The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-12-12
Electricity
And Dynamite.
Tcopyright, 1907. by E. c. Parcells.l

They called him the ''Black Death"
and they had good cause to. If there
was ever a fiend in human form it was
Ramirez. the Spaniard. He had come
ashore on the coast of Chile with Tx
wreck Of a Spanish vessel, and within
q fortnight he had committed robbery
and murder and had been obliged &c
fee to the mountains. There he got Il
little band together and killed anl
robbed as trade. After the oficery
of the law had failed to kill or capture
the man he was pursued by the sol
diers and finally driven into Peru.
When the war broke out there were
hundreds Of Adventures who would
have gladly joined Ramirez. but after
increasing his band to a hundred he
would take no more.
Up among the mountains, just over
the Peruvian line. the American Min.
ing and Smelling company had been
developing the Humboldt silver mine.
It was a rich mine and had paid &.
goodly sum for it's concessions. Rami
rez had come within five miles Of it on
two or three occasions before the war
but had then hesitated and turned
back. 1t was guarded by over a hun
dred government troops. and the poems
who did the mining had been armed
by the company. The war called the
troops away. 1t was then that the
poems were drilled and told that they
must defend themselves. They entered
into the spirit of the thing for the next
two weeks, but then an event hap
pened that caused all but about TWEEN
ty of them to desert. Ramirez paid q
visit to the mine in person. He ap-
peared one afternoon unaccompanied.
He was dressed in a white duck suit,
carried q cane and wore a new SOM
brero, and the manager at first took
him for some prosperous resident OF
the valley. The "Black Death entered
the Office as any gentleman would,
and, taking the proffered chair. he
quietly said:
81 am Ramirez. You may possibly
have heard of me-"
"Not Ramirez, the-the bandit"' ex-
claimed the manager.
'The same, if you wish to apply the
term. 1 have called on little matter
OF business. I have not hitherto dis
turbed you because you are Ameri-
cans and are taking no part in this
war, but I am now in want Of money.
] have assessed you at $4,000 in
gold.'
"But, my dear sir began the as
tonished manager.
There are no butts with Ramirez,
SIR 1 want $4,000 in gold, packed on
a mule, without unnecessary delay"
The managers first feeling of awe
and fear fed away as he looked at
the man before him. Clean shaved
and we'll dressed, the dread Spaniard
did not look ferocious or formidable.
His eyes and mouth betrayed inherent
cruelty, but here he was all alone.
and the manager had 800 men at his
back. The fellow seemed to know
what was passing in the others mind,
for presently he laughed in a sheer
ing way and said:
$50 ahead and try it if you WISH"
81 shall not pay you the money
was the firm reply.
"Ah. see! You will depend upon
your poems. Very well. Let rs make
one single experiment You there.
want you in the office a moment"
1t was summer time, and the wiD
dows were open. He had called U
half a dozen men outside who were
moving a piece of machinery. Ther
came into the Office and stood with
their hats in their hands while he
looked them over with a grim smile
and queried:
''Did any of you ever see RamireZ?''
"Holy mother, but you are the manr'
shouted one as he turned and fed, fol
lowed by his companions. spreadir"
the news as they fed.
"You see," said the BLACK Death"
as he turned to the manager, your
ransom is now 100000
"Tll never pay a cent of it. never.
ought to have you arrested as yoJ
stand"
"Just as you will. You refuse to
pay. Take the results"
With that he turned on his heel and
walked out of the Office and lingere<.
for a couple of minuteG that the men
might see him and be duly impressed
That evening there were only fifteen
men out of 300 left at the mine. The
rest had run away with the fear OF
death upon them. TIE fifteen labored
all night with pick and spade. 1t was
only at noon the next day that their
labors were completed. Then the only
approach to the mine had been trench
ed and mined and electric wires car
ried into the Office building. RAMIREZ
had threatened there would be results.
The manager was ready to face them.
That day went by without alarm. So
did the two following. Ramirez had
twenty-five miles to go and return.
He had to call in his raiding parties
and fit them out.
At II o'clock on the morning of the
fourth day he appeared at the head OF
his hundred men. They lost no time in
forming up. Ten minutes after The
first man had been seen the whole
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