Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-14
A Tragedy Of the
Mexican
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

thing. Suddenly I heard a crack, and
the young fellow fell dead. He had
been shot by a man standing on the
other side Of the street.
The girl was wild with grief and
horror at thus seeing one I believed to
be her lover shot down beside her.
She fell upon the body and called wild
ly for him to come back to her. A lit
tie knot of people collected. and pres
emily l saw them bear the body away,
the girl following, supported by a wo-
man, doubtless her mother. The party
disappeared in a house a short dis
lance up the street.
Presently a man came out of the
house into which the body was carried,
and, passing me, 1 asked him in a
mixture of Spanish and English to tell
me what caused the affair.
Nothing, senor, except that the MUIR
dered man is a supporter Of the Diaz
government. We are all insurrectos
here"
With this brief summary of the story
he passed on. 1 learned from another,
however, that the murderer and the
murdered man both wanted the same
girl.
1 had caught a glimpse of the muir
derer. I did not see him fire the shot,
but saw him walking away a moment
later. He was a villainous looking
man in Mexican costume and with a
swagger. I saw him pass several
times during the day and did not see
in his face or in his manner the slight
est conjunction for what he had done.
On the contrary, he seemed to be proud
Of his deed.
The second act of the drama was
more astonishing still. 1 saw the MUIR
derer go to the house where the body
Of his victim had been taken and
knock at the door. The was
answered by the oma who had sup
ported the girl after the murder. The
villain said something to her, and she
disappeared. The man waited some
time on the step. and at last the girl
whose lover he had shot came to the
door. He talked to her for quite
awhile, after which she went back
-ASo -" oASS LIZ 1S hAoI Ad1IC VII
down the street. He had lost some of
his swagger, and his face wore a Sc
rious look. He disappeared in a sa-
loon in the neXt block where Duluue
was sold.
chat evening after supper I lighted
a cigar and strolled beyond the out
skirts of the town. l was on the
plateau where the climate is temper
ate, and the air was very pleasant. A
full moon was rising as the sun was
setting. Hearing voices behind me, 1
turned and met with another surprise.
The murderer and the girl whose lover
he had murdered were coming toward
me. He was doing the talking, while
she walked in silence.
"These are a strange people," I said
to myself. "The villain, having muir
dered his rival. is %pursuading the girl
to be ]reconciled to him and take him
instead"
They passed me on the other side Of
the road without appearing to notice
me, too absorbed in their own grew
some affair to think Of any one be-
sides themselves.
If self preservation. as has beer
said, is the first law Of nature curiosi-
ty is certainly the second. Indeed,
there are instances where curiosity
has been preeminent. l was interest
ed in this affair, and instead of turn
ing away from the path the couple
were taking l strolled on behind them.
keeping them in sight. But presently
the road where they were walking
made a turn. and l lost them.
I stopped and. leaning against a
fence, looked at the broad face of the
moon rising over the distant extinct
Volcano Iz%taccihwatl or the white
Woman" from it's resemblance to a
woman lying dead robed in a shroud
Of snow, my thoughts divided between
the drama of the day and the noun
tains of many ages. Realizing that I
might get into trouble by being too OBJ
servant of other peoples affairs. I was
thinking Of going back when, turning
my eyes for a last glance to the point
where the couple had disappeared, I
saw the girl coming alone. She was
walking very fast seemingly fitting
along like a spirit. I stood perfectly
still. She passed me, walking in the
middle Of the road and so wrapt in her
W emotions that she did not see me.
/ will not attempt to find a word to de-
scribe the expression on her face. I
never wish to see such an expression
again.
I did not need to go on to discover
what she had done with her compan-
ion. Her returning alone and that
look on her face assured me that she
had taken a swift revenge for the
death of her lover. I went back to
my hotel, threw my belongings into
my trunk, paid my bill, went to the
station, where I waited two hours for
a train to take me out of the country.
I did not draw a free breath till I had
boarded 1t and was moving away from
the town and the double tragedy.
supposed I could leave 1t behind in
Mexico. but I have been disannoinfad