Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-19

company at SdnIld6O, Nuoar SShNS ~
his friends in this city the following
account of the encounter which ne
and Pedro Aguilera, engineer Of the
concern, had with bandits the other
day. He says:
"On Thursday rode to Ell Cuero
and spent the day on the mines with
Pete. On Friday morning early was
ready to return to Santiago and, as
usual, I rode on the trail to a point
lust this side Of the Nina Nina river
to await the arrival Of the horses
Pete went down with me.
Martin Blanc was rather late In
arriving with the horses. and Pete
and sat down on the doorstep OF the
store that Is situated just between
the railroad and the trail to Santiago
at that place. When the horses ar
rived 1 said good-by to Pete and
mounted my fiery, untamed steed'
who was not so fiery, but decidedly
lame after a hard ride the day before.
was saying something to Pete, when
I heard a voice at my side saying
"'Your pocket-book and your re-
volver'
"This was in Spanish, Of course,
and as was busy talking to Pete the
true import of 1t did not filter through
my head at once. When 1t was re-
peated a little louder and more in
sistently looked down and saw
q Spaniard, wearing a workman's
clothes and cap and holding a dagger
that give you my word looked five
feet long to me, in the correct posi-
ton to commence without further de-
lay an operation on my intestines.
"I glanced over at Pete. who was
still sitting on the doorstep, to see
how he was taking 1t; but he was
busy looking down the barrel of a
revolver that another Spaniard, who
had stepped out from the store, was
pointing down at him. Then real
lied that 1t was a holdup. My man
seemed rather a cheerful Indian, but
Pete's friend looked pale, frightened,
ugly and determined.
There were two other men in the
store and Martin was only about
twenty feet away, but they could not
do anything to help us, as the first
move on their part would have been
disastrous. Without fraud or fur
ther delay handed over my pocket
book, with some Sc, and my purse,
with a lucky $40 gold piece and some
small silver. They searched US for
arms eve had none) and then went
through my valise, but didn't seem to
care for a shirt and some under
clothes that had climbed the Aragon
hill the day before.
pete threw the stuff back into my
bag, which had been beside him on
the step, and then my man shook
hands with both of us and said good
by 1 was somewhat surprised at the
handshake and could not help think
ing of Mansfield in Beau BrummeP
when he said:
ga glance Of the eye, Reginald,
glance Of the eye; people shake hands
altogether too much, especially in hot
weather.
1T looked for a moment as II 1t was
all finished, but the other bandit said:
No. We will keep one Of them
"At first his idea was to have Pete
write an order on somebody in San
tiago for money, but after some dis
cussion, he said to me:
1--WE will keep this man. You go
to Santiago and be back here before
4 o'clock with $4,000. Come unarmed
and alone. II not and he left the
rest to the imagination.
when I asked him how 1 was
going to find him to conclude the
financial part Of the transaction, he
said that they would go up the hill
on the west side of the Nina Nina
river and that I should come back to
the scene of the holdup and from
there strike out on foot across the
potrere and up the hill.
"Then they started off with Pete,
one of them with the dagger and the
other with the revolver and huge
French butcher knife. Martin and
I hit the trail, and as soon as we were
across the Nina Nina river I sent
Martin to tell Raffo what had hap
pened and to warn him that they had
gone up the hill, from which they
could command a considerable stretch
of road in both directions, and that
any attempt at rescue might endan-
ger Pete's life. I told him also that
1 was hurrying to Santiago for the
money and that we would get Pete
safe out Of their hands and then give
chase, warning him to keep the news
safe from Mrs. Aguilera, who is rather
nervous and excitable. Finally 1 told
Martin to deliver his message quickly
and then ride hell for leather 10
catch me.
MY horse got warmed up and
over his lameness by the time I got to
the top Of the Yarey hill, and Mar
tin caught up with me about mile
further on. He told me that when he
reached Raffo's house they already
had the news, and RATIO was arming
with machettes, pick handles, rocks
and. the few firearms they could
find, some ten or twelve men. They
had already telephoned to the mines
and Mrs. Aguilera had heard the
news. Four rural guards from Ell
Cuerto had started out in pursuit, but
Ratio said he would warn them Of the
danger to Pete if they let the bandits
see them.
Martin and l made good time to
the Punta Sal, and my horse was all
in when we arrived. 1 went to San
tiago at once in a gasolene launch
and found that Combs had heard
something over the telephone and
suspecting that it would be ques-
ton of ransom had sent to the bank
for $4,000, which Blair. was counting
xo+ino ha npohpra Of the bills