Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-11

ana yet no one openly made any COM
ment or criticism.
But underneath the people marveled
to see one who was ostensibly wait
ing for the government to fix a day
when the garrotte should end his ca
reer forever, giving himself up to the
pleasure of loving and being loved.
without an effort to avert the final
tragedy Why did he not steal away.
which he might easily have done with
the woman he loved, and In some for
eign land live a life of atonement for
his crimes? But would she go with
him? Would she share his exile, al
ways in dread wherever they might
make a home, that he should become
known as the bandit Cortina? OF this
no one knew. They could only wonder.
And still the man under sentence and
the Caribbean beauty appeared to-
gether on the thoroughfares. and
through her open windows came their
voices, sometimes mingled with laugh
ter or the strains from her guitar. .
One night Cortina's jailers met with
a surprise. The sunset and the pris-
oner had not returned. Perhaps he
had been belated. The twilight faded.
and yet nothing was seen OF the pris-
oner At dark he was still absent, and
the guard was turned out. Whether
it was called out under a pretense
or whether the orders were that they
should make an effort to find the pris-
oner and return him to jail doesn't
matter. This man Of so much unrecog-
nized importance to the government
was missing, and it behocved the au-
thorities to show zeal in looking for
him.
The guard was about to start from
the prison yard when a man staggered
up TO the gate, threw up his hands
and fell upon his face. Lifting him
up, they threw back his jacket, and
there up against his breast was the
hilt of a stiletto.
The man was Cortina.
Eyes, am late" he said feebly, "but
I came Love lured me 70 death /
had been with her all the afternoon.
Then when 1t was time for me TO
return here she begged me to stay
longer with her. When came away
the night had fallen. We walked to-
gether to the door. I kissed her good
by. 1t was dark felt the point Of
a knife as it slipped into my vftals.
1 drew the pistol you have permitted
me to carry, but she had vanished In
the shadow"
Cortina gasped, and his head fell
upon his breast. He was dead.
The beautiful Caribbean was not
again seen in the capital. The next
day the story Of Cortina's death was
told among the people, but no one ven
tured upon an explanation. Some sup
posed that the woman who killed him
was one on whom he had inflicted
misfortune during the period Of his
crimes. Perhaps he might have muir
dered some one dear to her-might
have robbed her Of fortune. Others
who were nearer the truth kept their
suppositions to themselves. The sti-
Ietto was a convenient method at the
time for silenctng people who talked
too much.
But gradually Cortina, bis singular
treatment by the government. the
manner of his taking or. ceased to be
the wonder of the day, giving place TO
new sensations. Some years after.
when new president came into pow
er, many acts OF wickedness Of his
predecessor came to light It then be
came known that the government
dared not openly execute Cortina be-
cause of his threats and those Of his
former companions in crime to reveal
the governments completely In their
robberies: The beautiful Caribbean
had been paid large sum to become
his executioner.