MURDER OF A CHARLATAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 248, 16 October 1920, Page 19

MURDER OF A CHARLATAN.

Forced In fly from PblUulcln'Uta. tmited ■States, where he had liwn ring-leader of .1 criminal sans. a certain Fraiicesro di Cloco took ship and returned to bin native Filadelnia, in Calabria, where he set m> J business among the. credulous countryfolk las a prophet wonder- worker. I In a short time the white-bearded ehirI latan, to whom thousands of women resorted for exercise of the magical aits, j amassed a small fortune. I Recently a young girl, whom he Imd ; wronged under hypnotic influence, stole J stealthily back to his caTern with a scythe, land. In the savagery of revenge hacked the j impostor's body to pieces. Finding it im--1 possible to obtain an. emigrant's passport, the girl nave herseir up to the pojice. i TVhile the. magistrates assembled for the I preliminary hearing of the case a big pllfrritnage of hoaxed penitents, headed by the town band, besieged the Uw Court, demaniUu-R the immediate reloaf? ot the murderess. On her exit repeated but imsUPcessXtil attempts were made to re>-<nie the lfT>m the grip of the Carabinieri esr-ort. The crowd thon inslstctl on accompanyin-p the heroine as far as the prison gates, amidst **n't husia.stic choorinj;. Singing children scattered roses alll alons her path, and at eventide a sran.l firework display at tile public expense was given -in Irt honour. £