The latter is an old acquaintance of the author of the present volume, who tried him afterwards, in 1901, for playing a minor part in the murder of an officer of the Spanish army committed under Villa's orders just prior to, or about the time of, the Wilcox-Sargent visit.

He was found guilty, and sentenced, but later liberated under President Roosevelt's amnesty of 1902.

He was guilty, but the deceased, so the people in the Cagayan Valley used to say, in being tortured to death, got only the same sort of medicine he had often administered thereabouts.

At any rate, that was the broad theory of the amnesty in wiping out all these old cases." He adds:-- "I sentenced both Dimas and Ventura to life imprisonment for being accessory to the murder of the Spanish officer above named, Lieutenant Piera.

Villa officiated as arch-fiend on the grewsome occasion.