The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-06-06

| l was born In Madrid Of eminent
though not noble parents. When l was
sixteen formed the acquaintance Of
Alonzo Gonzales, an anarchist.
entered the university a year be-
fore Gonzales left It, and 1t was dur
ing this year that 1 was converted to
the theories of the anarchists. There
were others Of our set that were cap
tured by Gonzales, among them a girl.
Dolores Sierra. who had been a play
mate Of mine. But Gonzales, 80 far as
he was able. kept his converts apart,
maintaining great secrecy in all his
PROSECUTING work conceived a great
reverence for him, which later was
turned to horror. When / was nine
teen he persuaded me to join one of
the anarchist circles Of Madrid had
been initiated only few months when
the society decided to put out Of the
way a statesman high in power, who
! was considered an obstacle to anarch-
istic principles. One night when /
went to a meeting Of the circle 1t was
announced that lots were to be drawn
with a view to determining some mem
Der who should assassinate the person
In question
Up to this moment had been fasci-
mated by the romance / conceived to
pervade these efforts to equalize the
social strata. When / put my hand
in hat to draw a bit Of paper that
might compel me to kill a man and
probably be executed myself as
felon, the illusion vanished like q mi
rage, or, rather, 1t was changed into
repulsion, and when the paper l drew
was opened and saw by skull and
crossbones on 1t that l had drawn the
order to commit murder | was frozen
with horror.
did now what should have done
In the beginning-I made confidant
Of my father He saw at once the
terrible position in which was placed.
but, instead of making it worse for me
by reproach, kept his head and consid-
cred what 1t would be best for me to
do. The result of his deliberations
was that should pass out Of exist
ence-that is, that / should disap-
pear from the world as myself and re-
appear as far away as possible from
the place of my exit as some one else.
A few days later, with what ready
money needed and certificates of de-
post in the Bank of France, payable
to me as Ebenezer Swift, disguised as
an old man, l left the city. My object
in taking an English name was that
l proposed to settle eventually In
America, and / intended to give out
that had been born Of an American
father and Spanish mother.
It was year later that turned up
at New York as nature made me, ex-
cept that my beard had grown. Pre-
tending that my eyes were sensitive
to the light, l continually wore dark
glasses 1t was not absolutely neces-
sary that ! should earn a living, for
once a year my father remitted sufi-
cient funds to carry me for twelve
months. We knew that my family
might be discovered; hence there was
to be no communication oftener that
that interval
One day, so / learned long after
ward, Dolores Sierra went to my
mother and told her that for my
safety she must know where was.
stating that the circle to which had
belonged had condemned me to death,
that they knew where l was and
that must be warned at once. With
out thinking what she was doing my
mother told her where would be
found in New York. My father was
absent at the time and when he re-
turned my mother, having learned that
she had been indiscreet in giving my
whereabouts, did not dare tell him
what she had done. She trusted Do
lores implicitly and preferred to rely
ON her to protect me rather than reveal
her action to my father. The conse-
quence was that was not advised OF
the matter.
Living with sword suspended over
ones head is by no means pleasant.
In my case 1t brought on a nervous
breakdown. The summer was on. and
1 was advised to go up to the Cats
kill mountains. l therefore went to
one Of the hotels on the summit, hop
ing to recover my lost nervous vigor.
had not been there a week before
met with a great surprise. Walking
out one afternoon, met girl coming
toward me, and when we met who
should it be but Dolores Sierra.
Out OF as I had been for more than
year from every one had known
before, her appearance gave me a
thrill. l sprang toward her with q
cry Of JOY Instead of meeting me In
the same spirit she stood as II para
lyxed, all the color leaving her face.
"Doloresw exclaimed what
brings you hereT
sat meeting you that p She could
get no further.
"But, Dolores, how strange that
should meet you Of all others, and the
very one / would rather meet
She put her hand to her breast. Her
III CuLn W ao OOh41nS Q0ASh- 0OA q AA4O-
ment l thought she would fall
sprang forward to catch her, but she
waved me back. waited till she had
somewhat recovered, when she said to
me:
"My meeting you Unexpectedly after
yocr sudden disappearance has star
tied me- 1t was reported that you had
been made away with by the anarch-
lists"
But what has that to do with your
coming to American"
ITO meet one In the flesh whom you
have supposed to be dead you must
admit Is liable to cause a shock" she
replied without noticing my question.
But
'Come: let US walk together"
BY slow degrees she brought out that
she had come to America because there
are fields open to women In which they
may make their living. She had no
dowry, and in Spain dowry was nee
essary to marriage; therefore she pre-
ferred to be occupied among those of
her own sex who were used to work
and where there was work to do.
There is no work to do up In these
mountains" I said
The question took her unawares.
That her presence in America was not
explained by anything she had told me
l did not doubt But what was her
object In coming2 As we walked on
l probed the matter. wondering all the
while at the strange occurrence. Then
suddenly theory suggested itself to
me. Might she not have come to pro-
tect me? And would she have come
all the wav across an ocean on NV &C.