Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1882 — PICTURESQUE BANDITTI. [ARTICLE]

PICTURESQUE BANDITTI.

Til* Thorough ood ArtliUcWv ft* Wtel*te The/ rij Their Trad* la ■**»«•• It is a picturesque sight to see a band of Mezioau “banditti” galloping down a mountain path on magnificent horses; their large Mexican hats, trimmed with gold and silver, shading their faoes, their pantaloons buttoned down the side with large silver buttons; their pistols in their belts behind, their swords at their side, and their “serapea”—a sort of plaid of bright and variegated colors—-artistically thrown over one shoulder and hiding their entire faoe with the exception of one eye, which glares ferociously on the unfortunate passengers of the diligence they are about to rob. Their captain gallops at their head and shouts imperiously to the driver of the diligenoe to “stop.” In one trip in which I encountered them there was a lady among the passengers who wore a handsome diamond ring rather tight for her finger. In her fright she could not get it off, and one of the brigands said to his leader: “Captain, the lady oannot get her ring off. What are we to do ?” To which the Mexican “Fra Diavolo” answered very coolly, “Cut her finger off.” You can easily imagine the cold shudder that ran through us all. Fortunately she at last managed to get the ring off, and we were not forced to witness an amputation. In another journey a more amusing incident occurred. There was a Bishop in the diligence, and they robbed him of his ring. When they had got through their operations, and taken everything of value we had, they knelt down and asked the Bishop to give them his blessing. He told them it was imCsible to bless them without his ring, ling in that way to get possession of it. * They returned him the ring and he solemnly blessed them, but when he had done so they again took his ring and galloped off with it, leaving his Grace in the middle of the road exolaiming:

“ Randidoa perversoa! they have robbed me even of my blessing 1” Robberies on the Vera Cruz road at that time were daily occurrences, and as the brigands possessed themselves of the passengers’ clothes I have very often seen, from my balcony in the Hotel Ilurbide, men and women arrive completely naked. An Englishman said to me once: “ I generally travel with two or three copies of the London Timet. You know it is a very large newspaper, and in case of those confounded blackguards taking all my clothes, by Jove I the Times might be useful. ” The cause of Adelina Patti’s breaking her engagement to come to Mexico with Manager Maretzek twenty years ago was that she had heard of the robberies and of assassination on the Vera Cruz road. The diva might visit us in perfect safety now, as the whistle of the locomotive has driven away the “banditi;” they have retted, saying with the gypsy mother of the “ Trovatore,” “Al noatri monti ritorneremo. ” The proof is that Paola Marie, Marie Vallot, and others of Grau’s French company have arrived here from Vera Cruz laden with diamonds; Maurice Grau is making money with Halevy’s opera, “Charles Vl.’’andhis new “star,” Mme. Privat, who has a splendid oontialto voice. His chanteuse legere, Helene Leroux, ran away from the company, thereby proving that if she was ‘ 4 light ” of voice, she was also light of foot.— Mexican Correspondence to the New York World.