Evening star., 1901-03-19
QUEEN OF THE SMUGGLERS
ADVENTUROUS CAREER OF A FE-
MALE BANDIT OF TEXAS.
Now CenAned In . Hospital In Mon
ON the Border Line.

L
terey-Her Name Long q Terror
ON the Border Line.
From the Chicago Tribune.
1t is conceded on the southern border of
Texas that the female bandit and smuggier
who was wounded and captured by Mexican
Rurales after desperate battle few days
since on the Rio Grande is none other than
| a noted adventures and all-around bad
| woman who is well known in the Indian ter
ritory and Texas as Zalia, 1.-The Devils
Ace" She is now confined in a military
hospital in Monterey. and her physicians
say that she has performed her last daring
| exploit and fought her last battle.
This strange character, who has expert
enced vicissitudes Of fortune in her short
career without parallel outside Of the wild
est dreams Of fiction, was born in an Indian
village on the western plains. Her father
was q mysterious Frenchman who lived
with the Comanches for more than half q
century. He married the daughter of Iron
Jacket and raised large family OF chill
dren. After the Comanches settled on their
present reservation this Frenchman. whom
| the Indians called Heap Write. from the
| in writing, built home Of no small proper
ttons and devoted all OF his really fine ebili-
| ties to the education Of his family. It was
said that he was man Of profound erudi-
ton and an accomplished inguist. Some Of
| his children showed their Indian blood in
| their form, complexion and every motion.
while others were fair and Of such fine ad-
dress that strangers would never have sus-
pected that their mother was Comanche.
Blue Eyes Dealt Terror.
Zalia's eyes were blue. like her fathers.
when she was not afiame with anger, but
t--.n -. = o~.l
all colors, seemingly capable of emitting
rays of terror.
The Rurales who captured her say that
fought as IL she were the ace of all out
laws inspired with the fury Of a devil.
Surprised by shower Of carbine balls
while her long train of burros bearing
packs of contraband goods was just enter
ing the waters of the Rio Grande, she rode
| straight toward the soldiers lying in am
bush, pouring blaze of fire from her Win
chester as she advanced. When her horse
| had been shot from under her and one arm
was hanging shattered by her side, she
urged her confederates forward. Swinging
her revolver over her head and shrieking
like wounded panther, she continued to
| advance until the last cartridge Of the
smugglers had been fired and then, draw
| ing stiletto, she ordered her poems to
| assault the Rurales with the bowie knives
| A soldier who seized her by the shoulders
| lost one of his fingers. She bit it off and
| spat it in his face. While Capt Horan was
attempting to stanch the blood flowing
| from her wounded arm she attacked him
| with her finger nails.
| 1t would doubtless be difficult to make
these Rural Guards believe that not many
years have passed since this same incar-
| nate fury who fought them with such des-
| peration was a greatly admired belle of
| the border. who sang the sweetest of songs
] and was as gentle as cooling dove.
Zalfa was the beauty of the family, and
4 oyynysc tod hoy- H.
young girl of possessing the terrible traits
Of character that she afterward displayed
| Sne spent one year at school, either at
Jacksonville. ILL.,, or place of the same
| name in some other state, and when she
| returned to the territory it was easy to see
| that she had mastered many little arts
that gave her considerable advantage over
her sisters.
| Belle of the Frontier.
| Few young girls were ever so greatly ad-
mired as this same Zalia. Army officers on
duty at the frontier forts declared that she
was strangely beautiful creature, and
| there were plenty of young men, rich In
cattle and lands, who were ready to lay
| their fortunes at her feet Mounted on a
| magnificent black horse, caparisoned with
| glfttering trappings, she often dashed
| through the streets of Chickasha, followed
| by ten or fifteen young warriors riding
| white ponies and carrying long bright
| lances and FURNISHED shields After the
| death Of her father she began to extend
| her excursions to the frontier forts where
| she was always welcome visitor She
| knew how to array herself in picturesque
| costumes we'll calculated to enhance her
| many charms of face and form. Often
| she appeared on her black horse enveloped
| In loose, spotless white robe glittering
| with brilliant jewels, and, as she raced at
| furious speed about the military reserva-
| tions, with her long, dark hair streaming
| In the wind, there were few young officers
who did not gaze after her in admiration
Sometimes she came to Fort Sill. when
| the Indians were drawing supplies, dressed
| as Comanche maiden. In this costume 1t
| was said that she was Irresistible She
! wore robe literally covered with various
| ly colored beads and sparkling gems. the
making Of which had occupied the atten-
| ton of two generations of the most skilled
| artists of her tribe. Long chains of beads
| Of gold, intermingled with strands of elks'
| teeth that had been dipped in molten gold
were wound about her neck and allowed to
| hang in loops below her waist OF this
| period OF her career she afterward said
| that she had more than a hundred offers
| Of marriage.
while was young girl 1 could easily
| have married any one Of dozen rich
men," she said, land at least three men
proposed to me who have since become
famous"
She fell in love with a private soldier,
who was bugler and musician. As time
passed it became evident that the beautiful
semi-civilized child Of the forest fairly
| worshiped the handsome young soldier She
would have passed through fire to have
| gratifled his slightest wish. The buglers
! comrades believed that he was sincere in
his protestations of affection for the In
| dian girl.
| A few days before the soldier lover was
| to receive an honorable discharge from the
| army pretty young woman arrived at
| Fort Sill, who made no attempt to conceal
| the fact that she was to become the bride
| of the bugler at early day. Eager
| rivals were not lacking to carry this news
| quickly to Zalia. She lost little time in
consummating horrible revenge. The un-
| suspecting and unfaithful lover was lured
to former trysting place in grove of
| trees not far from the Indian girls house
| There the half-frenzied girl met him with
| a stiletto in her bosom, and. after rebuk-
| ing him and abusing him with the stinging
| tongue Of an educated savage, she threw
her left arm about his neck and drove a