Page 9 - rambo_vasquez

The making of a bandit

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HILE NOT REACHING 1HE PEAK OF H S CAREER UNTIL ABOUT
1870, VASQUEZ STARTED HIS CALVALCADE OF CRIME IN
MONTEREY IN 185 AT THE AGE OF 6. HE FELL INTO THE
_- .· _. , LOW COMPANY OF ANASTACIO GARCIA (ALSO KNOWN A5
THREE-f NGERED JAcK), A HORSE-Tri EF AND ROBBER. VASQUEZ, GARCIA
AND ANOTHER QUESTIONABLE CH/\RACTER, JOSE HIGUERA, ONE NIGHT

ATTENDED A FANDANGO IN A MONTERE'( CAN11NA AGUARDIENTE FLOWED
FREEL'< AND GARCIA BE.CAME INSANELY DRUNK. (ONSTABlE W LLIAM
HARDMOUNT OF MONTEREY, A POPULAR OFFICER, WAS CALLED 10 QUIET THE
ENSU NG RI01. HE WAS FATALLY SHOT OR STABBED BY ONE OF THE TRIO,
WHICH ONE WAS NEVER TO BE DEFINl1ELY DETERMINED. VASQUEZ AND
GARCIA FLED, BUT THE SEVERELY WOUNDED MIGUERA WAS CAUGHT BY A
MONTEREY MOB AND SUMMARILY HANGED THE NEXT MORNING.

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0URIN6 1HEIR FOLLOWING RETREA1'' IN A MOUNTAIH HIDEOUT, GARC A
TOOK THE OPPORTU N\TY TO TEACH HIS WILLING NEOPHYTE THE RUDIMENTS
OF AMBUSH AMO ROBBERY. VASQUEZ PROVED AN EAGER LISTENER, SHOW-
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ING SUCH APTITUDE IN H S PRACTICE FORAYS ON LONELY WAYFARERS
AS TO SUGGEST THAT UNDOUBTEDLY THE PUPIL WOULD SOON SURPASS THE
TEACHER. Bur SUCH RIVALRY WAS NOT TO BE; SIX MONTHS LATER-
GARCIA WAS APPREHENDED N Los ANGELES, RETURNED TO MONTEREY
AND LYNCHED BY A MOB.

AT ABOUT TH S CAREER PO NT, MAN)' EARLY BIOGRAPHERS NSER1ED

AN ADVENTUROUS AND ROMANTIC LITTLE LOVE STORY-VASQUEz' ABDUCT-
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ION OF THE BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN ANITA': THESE FANCIFUL ANO HIGHLY
VARIABLE ACCOUNTS SMACK STRONGLY OF THE SENSATIONAL,D ME-NOVEL
INFLUENCE. THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF VASQUEZ ARE SUFFIC EN1LY
SENSATIONAL TO REQUIRE NO MODERN VERSION OF SUCH FOLK LORE

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