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was he out of sight around a bend in the tomorrow morning; do you understand?" murdered chief's shaggy head and re-
rocky trail when soldiers moved from The colonel paused, then added slowly moved the brain. The white men seemed
their hiding places in the brush to seize and significantly: "I want him dead!" He to think it of great interest that the famed
the giant chief and hustle him roughly in- stalked away. Apache leader's head measured larger
to Shirland's camp. The murder was carried out immediate- than that of their famous statesman and
There was, of course, no parlay with ly, with the casual brutality of all such orator, Daniel Webster, with the brain
Captain Shirland. The Apache chieftain, frontier "executions." One of the guards correspondingly larger. The skull is said
naive as a child in the devious ways of the deliberately heated the point of his bayo- now to be in the Smithsonian Institution
White Eyes for all of his great age and net in the campfire's glowing coals and in Washington.
size, was slated for death. Stoically he lay plunged it into the chief's leg, saying Captain John C. Cremony knew Man-
down by the fire in the soldiers' camp and pleasantly, "Wake up, you old devil!" gas Coloradas better than any other white
slept. He was bone-weary, and death was Mangas Coloradas screamed in agony man ever did. Cremony, in his book Life
of no consequence. and leaped to his feet, clawing for the Among the Apaches, writes of him: "He
Colonel J.R. West, C.0. at Fort Mc- knife that had been taken from him. Both was the greatest and most talented A-
Lean, informed of Mangas Coloradas' ar- soldiers shot him simultaneously, the pache of the Nineteenth Century ... His
rest, rode hurriedly into Shirland's camp muzzle blast from their carbines scorch- sagacious counsels partook more of the
to view the captive chief. He stared hard ing his chest. The chief fell at the edge of character of wide and enlarged states-
at the slumbering form of the dreaded the fire. Mead and Collyer drew their manship than those of any other Indian of
Apache leader, then spoke tersely to Pri- service revolvers in a frenzy of blood lust modern times ... He found means to col-
vates James Collyer and George Mead. and emptied them into the huge, twitch- lect and keep together, for weeks at a
These were his exact orders, as reported ing body. time, large bodies of savages, such as
by Clark Stocking, a soldier who was pre- Colonel West came running from his none of his predecessors could assemble
sent and heard them: tent at the sound of the shooting, Colt in and feed ... and taught them to compre-
"Men, that old murderer has got away hand, but the foul deed was done and he hend the value of unity and collective
from every soldier command and has left was denied the honor of administering the strength ... Take him all in all, he exer-
a trail of blood five hundred miles on the coup-de-grace. cised influence never equalled by any
old stage line. I want him dead or alive Later a military surgeon cut off the savage of our time." •

VASQUEZ, BANDIT KING Leiva and his wife lived at the ranch that About the same time any law officers
(Continued from Page 33) was located in the La Cantua Area. Ti- who chanced to come into the New
burcio lost no time in developing an Idria area, in their quest for Vasquez
alliance with Leiva's wife. But he was or his men would be met with a surpris-
very cautious in this affair, because he ing lack of information. It became clear
As soon as he had recovered from his needed Leiva for a raid he was planning. that the mine management and the ban-
wounds at the hands of Salazar, Vas- Vasquez had been told that Henry dits were playing a game of mutual con-
quez and some companions held up the Miller, a famous cattle baron of that venience and protection. Vasquez had
stage coach at Visalia. There was put- part of the country, had brought $30,000 agreed to leave the mine operation com-
suit and capture of some of the outlaws, into the county to pay his ranch hands pletely alone and in return the mine
but Vasquez escaped. He fled toward at the end of the cattle round-up. This people knew nothing, saw nothing and
Santa Cruz, but the word had gone on money was to be deposited at Firebaughs' heard nothing.
ahead and Marshal L. T. Roberts was Ferry. Vasquez and his gang lost no time Two deputies who didn't believe this
waiting. During a rapid exchange of in preparing to raid the San Joaquin rode into the New Idria country and had
gun fire, Vasquez was again wounded River village. to walk back to Gilroy when their horses
seriously. Shot in the chest, the bullet They rode into town and Vasquez were stolen during the night by Tibur-
entered his body two inches beneath fell into a rage of fury and frustration cio Vasquez, who had been warned of
the nipple to range out his back through when he learned that the money had not their presence.
his right shoulder. But the bandit still been deposited. So he and his hench-
managed to get back up on his horse and men decided to rob the town's general It was the summer of 1873. The moun-
ride a distance of sixty miles back to La store instead. All twelve people on the tains were molten with stored-up heat.
Cantua Canyon, his most secret and later, premises were tied and thrown to the Dust, like hot metal, swirled up around
most often used hideaway. One of the floor, where they were relieved of their the horses hooves and scorched a man's
other robbers in the Visalia Stage hold- jewels and money. This type or style of lungs as he breathed. The money pouch
up was captured immediately by Sheriff operation was to mark every Vasquez that lay over the saddle of Tiburcio's
Harry Morse. He was Thomas Redondo, robbery. big black stallion no longer clinked solid-
who was convicted and sentenced to The outlaw and, his gang now chose ly. Vasquez watched his men grow irri-
fourteen years in prison. to operate from an area close to the New table and more restless with each pass-
While recovering from the wounds Idria quicksilver mines, and a peculiar ing day. He knew that to hold them he
that he had suffered at the hands of Sher- series of events began to occur. Shortly would have to plan something big. And
iff Marshal, Vasquez was joined by Cleo- afterward, the Vasquez gang held up the so to capture their imagination, he pre-
varo Chavez. Chavez was to become his New Idria stagecoach. As was the fashion sented his daring plan to derail and rob
trusted lieutenant and confidant. For, in such a holdup, the passengers were the Southern Pacific payroll train that
like his captain, Chavez possessed great ordered out of the stage. It became ap- ran between San Jose and Gilroy.
talent and daring. parent, as they stood alongside the road, Once again, circumstances changed
It was at this time that Vasquez' taste that one of the passengers was the super- the day. A chance rescheduling of the
for other men's women brought him one intendent of the quicksilver mine, where- train made this impossible, so, once again,
step closer to his fate. He recruited Ab- upon the bandits put all of the passeng- as he had done on the day of the raid of
don Leiva, a Chilean by birth, who had a ers back on the stage and sent them safe- Firebaughs Ferry, Vasquez changed
very nice ranch and a very pretty wife. ly on their way. plans and decided to raid the Twenty
70 THE WEST