The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-29
at By M QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
-, p -. erary Press e

~
previously. The business of the house
was banking, mining, merchandising
and cattle raising. II had dozen
branches in Mexico. and It had deal
1ngs with half a dozen countries. In
a financial sense It was stronger than
the government. and its yearly profits
footed up an enormous sum a. son
Of the founder had succeeded 70 the
management, and when old age came
be turned over the active work TO
cousin named Alvarez. The new man
ager was a young man Of twenty-five,
born in Spain of fine family and had
been educated for the priesthood. He
was a man without vice. Such was
bis probity that he was called Holy
Alvarez even In his youth. at an
enormous salary and with autocratic
powers young Alvarez took over the
management Of affairs in Mexico, and
almost as soon as he stepped foot on
North American soil a change took
place in his character. He began TO
drink, gamble and play fast and loose.
or course there was gossip about the
new manager, and there were those
who predicted that his extravagances
would ultimately bring ruin to the OLD
house, but there were no official COM
plants. He knew little or nothing Of
business, but he did know how to
spend money royalty, and in a year
be had people guessing how much
longer 1t would take him to bankrupt
the house. It was after the balance
sheets had proved to him that he was
spending more than the profits of the
house and was a debtor to an enor-
nous amount that he set about prepar-
ing a grand coup. The Spanish mer'
chairman was loaded with a cOnsign-
ment OF GOLD silver, copper. furs and
dyestufrs ffr Spain and the cargo In
Sured to ti,r last cent Alvarez took
into his confidence young man named
Prado, and when the Santa Maria sail
ed bis confederate went with her as
supercargo I
The ship was manned by crew OF
fourteen men. all Spaniards. Thirty
days after her sailing to the southwark
the American bark Homeward left the
port Of Valparaiso homeward bound.
We had been out three days when we
ran into dead calm, with the weather
so terribly hot that the deck plahks
smoked In the sun. As we lay heaving
on the ground swell a small boat drift
ed into view. It seemed to be empty, 1
and 1t had been in sight for two hours
and was not over half mile away |
when the captain decided to pick It up.
A boat was sent OF, and when she re- |
turned with the stranger we had a sad |
spectacle under our eyes. There was |
lead man lying at full length under the
thwarts.
About two days later we came up
With derellct from which the man in
the boat had no doubt escaped. On |
board horrible sight met us-the bod |
es OF fourteen dead men.
The derelict was a great fnd to US.
her manifest showed a cargo valued at
over $1,000 900. and the ship was all
light above deck. ~
As the man got away alone and had
)rovisioned the boat It must have been
lfter the others were dead. He it was. |
hen. who had brought about the
wholesale death OF the crew, and he
must have had a strong motive. That
motive was discovered when some OF
he boxes of treasure were hoisted out
II the Iazaret and broken open. Aside
rom one or two boxes, the whole
reasure business was a fake. Lead
lad been substituted for silver and
,old. The furs were a cheat and
raud. and the value OF the dyestuffs
vas not one-quarter Of the sum they
we're insured for A second and closer
earch Of the stateroom evidently Oc-
,upied by the supercargo gave US the
Iey to unlock the whole mystery. He
lad left behind a letter OF instruction
igned by Alvarez at the City OF Mexi-
%. and In that we learned that the
lame OF the dead man was Prado.
With the auger hole plugged and
art OF our crew on board the Santa
Aaria. we laid our course for the port
4 valdiVia. aud In due time both
raft arrived there in good shape. The
lead had been given burial. OF course.
ut there was no lack OF other proofs.
Ia soon as the plot was unraVeled
teDs were taken for the arrest OF Al
larez In Mexico. and our claim Cor sal
rage was hled. Governments move
howly in international matters. II
vas months before they got ready to
arrest the man who had plotted this
lea tragedy. He had meanwhile con-
inued his career Of dissipation and ex-
depending upon his insur-
lnce money to make everything good
News got to him somehow from Val.
iivia OF the derelict being towed In,
md he left Mexico and hid away In
Bolivia. There he was at last found. but
be cheated the hangman by commit
Ding suicide.
AS a plot hatched against an equal
and as a tragedy OF the sea one must
believe that PradO was little short OF !
) devil incarnate to sweep aside cO0lly
he fourteen human beiugs who stood |