The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-07-30

with a spot of blood on it was found
In his room. | said nothing, but OF
course 1t was a haunted peso and that
is why he died. Perhaps he did not
know of the curse. But | do. and il !
ever find another peso with the blood
on 1t, | know where 1t will go. You
may do as you choose, but | love my
life too well TO sell it for a peso"
The paymaster wondered why every
man who was paid that day examined
his pesos carefully before leaving the
window. He supposed there were
counterfeits in circulation and that
the laborers were afraid of getting bad
coins.
Francisco Basa. the man who had
asked Felipe to tell him he story OF
the haunted pesos, looked at his mon
ey the next morning, and was horri-
fed to discover that two of his pesos
had the fatal blood spots.
He called his wife and in terror
they both agreed that they were pos
sessed Of haunted pesos. and that
they would hurI them into the yard
OF the PacO house as soon as 1t became
dark. The two pesos We're sadly need
ed, 1t was true, but what We're two
pesos, if throwing them back to the
miser would protect them from his
curse?
So after his days work loading and
unloading ships. Francisco went to
Pace, shivering with fear, and imagin-
ing that every palm tree along Gale
Real concealed the spirit of the miser,
and that the terrible ghoslly fingers
were reaching for his throat.
There seemed to be a great many
Fflipinos hurrying along Gale Real.
They all ven by the Ledesma house
in the darkness and then started back
by the way they had come from Ma
Mia.
Francisco furtively threw his pesos
over the fence and went back to the
city with the others. When he had
come to the Luneta, where the band
was playing, he met Pascua! Romero,
unloading steamers.
Where have you been, Pascual?"
he asked.
Il have beer in Paco," replied Pas
cual. Let us walk around and neal
the band play. How is your wife's
brother doing with his fish store?"
Good" replied Francisco. but his
mind was not on the fish store.
Il found two haunted pesos in my
purse this morning." said Francisco,
his fingers trembling as he lit a cigar
cite.
You were lucky" said Pascual. Il
had the misfortune to find that l had
four. | threw them back to the miser
and glad | am that l did SO. Have
you kept yours?"
cursed things away. Does a man risk
his life for W pesOs?'
Others have found the blood spots
on their money, | am told. There is
no mistaking them. The spots show
I'VE the eagle. They are spots Of
dried blood and there can be 40 doubt
that they are the miser's coins"
For three months the 1000 Fflipi-
nos employed by the government in
the transport service found haunted
pesos, and every week they journeyed
to Pace by night and threw the coins
into the yard of the Ledesma house.
Then they found no more and came to
the conclusion that the spirit of the
dead miser had his own again and
was at peace. They were well pleased,
for they found their wages being de-
pleted by the tribute to the ghost of
the pesos.
But no one had been ~strangled. So
the story tod by Felipe Lopez had
warned all the natives of Manila and
had doubtless saved many lives.
1t is a pity some facts bearing d.
rectly on the haunted pesos must in
Justice be told to those who have fol
lowed the tale this far.
Some weeks before Felipe Lopez
told his story, a chemist employed in
the government laboratory at Manila
was sharing a room with a man from
Connecticut. The latter was employed
in the Philippine treasury and made
UP the money for che various govern
ment bureaus, including the transport
service, which was used to pay salar-
les.
The man from Connecticut was a
typical New England Yankee. with the
nasal twang common to that region.
and he had the reputation of being
very shrewd.
The chemist one night gave him a
peso which had a dark red spot Oh it.
1T does not show al once exclaimed
the chemist, out the spot comes out
in a day or two, and lasts 70! a couple
of weeks, when it fades again. Looks
like a spot of blood, doesn't it?'
Yes" said the Connecticut man,
and smoked several cigars in silence.
Then he went INC had a long talk
with an intelligent native named Fe
Iipe Lopez, who was a cargo checker
for the army transport service.
About the time the Filipinos got no
more haunted pesos in their wages,
a government chemist and an employe
of the treasury resigned and took pas
sag for the United States on 8
steamer. Both of them had plenty OF