Could a criminal but reach the mountains of the interior, which are
almost entirely uninhabited, he would be safe from pursuit and might
either wait to join the next uprising or proceed to a different part
of the country, where he was unknown and where, owing to the
difficulty of intercourse, detection would be unlikely. Instances have
occurred more than once where an escaped malefactor has become a
"general" of other outlaws and by threatening to raise an insurrection
has induced the government to pardon him and his associates.
In several regions there were up to the time of the American
occupation local caciques who were almost absolute monarchs in their
district. They and their followers considered themselves above the law
and their power and influence were such that the government in the
capital preferred to let them alone so long as they kept within
bounds. Such gentlemen can hardly be expected to favor the American
administration for they have been made to understand that their rights
and remedies are no more than those of other citizens.
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