Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-26
Mistellaneuns Rsading
sPAIN's MODEL POLICEMEN.
The Guardia Civil a Body With Great
Power

Power.
The Guardia Civil, the police force
of Spain, Is described as being near
ly the best police body in the world
The men are cleanly built, sturdy and
intelligent, and the average Of manli-
ness and ability is higher than in the
regular army.
The privates of the force are armed
with rifle, bayonet and revolver. They
wear a uniform of blue with red fac
ings. The hats are peculiar fiat oil
cloth things not unlike fireman's
helmet, except that they are only
about three inches high.
They have diagonal strips Of red or
white cloth across the front Of the
hat to indicate rank. The rear Of the
hat has a little fan like projection, so
that it is not unlike the way a pana-
ma hat Is worn, turned up In front
and spreading in back.
The officers wear sword and revol-
yer. They have hats without the OIL
cloth on. All the men wear capes Of
blue lined with crimson. The num-
Der Of the district appears on the
collar of the cape in huge script let
ters.
The powers Of the police force are
great They are supposed to bring
In their men dead or alive. and no
questions asked
This very great power seems to
have a curbing influence on them.
for most rows are settled peacefully
without arrests at the appearance Of
member of the Guardia. Further
than that they are the MIDI courteous
and obliging Of men and DO anything
at request.
An American who was engaged in
an engineering work in Madrid at the
time Of the Spanish-American war
tells a story to exemplify the powers
of the Guardia Civil. He employed
many Spanish laborers. and at the
time of the early rumors Of conflict
some of the men got ugly.
The engineer decided to discharge
one particularly offensive man. When
he acquainted the laborer with the
fact, the man drew a knife and. az
ter a struggle, stabbed the American
slightly in the thigh. The engineer
finally threw him out.
The next day he, was visited by a
member of the Guardia Civil, who
told the American that he had heard
of his fight. He asked IL the engineer
wanted the man arrested. On gen.
eral principles the American was glad
to have the assailant put away, so he
consented to make a complaint.
A few days afterward he was told
by the workingmen that his late as
sailant was dead. He was shot try
ing to escape from the guard" was
the explanation. A little more ques-
tioning brought out the facts.
The guard, Pedro Ramirez. got
hold Of the assailant, Tonic Fuentes,
the day after the complaint was made.
He had gone at once to Feuntes' usual
hangout.
He ordered Fuentes to come with
him and they started from the out
skirts Of Madrid for the Carcel. On
the way the guard pretended to have
great sympathy with the accused man
and cursed the Yankees, especially
the engineer.
Finally he said to Fuentes, Il will
release you and you may run away.
l won't arrest you for Yankee pig
TIe let go Fuentes, who stood still.
Run, Tonic" called Ramirez.
The delighted ex-prisoner started
away and got about 100 feet off. Ram
irez then put his rifle to his shoulder
and shot Fuentes dead.
He brought in the body and ex-
planned that the prisoner had been
trying to escape. Some persons In
a field nearby had seen the thing and
they could testify that Fuentes had
run off, although they were not near
enough to hear any conversation.
Their testimony was not needed
anyhow because the simple word Of
the Guardia Civil was enough.
why did he do such a brutal
thing?" asked the American engineer
finally.
"Oh, three years before Fuentes
stabbed Ramirez's brother to death
and managed to go free Of the jail.
1t was a good time to get revenge,
was the cold answer
An American freshly arrived In
Seville left his hotel to look for the
telegraph office He had no idea
where it was and at one corner of
square he found two of the Guardia.
In his feeble Spanish he asked the
direction.
One of the two said to the other:
wait here until return" and with
out further words set off to show the
American how to get to the telegraph
office. The American with a mental
picture of policemen at home, pro-
tested that the guard was giving him
self too much trouble.
The policeman only smiled. He
walked fully a mile through winding
streets to the office and explained to
the protesting and abashed American
that he never could have got there
through a simple description Of the
way. Then at the door he gravely
saluted, smiled and said "Good-day'
and walked back.
Ought l to have offered him
tip?" asked the American Of a friend
later on.
Decidedly not" was the answer
they are about the only persons In
all Spain whom the offer Of a tip in
suits"
They are for the most part men OF
education and possessed of more than
one language. The officers are well
educated. They are by all odds the
best physical specimens one sees In
Spain.
Their way Of standing about armed
to the teeth seems to some persons
ridiculous survival of militarism, but