The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-11
The Parole of Gevin-Hav

II you take a map Of Spain and fol-
low the Mediterranean coast. where,
across the narrow SECS, the mountains
OF Europe and the mountains of Africa
stand up forever one gainst TIE other,
you viii find On the Spanish side the
broad line of tho Andslusian highland
stretching from JeTaz TO Alneria and
beyond. Here Is p Wild, thouseiess
country OF silent forest and everSreen
thicket climbing up toward barren,
suntcrtured nights. It Is patched with
surfaces OF smooth rock, and raYines
strewn with tunbled powders; lined
by almost untrodden- mule tracks, and
sparsely dotted with the bottle-shaped
chOzas OF the charcoal burners and the
herdSmen.
The lord of this magnificent desoIa-
ton was locally. through not officially,
acknowledged TO BE a certain brigand
chief, known far and wide as Don O.
an abbreyiatien OF the nickname Que
branta-Huesos, which is, being inter
preted, the bone-smasher a name by
which the neOphrOn or bOne-breaking
vulture goes ia those parts. In answer
TO any question as to where the bandit
came from or when he BEGAN to harry
the countryside, one was told that he
had been there always, which, though
manifestly untrue, was, nevertheless,
as near an approach to historical ac-
curacy as may be found on many
printed page.
For Don O., though perhaps not en-
dOwed with the sempiteTnal quality,
had many other attributes of mysteri-
Gus greatness. Few had seen him, but
all knew him and feared him, and
most had felt his power; he had cog
niZance of what was said or done. or.
indeed, even thought Of, throughout
the length and the breadth of the wild
region over which he held sway He
death out reward and punishment
with the same unspaTing hand. If q
gcatherd pleased him, the fellow was
made rich for life but no man lived
to bring him false information twice.
From his hidden abiding place in the
black rock, 100 feet above the. general
camp of his followers. he was to- the
surrounding country as a poised hawk
to a covey of cartridges
The stories Of his savageries were
brought down to the plains by feather
clad mOuntaineers, and occasional ex-
petitions were sent up against him by
those in authority in the towns. But
every attempt failed, and the parties
of guardias civiles came back fewer in
numbers, having built cairns over their
dead, leaving them near lonely shrines
among the ravens and the big ragged
birds of the sierra.
fEOll al LUtS II VIII DC seen lildA LAlC
brigand chief was not a common brand
of cutthrOat; in fact, he belonged to
that highest class known as sequeStra-
dores, OF robbers who hold to ransom;
and through his methods were cOnsid-
cred unpleasant, he carried through
most of his affairs with satisfaction to
himself. for he was an exceptionally
good man of business.
Gevil-Hay's Obstinacy sprang from
variety of causes He was in bad
health and worse spirits, and he had
for the whole period of his manhood
governed a small kingdom of wild and
treacherOus hillmen in the interests of
the British government, backed only
by a handful of native police, and,
what is more, had governed it with
conspicuous success.
A party of civiles had just returned
from a particularly unlucky excursion
into the mountains, and there was.
therefore. the less excuse for the fool
hardness Of Gevil-Hay, who declined
to pay any heed to the warnings of
HBMS Consul on the seaboard or the
deep hints of his host at the little inn
under the mountains, but continued TO
pursue his journey across the sierra.
He carried a revolver, ii is true, but
he found no use for il on dim evening
when something gripped his neck from
behind. Indeed il was only after an in
tervaI that ne understood vaguely how
he came TO be the center Of a hustling