The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-05-11
BluMng an
Outlaw
ny C. d. WIS

fs06. on Mcclure, Phillips & C,

an appearance. lie nau Deeu nearu OF
however. He was known as cattle
stealer, claim jumper and genera
outlaw, and it was the popular belief
that he stood in with the police. Al
any rate, they had not interfered with
his operations to any extent, and he
walked the streets of the town as free
as any other man. One day Jose ap
peared at the mine. He walked
straight to the superintendent office
and, doffing his hat, said:
"Senor Barnes, / beg you to excuse
me. My name is Jose Favara.
should have called on you weeks ago,
but have been busy in other directions.
l am now here to do business with
you"
"Well, what is your businessT que
ried the superintendent, although he
had pretty fair idea of it.
''To arrange to draw my monthly sal
airy, senor."
"For performing what services"
"For leaving your mine in peace"
"In other words, you mean to levy
= tribute on us?"
"The senior hits the nail on the head
at the first blow. My terms are 5000
per month in cash. I shall call for it
myself. If accepted you will be under
my protection. If not
"You will make trouble for us?"
'The Senior Barnes hits the nail
again. 1 like to do business with an
Americana"
Jose Favara was told that he would
have to wait a few days until his prop
J osition could be submitted to the pres
ident and board of directors in New
York. He was agreeable. He went
away bowling and smiling, and Mr.
! Barnes sat down and wrote a letter.
| The proposition was eXtortion pure
and simple. The authorities could be
appealed to, and would doubtless do
something. Nevertheless the fact re-
manned that Jose was bigger man
in that district than the authorities.
! He could harry and harass. He could
scare every peon out Of the mine in
two weeks. He could capture every
mule and driver engaged in transport
ing the ore over the mountains. He
! could do lots of things to make the sit
uation unpleasant, and the superin-
! tendent recommended that a monthly
salary be paid. He added that 5000 per
month was dog cheap.
The president and his board looked
upon it as a rather funny case, but fol:
lowed the advice of Mr.. Barnes. From
| that time on for two years Jose Favara
regularly appeared on The 10th of each
month and received his salary"
Twice during that time the poems would
have struck for higher wages had he
not appeared and threatened them
with his vengeance. A Mexican lawyer
discovered what lie thought was q flaw
in the title of the New Yorker and
would have made cost and trouble had
not Jose sent him word that he was
after his scalp. 1t was conceded that
the outlaw earned his wage.
Things were going on satisfactorily
when the old president died and Mr..
Nervely was elected in his place. While
the dividends were large, Mr.. Nervely
wanted to increase them. He saw a
way to do it by looping off and cutting
down. A cut of 10 per cent was made
in wages and salaries, and the 5000 per
month to Jose Favara was cut off en-
tirely.
When Mr.. Barnes wrote that this
move would bring trouble, he was di-
rected to arm his staff and fight. When
he asked for rifles q dozen old con-
demned Springfield muskets were sent
him, but not single cartridge. He
wrote for cartridges, but was answered
that the president would soon take
trip to Mexico in his private car and
would visit the mine and give further
instructions in person. Mr.. Nervely
had been known In trade as hustler.
AS president Of silver mine he deter
mined to be hummer.
Jose Favara called, as usual, on the
10th of certain month to be told that
his salary was nix. He had been dis
charged. Mr.. Barnes entered into par
ticulars with him, even to stating the
probable date of the arrival of the
president. Jose was impassive and
imperturbable. He smiled the same
old smiles and bowed the same old
bows. He knew he had earned his
money, but IL he felt sore he gave no
sign of 1t. He went away saying that
he might call again, and things went
on as usual for three weeks.
Then President Nervely arrived. 1t
was twenty miles over to the railroad,
and he had to make this distance on
the back OK burro, but he made 1t.
He arrived at the mine at o'clock In
the afternoon. At the poems came up
from the shaft and announced that
there was q strike on. There were
400 Of them. Next morning Jose Fa-
vara appeared. He wanted to know
IL his salary was to be restored.
President Nervely fattered himself
that he was a fighter. II not an actual
fighter, then he was good buffer. He
had been bluffing for thirty years and
had the art down pat The miners
might strike, and be hanged to them.
They might be out for a week, but they
would then be tumbling over each 9TH
or to get back. As for Jose Favara, he
was an outlaw, blackmailer, an ex-
tortioner. Not another cent should he |
draw from the treasury. If he made