Barbour County index., 1905-09-13

my breast, while the rest OF the party
| covered with their weapons the rest
of the family. The chief, who wore
smoked glasses, and whose face I was
trying to study, as 1 was sure l had
seen him before, ordered that I deliver
to him all the arms had in the house.
| gave him shotgun, target rife,
Mauser and another rifle.
"On delivering all of my arms the
chief gave me a letter, which he
snatched from me as soon as 1 had
read it. To the best of my memory
the letter read as follows:
Eight men tired of life ask of YOU
$4,000.
(Signed)
'ONE-EYED MAN OF SANABRIA.'
With all the calmness that l could
summon l answered: You men do not
know what 100000 is, and undoubted-
ly you do not know that 1 am but
modest merchant when you ask such
large amount of money. l absolute
ly haven't that amount, and you can
do what you please. l am at your
service
AT these words from me the chief
appeared to be rejecting, but finally
he said: 'Pues veuga con nosotros
CThen come with us).
"On seeing me reach for my hat,
my wife and children and cousins.
who had sat throughout the trying
scene up to that time as if they had
been patrified, suddenly found their
voices at seeing me about to be taken
away from them, and they fell on
their knees crying to the bandits not
to take me away, and for me to salts
fly their demand with what money
could. You can imagine how des-
perate 1 felt at being myself so pow
erless to allay the grief of my family.
I'VE were on the point of leaving
when the chief hesitated a moment
and gave a signal with a whistle
which he had tied about his neck. At
the signal three more men appeared,
and all withdrew to one side, where
they exchanged some sentences, the
import of which I could not make out.
When the bandits had finished talk
ing the pleadings and tears of my wife
and children determined me to make
some effort to satisfy the villains, for
1 feared they might attempt violence
to my family. / perceived that they
were men who would stoop to any
thing, and the possibilities to my fam
lily if l did not satisfy their thirst for
money filed me with dread. I Of
fered the chief $4,000, which 1 told him
was all the money 1 could possibly
obtain in cash. One of the bandits
exclaimed:
Such sum means only trouble
for eight men to bother themselves
with
THE chief then said:
"'Give us little more, and we will
leave you in peace
impossible I replied; this is the
last cent l can get, and if it does not
satisfy you 1 will have to go with
you
"'Very WE'LL replied the chief; we
will take the money, but you must give
us some guarantee that you will de-
liver the money
"At this my 15-year-old boy spoke
up and said:
My fathers word is sacred
'The bandits held another confer
ence, and then it was that | recog-
nized one of them as a drunken Span
lard named Pineiro. whom l had seen
around for years. Finally the chief
returned to me and said that they had
decided to accept the $4,000, and 1 was
instructed to go In boat with my
wife and Oldest son the next day at
II o'clock in the morning to a swamp
called Cojimar, where they would be
awaiting me. Death was threatened
the family if I mentioned the matter
to the police or brought anyone
armed with me when 1 delivered the
money.
Then the men backed out of the
house and quickly disappeared
Immediately went out on the porch to
see where they had gone l then
called my servants, and found that
the bandits had locked them up in
the Kitchen.
! "The next day took my entire fam
lily and went from my pretty little
summer home across the bay from
Santiago to the city. 1t is needless
to tell you of the sleepless night we
spent while waiting for the dawn. But
with the coming of the day our spirits
rose, and we went to the city with
lighter hearts. l secured tho money,
and with my wife and oldest son we
took small launch and vert to the
Cojimar swamp. AS we neared the
shore we saw some one signaling to
us and approached as near as possible.
The man whom I recognized as the
chief Of the night before waded out to
US, and to him 1 delivered the money.
AS he took the money my wife ex-
claimed:
Now you have money. Don't come
back To this the chief replied:
No tsnga cuidado, sonora Don't
worry, sonora"
Mr.. Cendoya on returning to the city