The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-11
PORTO RICAN BANDITTI.
Passing of the "Bad Men, Who
TerroriZed the Island.


Engiesv-Mnny Captures Made by
There is something so suggestive of the
comic opera. the burlesque, and the ex-
travaganza In the word "banditti' that
one can almost see the picturesque stage
hero at the mere mention of the name.
But the real bandit who until recently
infested the interior of the Island Of
Porto Rice was totally different crea-
ture.
They are BAD Men in the full meaning
OF that term-cruel. malicious and re-
Vengeful-who made robbery incendiar-
ism. and muredr their trade the same as
their brothers worked at coffee-raisfng
sugar-growing. or the culture of tobacco.
Scores of these same bandits were labor
ers on the plantations while the harvest
caused a demand for workers at good
wages, but as soon as work became scarce
and the wages low. they would turn Bad
Men,"
The real bandit chief. however. was
not Of these ignorant poems OF the
mountains. He never saw bandit and
could not be convinced that there were
such organizations as the Black Hands
the White Eagles and the Herman
os;" he was never found where the Bad
Men" were operating; he was not even
known by the hired assassins who car
ried out the orders he had entrusted to
his lieutenants in command of each sep
arate group or section of territory. But.
nevertheless, he was the real bandit chief.
who received the money and directed the
operations of his separate bands By
means of captains.
How many o. these bandit chiefs the
island supported has never been deter
mined definitely; but there were at least
n dozen or more-one in each of the more
important interior towns, who had con-
troll of a specified territory, and a su-
preme chief living In San Juan, to whom
all the district chiefs contributed per-
centage OF their plumber. The system was
very effective, and the institution had
become so much part of the life of the
island that the American officers who
were assigned to the task Of suppressing
these thieving and matchmaking organi-
cations found it no easy undertaking BY
their persistence and tact. however they
soon had the marauding bands under ar
rest
A description of the workings of the
Black Hand Bandits will suffice TO
make clear the ways OF all the bandit
organizations on the island. Every plant
er was compelled to pay a regular tariff
to the banditti for each shipment of cof-
fee. sugar, tobacco. or other products Of
his plantation. to insure safe transporta-
ton from the interior to the coast
through the BLACK Hand country. This
was accomplished in several ways
sometimes by leaving so many bags OF
In, ffaH
places; but the most popular way to gain
the good will of the Bad Man who
controlled that part of the country was
20 proceed to the nearest town and
there look up some lawyer who was "a
friend of the bandits in that section.
When the terms were agreed upon and
the money paid. or arrangements made
to deliver portion of the crop at such
a place as the bandits might designate.
the planter could go home in peace-his
pack-mule train would not be molested.
Had he not made his peace with the
bad Men, his mules would be stolen.
his coffee and other crops confiscated
while on the trail and probably some of
his men killed.
When the planter or merchant had in
CURED the displeasure of the Bad Men
ing the imprint of a rough black hand on
his doorway. That was a warning to go
at once to some friend of the bandits.
If he did not do so within reasonable
time. some of his mules and his oxen
would be found with the right ear cut on:
a little later a mule or an OK would be
found with both ears and tail missing,
and always bearing the imprint of the
black hand. If the planter still refused to
visit the friend of the bandits. the next
move would be to burn the coffee-dryinS
bins or storehouse, or 10 fire the sugar
cane fields, which pleasing reminder was
generally sufficient to convince the planter
that he should make peace with the Bad
Men, If this did not have the desired eff
feet, then would come continued burnings
until the whole plantation had been laid
waste. In the case of Il merchant in
town, it would be the same except that
his establishment would be looted from
time to time, and all articles that could
be removed would be taken away and the
remainder burned. After three more
warnings If the merchant still refused
to pay. assassination would follow.
To illustrate the terrible effectiveness of
this ''bandtti' system. single instance
may be cited. a man was found on the
Adjuntas Road near Ponce with thirty
two stab wounds in his body. He had
formerly been q well-to-do planter in 4
small way. and had incurred the displeas-
ure of the bad Men" In less than six
months after his first warning &c lost
his mules, his cattle. and his plantation.
and at last was stabbed to death.
The "banditti' would never openly fight
or attack a weIi-armed coffee or pack
train: but when a small guard of four or
five natives would accompany a ten, ff-
teen or twenty mule train, the Bad
Men would lie in wait at some narrow
part of the trail, blocking the dangerous
mountain pathway with logs or stones,
and. when the helpless natives and their
pack train turned the corner. they would
find the road oostructed and themselves
set upon by dozen or more of the cut
threats. If no resistance was offered, the
natives would not be harmed. but por-
ton of the freight would be confiscated
and one or two mules retained to trans
port the booty. Cutting off the fingers,
the nose, and the ears was the usual
method of rewarding native who proved
During 1898 and 1899 seventy-odd planta-
tons and estates Were destroyed by the
forto fiCdh DdnditS- Inc greater part OF
this damage was done after the Spanish
"Guardia Civil" or civil guard. who pro-
tected the plantations and whose main
duty was to hold the Bad Men" in
check, had been recalled.
At first the American authorities were
inclined to regard the work of the Bad
Men as mere spiteful and wanton de-
struction of the property OF Spaniards or
Spanish sympathizers-a sort of paying
up OF old scores. as it were. on the part
of the lower classes of poems" against
the welI-to-do nlanters EIlt II WAS soon