The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-26
How a Mother
Saved Her Son
By OUNCE BLAKE

LuOTG VI dndACnActc tAAaA We w ~ I
day. Possibly the great war has pro
duced condition In Europe more ter 4
rfble than anything the widest an Y
archist had ever dreamed of. There :
was a time when the anarchists Of the
world were well organized, being in
touch with one another all over the
world, and the circle was more pow
erful with respect to its members than
any OF the tyrants 1t wished to elm
mate.
Manuel Fernandez, a Spaniard. was
In his youth converted to the theories
Of the anarchists, and when be was
twenty-one years old he offered him
self for any purpose by which he might
serve the cause. He was informed
that lots would be drawn by a num-
Der of devotees as to who should as
sassinate a sovereign. Manuel volun-
teered to be one of those to risk having
to perform the work and drew the ia
tai black ball.
He was at once taken apart from
the others and given the name Of the
sovereign he was to assassinate. He
was also warned that any baking
would result in his own death.
IF you do your duty like a man"
said his instructor, you win be hon.
ored; If you shrink from it you will be
followed to the ends of the earth. No
country is remote enough to shield ]
| you" 4
Manuel being face to face with the
| reality, the ideal faded away very .
| quickly. He was Mortified at the posi- .
| ton in which he had placed himself.
| Going to his mother, he threw himself !
into her arms as he had done when a !
boy and told her all.
Sonora Fernandez was a woman of
great resource. She began at once to
think out a plan for saving her son
and when she had come to decision
said to him:
my boy, we must find a way to con-
vince your associates that you are
dead. Appear to be making prepare
tons for the crime you are expected
to commit, and / will be making
preparations for your pretended death"
Manuel at once began to appear to
, experiment with bombs in a little out
, house In the rear of his home. He APP
piled to his anarchist associates for
some one versed in chemistry to be
sent him as an instructor. A man
: was detailed for the purpose, and
e Manuel appeared to be an attentive
Q student. The two secretly worked to-
gethcr at such times as they could do
a so without running much risk OF being
a discovered. and in time several bombs
8 were made. any one Of which was ca
l. pable of killing dozen men.
r Manuel succeeded in impressing his
a instructor with the belief that he was
really studying how to make bombs
% that he might do his duty by his an
Is archist comrades. He proved an apt
a pupil and Ms he progressed insisted on
:, making the explosives himself. When
:. he seemed competent to do so he told
= his instructor that he needed him nc
% longer. The man went away, caution
ing Manuel to be very careful lest h'
cause a premature explosion with him
- self for the victim.
- One night, or, rather, morning-fo
It was about 2 o'clock-those livinI
near the Fernandez home were awalS
- ened by a terrific explosion. The pc
lice at once rushed there and foun'
~ Sonora Fernandez bending over bod.
~ which she said was her son. 1t wa
SO mutilated that its features were no
distinguishable, but the clothes on
- were those worn by Manuel. The VIC
~ man was loud in her grief, especiall
"o that her son should have died in sucl
a cause, for there was plenty Of evI
no dence that he had been making bomb
Oh for an Legitimate purpose The pc
Ia lice made their notes. then told tn
III mother that she might bury the body
W She waited till she saw the man SD
no had seen working with her son com
to view the corpse.
an "How do you know that this IS tn
body of your SON" he asked. 9Th
vi features are unacceptable"
We Because of the clothes. Do you nc
ou remember that suit he wore|
NC The man seemed satisfied and wen
away. The same afternoon there wa
I'm a funeral at the Fernandez home an
ay the body was laid away.
We The evening before the tragedy Mar
oil uel Fernandez. disguised as an oil
as man, took a train for Gibraltar, wher
We he waited for a ship to take him
Ter America. He was fortunate In tn
we fact that one from Genoa stoppe
no there the day after his arrival. He
pi- once took passage In the steerage an
my in due time reached New York.
yill While he had been learning how
ZEN make the bombs his mother was Al
ranging for the explosion. She wer
cid to a medical college and made a conf
at; dante of the man in charge Of subject
da- provided for the use Of students
emit anatomy. He agreed to furnish hs
but with corpse about the size OF her sol
her and on the night OF the explosion
BUR had It secretly conveyed to her hom
led She dressed II in the suit OF cloth'
II her son was used to wearing and CO..
nal yeyed It to the clubhouse where Il
nee bombs were made.
. Manuel had run a wire from the on
house to a point where his moth
,t,s could easily make an electric circu
a., and explode a bomb. Placing the su
ject in the clubhouse, she pressed Il
49,, KEY and before any one had arrived
20 the scene removed the wire.
Sonora Fernandez's plan worked 81
"a. cessfully in every respect But her 81
has never been known in America
his true name. None Of his snarchi
o9' associates doubted that he met }
death through carelessness.