•  Besouro incited soldiers to attack the civil police in a police station 

    Some historical documents register the confrontations between Besouro Mangangá and the police, like the one that happened in 1918, in which Besouro had driven to a police station in São Caetano, Salvador, to recover a berimbau that belonged to his group. With the policeman's recusal to return the apprehended object, Besouro planned to attack with the help of some companions. They couln't recuperate the berimbau, since were defeated by the police, who got help from a group of local inhabitants.

    Source

    No-one knows the exact expression on the face of constable Argeu Cláudio de Souza when he saw that strong guy knocking down the middle window of the police post of São Caetano. With attentive eyes he examined for a couple of minutes the weapons the constables had apprehended, exhibited at a corner of the room. Then, without ceremony, he turned to Argeu, the person on duty, and asked him for the berimbau that was put to the side of those objects that were dangerous to public.
    Argeu said he couldn't give the berimbau without the order of the deputy chief. Maybe if he had known that in front of his was no less than Besouro Mangangá - that one who later were to be described as "invincible, insuperable, unequalled", according to mestre Burguês -, the constable would simply given out of his good will the musical instrument, that, on that 8 of September in 1918, was considered so dangerous as revolvers, knives and sabres. Without batting an eyelid, Besouro pushed the guard and approached soldier Paulo Clemente de Cerqueira with a gesture that was becoming commonplace: grabbed the cap of the constable, giving him a rap on the head and calling him a recruit.
    The registrar Simões, who ended up stepping in, presenced the scene and ordered Argeu to catch the agressor. But when the constable approached, Besouro reacted and pulled an Army sabre from under his shirt. The policemen thought it would be easy to be on top of the situation, being more in number. But, capably, when fighting with the sabre, Manoel Henrique was driving the constables out of the station, where three Army soldiers, his companions, waiting him. Besouro soon hit the policeman Argeu on the nose. The situation would have turned around for the favour of the capoeirista, if not a group of local people hadn't interfered with the fight, joining the police side.
    Cornered, Besouro and his friends ran to the Engenho da Conceição Square, but they weren't men to take insolence home. For this, Manoel Henrique went to the 31st Infantry Batallion - where he was placed -, gathered some soldiers and, under the command of a sergeant, returned to the police station to arrest the policemen.
    The São Caetano neighborhood stopped with the arrival of a squad of 30 soldiers of the Army. In front of the police station, Besouro yelled: "(...) government, keeper of blood-sucking bats, without composure; wanting to demoralize their companions, since he as the commandor of the squad, has come on the order of his commandor to arrest the police constables". Surprised, Argeu sought to come to an understanding with the Army sergeant, but soon let the commandor of the 31st Infantry Batallion, the general of the region, the chief of police and the commandor of the police brigade know of the situation. "The sergeant, faced wiht this situation, retired his forces and, ironically, placed himself in front of the prison. It looked as if he was waiting for his own inprisonment", assessed Antônio Liberac.

    Source

    Police station of São Caetano


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