Year: 1878

General Cortina.


The great American public have
heard much and at frequent intervals of
Cortina, the terror of the Rio Grande
border, the reputed author of numerous
murders and the champion cattle thief
of America. An account of his varied
fortunes may, therefore, prove in
teresting. An enterprising newspaper
reporter in New Orleans pretend to
have recently seen and interviewed the
great robber chief in that city, repre-
senting him TO be on his way to Texas.
The story was published in one of the
New Orleans papers, but the truth is
that Cortina was at that time and Is
still lingering in the prison of Santiago
Tialtelolco, in the city of Mexico, and
the Cortina palmed off upon 4 cred
ulous public in New Orleans was a
spurious one. A Mexican reporter,
however, gives the following account
of recent visit to COrtina: To the
prison aforementioned, 1 drove through
clouds of dust, and after half an hours
ride alighted before the main entrance.
The building from the outside looks like
an old Spanish convent, and is now
used as a prison for political offenders,
Cortina's wholesale murders and cattle
thefts apparently being considered by
the authorities as offences of Il political
nature.


$50 you want to shake hands with
old COrtinar' exclaimed the military
officer in charge of the prison, adding
that | could only do so by special per-
mission of the superior authority.
When had explained to him, however,
how anxious the American public, and
especially the people of Texas, were TO
have the latest authentic news as re-
CARDS the whereabouts and the well be-
ing of their old friend Cortina, he
yielded to my appeal and finally con-
sented that | should hold a short inter-
view with the interesting old gentle
man in the presence of one of the
officers. The latter. young lieuten-
ant. took me in tow, and, leading the





guarded by fixed bayonets, he finally
showed me into a large apartment
where COrtina stood at the barred win
dows, surrOun led by some friends. The
general received me cordially. He did
not look at all ferociOus. Dressed in
neat broadcloth, and with I new black
slouched hat on his head, he looked
like lately prosperous merchant now
under cloud.


He appeared to suffer from the con-
finement, although his room was large,
airy and furnished with more comforts
than one expects to see in prison.
His dark face is set Off by lengthy
beard, in which the gray predominates
over the black. He looks to be over
sixty, although he informed me that he
was only fifty-fOur. a man of medium
height and slender build, he appears to
the casual observer like respectable
old gentleman; but catching, now and
then, a glance from these small, sharp,
snappy, restless eyes, one is apt to feel
less comfortable in his presence. His
curved upper lip, too, though covered
with closely cut mustache and over
shadowed by long, fiat nose, is indi-
cative of anything but mildneSs and fair
dealing.


expressed my delight at seeing so
famous a man as the general, who had
been, no doubt, so baSely slandered.
'sYes. 'slander' is the word" replied
the general. He was accused of all
sorts of crimes, but his accusers had
failed to specify time, or place, or cir
cumstances in support of their accuss-
tions Bad men had, under his name,
committed crimes which were now LAID
at his door. Old charges were raked
up against him, dating back to As re-
mote a period as 1913, when he was
acting as a military commander in the
line of duty. 1t was absurd TO bring up
now what happened so long ago. He
thought he would be set at liberty in a
short time. OF course he was as COM
Portable as he could be under the cir
cumstances, but he would prefer to
walk about the streets.


Inquired whether he intended to go
back to Texas and whether he knew
that his friends there had put a large
price upon his head.


Well. he did not think he would 20
to Texas. He had no business inter
ests there now. As for the price upon
his head he did not care that much
(snapping his fingers for it. He had a
great many enemies, but he had also
some good friends in Texas who knew
he had been lied about, and he charged
me to tell the truth about him.