Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-16
FORMER BANDITS.
Diaz's Rurales Now Constitute
the Flower of the Mexi-
can Army.
LIKE MELoDRAMA COWBOYS
Present Head of Aztec Land Recruit
ed COnstabularly From Among
FreebOOters.


been the terror of malcontents and
one of the pillars of Diaz's power, and
their strength was felt during the re-
cent uprising.
THE rurales! When this warning
is given, and, in the majority of cases
it Is a perfectly false alarm, all per-
sons engaged in Illegal acts, such as
knitting each other. burning haystacks
or discussing ways of Overthrowing
the present regime, sober up and fee
noiselessly. Witnesses to the affray
remember some pressing business de-
handing their presence a mile or so
away.
Should the rough looking riders in
their immense sombreroS Swoop down
on the crowd before everything had
again become peaceful serious conse-
Quences might follow. The ringleader
responsible for the disturbance might
be soon singled out and led away. At
little distance from the village the
rurales might very negligently give
him an occasion to escape. While TAX
ing to his heels he would hear a shot
and fall face downward, his back
broken. A hole two feet deep. a little
mound Of sandy earth, two pieces OF
board nailed crosswise. and the chief
of the detachment would report that
a disorderly man was killed in accord
ance to the 'ley fuga," the fugitive
law.
Freebooters Formerly Ruled.
Riots and uprisings IN all parts of
Mexico made the country during the
last years of President Juarez's life
afA A..
traveller as some unfrequented dis
tricts of Albania. Bands OF highway
men plundered villages, raided large
towns and, mounted on swift horses,
carried of the spoil to their mountain
haunts. Troops sent against them
made little progress. for in Mexico, as
elsewhere, the bandit soon assumes a
legendary, semi-heroic character, and
the villages prefer to court his favor
rather than invite his vengeance.
The army itself was made up Mt that
time of unorganized. independent I'M
reliable guerrilla bands. almost as dan
gerous for the population as the out
laws themselves.
After President Juarez breathed his
last in 1872, his successor. Diaz. de-
cided 10 restore the prestige of Mexico
in the eyes of foreign nations by doing
away entirely with all the freebooters.
Calling the veterans of his campaign
together, he intrusted them with the
tusk
They were to trail the bandits sys-
tematically to their mountain fast
nesses. taking no prisoners, giving no
quarter After several months thou
sands of crosses dotted the land mark
ing the spots where justice had been
dealt summarily to captured brigands.
In the northern hills a town had to be
besfeged, for group of fourteen free
hooters had taken possession of 1t.
armed and pressed the citizens into
their service. After terrible sl8ugh-
ter 1t became necessary to erect crosses
over an area of a square mile beyond
the walls. The town lost its name,
which was for shame replaced by Ca
torce Din Spanish fourteenJ in memory
of the fourteen highwaymen
Diaz Solves Problem.
Then 1t was that Diaz conceived an
cE"Hllent idea OF utilizing the daring
anS energy Of those predatory bands
ana at the same time putting an end to
that heartrending civil war. He offered
a truce and invited, after giving hos
tages, some of the guerrilla chiefs to
confer with him. :
They returned to the mountains bear
ing the message that the republic /
would respect their haunts, leave them
their arms and horses and pay them
a regular salary IL they consented to
make their peace An occupation
would be found for them which would
not interfere with their free, adventur-
Gus life. They were to police the
mountain regions and act as emergency
troops when quick and energetic action |
was required. The half starved bands, !
weary Of the struggle, made their sub /
mission. Up to the present day they !
have constituted the rurales, the crack |
regiment Of the Mexican army.
Like the Russian Cossacks. they |
have retained their picturesque cos |
tune. While the rest Of the Mexican !
army is uniformed after the fashion Of !
the French troops. the rurales wear /
clothes which greatly resemble the at
tire Of melodrsma cowboys-immense
Spanish or Moorish saddles, from |
which hang all kinds Of arms or camp
ing implements: leather incased stir.
rups, Mexican trousers slit on the side
and showing bright hued ''cabZon-
Giles" a nondescript coat OF gray, a
straw hat one foot and a half high
with a rolled up brim of merry Wild
ow" size.
Some $500 of them are now rowing
over the lonely sections Of Mexico, and.
although their long cavalry sabers.
heavy pistols and carbines never allow
rhe traveller to forget that once their
calling was Of rather strenuous char
acter. their presence Is always a great
comfort.