SEIZED BY BRIGAND.

Northern Advocate, 16 February 1912, Page 6

SEIZED BY BRIGAND.

COUNTESS BRUTALLY INJURED.

About a yeir ago Count C alien, a wealthy landowner, of Orvieto, who resides in the Villa AJlerona, a beautiful place surrounded by woods, but in a lonely locality 14 miles from Orvieto, was captured by brigands while motoring along the high road. He was kept a pi'soner until his chaffeur, who was despatched to the villa, returned with a considerable sum of money which, the brigands exacted as ransom. When the count was realised he immediately reported the occurrence to the police, but their efforts failedl 4 o bring the brigands to justice. The* other afternoon the count's wife was kidnapped I>y one of the brigands v r ho captured her husband. About four in the f.iternoon the countess went for a walk alone, expecting to meet her husband, who was due about the time from the railway station. The countess mysteriously disappeared, and when the count ret' rned to the villa, and did not find his wife, he feared that something tragic had occurred. He hastened to inform the police, and the newy spread like wildfire among -the villagers and woodmen, who aided the police in a feverish search of the woods.

No trace of the countess could be found but about ten o'clock at night a lieutenant of Carabineers, who was scouring the woods on horseback, was nearly thrown off his horse while attempting to clear a ditch. The horse backed and refused to jump. The lieutenant then discovered that the horse had shied at a white object, vhich on closer examination proved to be the countess lying unconscious at the bottom of the ditch. "

The lieutenant carried the countess to a neighbouring farmhouse, where she was attended by a doctor. After several hours she recovered consciousness, and though suffering pain from numerous bruises she was able to recount her unpleasant adventure.

The countess said that a man armed with a revolver jumped out of a bush, caught rer arm, and dragged her towards the wood, threatening to murder her if she screamed. When the wood was reached the assailant violently threw her on the ground, aud placed his hand across her mouth to prevent her screaming while her husband's motor car passed by.

Then the brigand dragged the countess to the ditch. She fougfit desperately 7 and succeeded in biting her assailant's hand. She screamed loudly for help, and the brigand furiously beat and kicked his victim until she became unconscious. The countess does not remember what happened afterwards, and how she was rescued, but she was convinced that her assailant was one of the two men who captured her husband, for he bragged that he was the man who biackm.-i.'led the count, adding that he hoped to make more mou<»y now Reinforcements of pol'.co from Orvieto and detectives froisi Home -we scouring the woods, bent on arresting the briga.id, whom the villnjrers threaten to lynch. The chase was difficult owing to the thick bushes, un-

dergrowth, and tangled vegetation of the woods, which afford excellent hid5 Hi , places.