Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-05-30
Her
Mission
How She Kept 1t q Secret and
How She Performed 1t
By MANUEL GORDA
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

| III by Cl<AlNOEL SoNOA
| copyright by American Press Asso-
| II citation. 1911. III
was born In Madrid Of eminent
though not noble parents. When was
sixteen l formed the acquaintance OF
Alonzo Gonzales. an anarchist.
l entered the university q year be,
| fore Gonzales left 1t, and 1t was dur
ing this year that was converted to
the theories of the anarchists. There
were others of our set that were cap
tured by Gonzales, among them girl.
Dolores Sierra, who had been play.
mate of mine. But Gonzales. so far as
he was able, kept his converts apart,
maintaining great secrecy In all his
proselyting work. ! conceived a great
reverence for him, which later was
turned to horror. When I 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 l
went to a meeting of the circle 1t was
announced that lots were to be drawn
with q view to determining SOL mem
ber who should assassinate the J. -son
In question.
Up to this moment I had been fasci-
mated by the romance conceived to
pervade these efforts to equalize the
social strata. When ! put my hand
in a hat to draw n bit Of paper that
might compel me to kill a man and
probably be executed myself Us q
felon. the illusion vanished like MI
rage, or, rather. 1t was changed into
repulsion, and when the paper l drew
was opened and I saw by a skull and
crossbones OH 1t that l had drawn the
order to commit murder l was frozen
with horror
I did now what / should have done
in the beginning-I made contdant
of my father. He saw ut once the
terrible position in which was placed.
but. instead Of making 1t worse Tor me
by reproach. kept his head and consid
cred what It would he best for me to
do. The result of his deliberations
was that I should pass out OF exist
ence-that Is. that l 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 und certificates OF de-
posit in the Bank Of France. payable
to ME as Ebenezer Swift. disguised as
an old man. left the city. My object
in taking an English name was that
proposed to settle eventually In
America. and / intended to give out
that had been born Of an American
father and u Spanish mother.
1t 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. | continually wore dark
glasses. It was not absolutely neces-
sary that l should earn living. for
once a year my father RENTED sufh'
cient funds to carry me for twelve
months. We knew that my family
would be watched. that my location
might be discovered; hence there was
to be no communication oftener that
that interval.
One day, so l learned long after
ward, Dolores Sierra went to my
mother and told her that for my
safety she must know where l was.
stating that the circle to which ] had
belonged had condemned me to death.
that they knew where l was ana
that / must be warned at once. With
out thinking what she was doing my
mother told her where I 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 I was not advised OF
the matter
Living with q sword suspended over
ones head is by no means pleasant.
In my case 1t brought on nervous
breakdown. The summer was on. ana
l was advised to 90 up to the Cats
kill mountains therefore went to
one of the hotels on the summit, hop.
ing to recover my lost nervous vigor.
I had not been there q week before
met with a great surprise. Walking
out one afternoon. met girl coming
toward me, and when we met who
should 1t be but Dolores Sierra.
Cut off as l had been for more than
year from every one l had known
before, her appearance gave me
thrill. I sprang toward her with q
CRY of Joy. Instead Of meeting me IN
the same spirit she stood as II para
lyzed, all the color leaving her face.
"Dolores!" exclaimed. "What
brings you here%
"I am so surprised" she stammered.
Eat meeting you that ~ She could
get no further.
But, Dolores. how strange that ]
should meet you Of all others. and the
very one l would rather meet
She put her hand to her breast Her
breath was coming quick. For mo-
ment thought she would fall. l
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
your 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 America"
ITO meet one In the flesh whom you
have supposed to be dead you must
admit Is liable to cause q shock" she