footpads. %
They waylaid travellers. levied blackmail ON
planters pillaGed homes. killed for pay and
even made descents upon villages for booty.
Some OF them made a specially Of removing
hated persons. receiving for their services
sums ranging from 500 to $500. according to
the financial ability Of the person hirinG.them
and the prominence Of the intended victim or
his fighting ability. The people OF Porto Rio0
tell to-day with a certain pride that these CUT
throats never betrayed q patron. The two
most famous leaders in the business up to the
time OF the American capture Of the island
were Pan Blanco. or White Bread and
Aguila Blanca. or white Eagle" When the
city OF Ponce fell into the hands Of the Ameri-
can troops Pan Blanco fed incontinently. His
record was SO bad that he could expect no
mercy. AGuila Blanca stood his ground and
decided to see what the Americanos we're like.
The result Of the scrutiny was favorable. so he
came into the city. said he wanted to lead a
better life and would reform. II the Americans
would permit thin. and asked for and received
a sort OF safe conduct;
When Pan Blanco fled he took his entire
band with him. 1t is y%ari2usly estimated that
ty;ive rascals. Pan Blaneo took them to the
leland Of San DG1minEEo 20 . This explanation OF
nj" sf fs%e ee SsS s eaHsR ny : i hss,fe an apparently
opGn, life in Ponce-the city. not the district
and virtSous. Moreover. the authorities never
molested him. yet nobody In Ponce with, eyes
that u more dangerous character did not exist.
bread; ,I ri1 oo BjSnS0 i Sssa%s his name BY sar;
They say that he toqk a large sum with him
TO tao To- t R%@.qRaiS eo in h his L teens 4 s as a eieak. w hs
took to gambling; and presently opened a
they knew hsm a and could pick out ,hS
ommeDdations without thought OF pecuniary
bbs sRs 5ob 20 s1 himself A. c 9hss r. sbs sG s16S = ss5 g
q the other hangsEs-9n about his PLACE ops
caPled for! @ uS ots %nA shess fellows sdfo sn had d0 70 Do tRs
spanlard. Pan Biaaneo had an advantage over
lUt DutiN Dduulbo. uS dulLOEllltb WILk6u db
offend public decencies as little as possible. in
the ike Quietly; Many ap official. moreover.
fnanciS stress and effect loans which he was
very careless about .repaying. and which Pan
Letting. Thus Pan Blanco conducted his
profitable business for three decades, without
able connections with. the outlaws Of the
mountains. He was a fence Tor them. and. 70,
eaStI rs eo sIIsy ne pS St5fe i9dha az i@sest to send Il
some OF bis more NOTORIOUS henchmen. He.
I RHdss p he s9 vent % ipo noT PONCE %hs 70 s shs A 6omfnso'
but it Is belieSed that from there he made his
EE9'maptti, figure, HmonE tn The bandit, bandi.s 81 q Porto
because he was hard to catch. 49,.
Many a time we have approached to within
guard. and yet throushoat his long career
as a bEiRand he has never once been arrested.
grised Gl%:S1 the roaa ieadinig to JSan "a Diaz.
missed plgsoP:Et that distance; / must Ger.
%lsss as R Sin.' f Hoxs sSSf1 A saSE f Blanea aS did Psss
whitner. We looked for blood. and saw some
Blanca had stood When we ieVelled our anns at
him and fired. We came to the conclusion that
it was not possible to capture him either alive
or dead"
tn ASu iM.,i Rl%nsa (. life is,d is oo sxasmpl aE;,S to;Sa DAY
Henry gave him; When Aguila Blanca asked
for y he wrote that he had been a man Of the
Spaniards that now that they had been driven
from tho island he had no further incentlveto
war again st authority and therefore he de-
sired: to return to Civilized life and be a law
abiding citizen OF his beloved native island.
There was some correspondenee and Gen,
Henry at length granted the passport on con-
dition that Aguila Blanca should assist the
Kidding the island OF brigands. Aguila Blanca's
father was ruined by a Spaniard with whom he
had been In business in Ponce. ARuilaBlanea
was a boy when he started In to avenge bis
father's wrongs. Chance made him "a bril-
gand. One day he got into an alteration with
q. Spanish boy OF his own size and killed him.
lie was arrested. but the court deci led that he
was too young to suffer capital punishment
and that he should pc held for sentence until