The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-06-21
Her
Mission
How She Kept 1t Secret and
How She Performed 1t
BY MANUEL GORDA
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.
by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

though not noble parents When | was
sixteen l formed the acquaintance of
Alonzo Gonzales, an anarchist
l entered the university a year be-
fore Gonzales left 1t, and it was dur
ing this year that l 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 a play
mate Of mine. But Gonzales, so far as
he was able, kept his converts apart,
maintaining great secrecy in all his
proselyting work. I 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. l had
been initiated only few months when
the society decided to put out of the
way statesman high In power, who
was considered an obstacle to anarch-
istic principles. One night when
went to a meeting of the circle it was
announced that lots were to be drawn
with view to determining some mem
in question.
Up to this moment had been fasci-
mated by the romance 1 conceived to
pervade these efforts to equalize the
social strata. When l put my hand
in hat to draw bit of paper that
might compel me to kill a man and
probably be executed myself as a
felon, the illusion vanished like a mi
rage, or, rather, 1t was changed into
repulsion, and when the paper I drew
was opened and 1 saw by a skull and
cYossbones on 1t that had drawn the
order to commit murder I was frozen
with horror.
1 did now what / should have done
in the begtnning-I made a confidant
of my father. He saw at once the
terrible position in which / was placed,
but, instead of making 1t 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 1 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 1 needed and 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 1 had been born of an American
father and Spanish mother.
1t was a 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. 1t was not absolutely neces-
sary that l should earn a living, for
once year my father remitted sufIi-
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 and
that l 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
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 a sword suspended over |
one's head is by no means pleasant |
In my case it brought on a nervous |
breakdown. The summer was on, and
was advised to go up to the Cats |
kill mountains. / therefore went TO |
one of the hotels on the summit, hop,
ng to recover my lost nervous vigor
| had not been there a week before 1
met with a great surprise. Walking
)ut one afternoon, l met a girl coming |
toward me, and when we met who
should it be but Dolores Sierra.
Cut Off as l had been for more than
1 year from every one l had known
before, her appearance gave me
-hrill. sprang toward her with a
,ry of Joy. Instead of meeting me in
he same spirit she stood as If para
yzed, all the color leaving her face.
"Doloresw | exclaimed. "What
brings you here?"
81 am so surprised" she stammered,
at meeting you that p She could
get no further.
"But, Dolores, how strange that /
ihould meet you Of all others, and the
yery one / would rather meet
She put her hand to her breast. Her
breath was coming quick. For mo-
nent l thought she would fall.