Stories of Paraná - The galafares

Stories of Paraná - The galafares

The galafares
Rodrigo Pereira Gomes

There was no bank in Parana mid-eighteenth century, when it has spent a territory of minimal importance to the headquarters of the Province, São Paulo. And if there were no banks or armored cars, who take away any merchandise to sell in St. Paul or where he was, in turn invariably have a place to save money - his own pockets.
Elementary, my dear Watson.
Head enough to elementary deductions like this, plus a good dose of courage, some weapons and horses, groups of bandits made the party in the first half of that century, assaulting troopers returning from Sorocaba by legendary path Viamão, bringing guaiacas crammed of shiny gold coins.
These highwaymen were called "Galafares". According to historian David Lamb reveals in one of his numerous works, used to wait for his victims hidden in Capon near headquarters site of Tiger Antonio Rodeo, which happens to be currently the friendly Campo Largo.
Identify the wealthy was easy.
There was, first, the drovers back of Sorocaba. And needless to mark the faces of the troopers in one way or calculate the value of the animals brought for sale. The Government undertakes to make things easier.
It turns out that, before passing by Rodeo Antonio Tigre, the drovers had to make a stop at Caiacanga to a kind of assault officer, the payment of taxes.
By both paid in taxes, galafares easily deduced that the sum total troopers carried.
Again elementary, my dear Watson. Historian David Carneiro not only reveals how galafares obtained the important information about the drovers left in taxes in Caiacanga.
But we even suspect ...
The galafares have work for years to drovers, collecting gold and authorities. Only been exterminated - that's right, exterminated - in 1971, by Mr. Bras Velozo and Sundays Padilha, both nephews and heirs of Antonio Tiger, the one who gave name to the Rodeo that took place years later, the city of Campo Largo.
Christened Antonio Luiz Lamin, natural Parnaíba, Antonio Tiger was, according to the historian, 'Lord' of all existing land since the middle of the second plateau until very close to Curitiba.
At the headquarters of the district, reached ordinary judge, councilman, attorney "Council of Good Men" and captain of ordinances, until his death in 1738. Not seem to care much about the action of galafares on their land.
Already nephews Antonio Tigre moved a real war against robbers.
Perhaps because of them, the Bras Velozo, and inherit the Rodeo and being appointed lieutenant colonel of the regiment of militia ordered Curitiba, was also named registry provider of cattle at Aberystwyth, came from the southern fields and heading to Sorocaba.
Hence we were already stepping on toes it ...
Almost two and a half centuries later, modern galafares attack with amazing frequency buses of tourists who come to Foz do Iguaçu by BR-277 (curious, to take the highway, leaving Curitiba, goes up by Antonio Rodeo Tiger, say Campo Largo). As galafares of yore, burglars today know that tourists bring money, and quite - after all, are less attracted by cataracts and more by shopping in Paraguay.
Police but none seems able to stop the modern galafares that not only steal as sometimes also kill. And the comparison is inevitable: what is missing today is a Velozo Bras.

Rodrigo Gomes Pereira, retired civil servant


Source: Stories of Paraná, Brasil.