LIST OF A BANDIT.

New Zealand Mail, 24 September 1902, Page 13

LIST OF A BANDIT.

THK 01’ MUSOLINO. V il VN ITALY IS INTERESTED IN. ■?;w=SS2s cure, a recently sentenced to ba nal lt servftude tor his natural life. Tlie penal sen friends and admirers apmin,’!> a nicuUady wide one. During, hts trial there arrived daily at his prison presents of jewellery and money, charms, ‘‘mascots/’' and good omens in al shapes and sines ranging from a “lucky horseshoe to a valuable pearl said to rescue the possessor from the hands of his 61 Strangely enough. Husolino’s progress eince he became a brigand by profession has resembled his prototype on the comic opera stage; indeed, he has many of the attributes of his theatrical brother being voting, handsome and daring, whilst his manners have earned for lain the title of “Gentleman Brigand. This title has been conferred upon him, his admirers contend, because of his one great distinguishing characteristic—viz., his freedom from the vulgar motives of gam; he is in fact, another Eobin Hood—taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Can anyone wonder, then, that in order to catch this He Wet of the mountains the Italian Government—it is so stated by Consul Stigand, who writes an official account—have employed nearly 20,000 troops ?

A QUARREL AND THE RESULT. Hitherto, so far as England is concerned we have very little knowledge of Aluso. lino’s youth and the causes which led to his outlawry and brigandage, the details of which upon inqu'ry are extremely interesting. Four years ago he was a good and peaceful citizen, with nothing in the shape of vice save an occasional partiality. when full of wine, for the drawing o? his’ stiletto in order to emphasise his political arguments outside the cafes in the Calabrian village, a mountainous district in the extreme south of Italy, where lie was horn twenty-seven years ago. He took great interest and part in local politics, which led, as is usual in Italy, to the opposing party, led by the mayor and the public notary, regarding him as a most dangerous person. His political utterances and his somewhat robust denunciation of the mayor brought him many bitter foes, the foremost being a young fellow, named Vincenzo Zoccoli, in the pay of Musolino’s enemies. It was an open secret that Zoccoli had sworn to kill Musolino, and on October 28, 1898. the dreaded meeting took place outside a cafe. Zoccoli insulted the future bandit and challenged him to combat, and Musolino, cool and collected, expressed his willingness to accommodate liis friend, but whilst tossing down a jug of wine Zoccoli sprang at him from behind and stabbed him forty times before the victim had time to defend himself or even draw his stiletto. Musolino fell bleeding to the ground, and more dead than alive lie was carried home, where he lay for many weeks hovering between life and death. TWENTY YEARS ON A FALSE CHARGE.

One night a rumour ran through the village that Musolino had died, and that same night Zoccoli—who had walked about boasting of his work and his immunity from arrest—whilst going home was shot, undoubtedly by some friends of Musolino who had heard tho rumour of his death. Zoecoli’s death was of little importance until the opposing faction turned it to the good use of getting rid of their rival Musolino, who was dragged from his sick bed, pitched into a rough cart, and conveyed to prison on the charge of murdering Zoccoli. Musolino laughed in his pain at such an allegation, when- the whole village knew he was scarcely able to move, let alone kill Zoccoli, but the laughter died away when witnesses came forward and swore they saw the very act. Justice is strangely administered in Italy, and if a man dares to oppose tho that be” there is no lack of witnesses to come forward (as in Ireland) and declare whatever is required of them; and Musolino was found guilty and sentenced to twenty years’ hard labour.

A "VENDETTA.” A dramatic scene then took place, quite in keeping with the drama being enacted. Musolino springing to his feet in a very excited manner, vowed a “vendetta.” You have tried and convicted an innocent man,” he said, “and you have sentenced him knowing well he is innocent. 1 do not blame the jury. They have had to act on the false testimony brought forward, but if ever I come from the penetentiary you to the presiding judge), you (the prosecutor) and all you (the mayor and the witnesses) will have to answei to me. You have tried to assassinate me in cold blood and 1 will deal with you iii tlie same way.” He was removed after a scene to the Gerace Penitentiary, hut he soon found means to escape, and i one wing his “vendetta,’- he proceeded on his career of vengeance remorselessly. HUNTING DOWN HIS FOES. ®-? fitst devoted his atttention to the family of the dead Zoccoli, who had play. ed. an important part in his conviction, and six of these he shot during one afternoon. Then lie sought out the judge, the prosecuting lawer and l the omcers, all of whom met death at liis hands. Four ue Killed before dinner one day, and six weeks after his escape he had accounted tor twenty of his enemies. All their worldly possessions that came within Musohno’s reach he destroyed or distributed amongst the poor <Df the mountains, ILs feUwork I,etreated after completing f J b ®, stol 'y of the judge’s death is ex- ™ y v? terestlns ’ °“<2 Sunday afternoon, while vespers were being said in a t m nrn'lmi 1 bl \ b Y tho mountain side, dkiurt!!!! 6 / and dev ° ut worshippers were volm>p!i - t 0 f®° % figure of a man eathe hnlr lU # a J ong , bla ck coat enter, go to Rolf -p y fon , t , a P. d reverently cross himanrf ,P f 1 ontly he threw his cloak aside. tim’lnt *ll® SUII st r eamed through the windows, the rays fell upon the man’s

face, making a deep bluish cut stand Out in bold relief. From mouth to mouth ran one word, “Musolino!” and then the. prayers became nervous, and in a hushed voice repeated their Ave Marias as he walked up the aisle. It was the day of a favourite saint, and.from many parts of the district had come the rich landed proprietor and his wife and family decked in jewels pretty, rare and valuable, and whilst the ladies clutched their children Musolino passed on, not even bestowing a glance upon tho jewels. Reaching tho holy shrine of the Mother of Hope, he paused and knelt in prayer, and rising to his feet a few minutes later he glanced round tho church, and left, pitching a handful of gold to the beggars outside. The rich dared not and the poor loved linn too mveil to molest him, despite the fact that <£looo was upon his head. In his library tlio next morning at an early hour the .judge who sentenced Musolino was discovered by his servants dead, with a stiletto piercing his heart. -£IOO,OOO SPENT IN THE HUNT.

The mountains to which Musolino retired aftev his various expeditions of vengeance were surrounded by a perfect cordon oi gendarmerie, find every port and vessel was watched by detectives, stimulated by the large reward which tho Government offered for hin arrest. Tempting offers for information had no effect upon the starving peasants, who wore frequently arrested and beaten by tlie police in order, to extract a clue from them as to where the bandit was hiding, although several times they were within a few yards of a cave where he lay sleeping.

The mountains ring with Musolino’s courage, audacity and ready resource in face of danger, and his wonderful power of disguising himself. Last year tlie colonel commanding a body of the soldiers in search of the bandit got a tip that the outlaw was staying in a little village, the only exit from which was a mountain road. The soldiers were instructed to surround the village and watch the road, but hardly had they taken up their position before a horse was seen quietly trotting along, carrying an old priest, who was on his way to consult his bishop, and who had borrowed tne hors© from one of the villagers. The old priest was stopped and questioned, and then allowed to pass; but a few hours •“.ter the colonel knew that the priest was Musolino, who had up to that time cost the Italian Government <£loo,ooo in their endeavours to capture him. VENERATED BY THE PEASANTS. Among the inhabitants of the mountains of Africo, the plains of Basilicata, or the woody hills of Bagaladdi, Musolino is regarded with a species of veneration, and in their eyes he is a martyr, and ho even imagines himself to be little short of a saint, .to whom St. Joseph and the Madonna have accorded special protection. The mayor of one town even went so far as to go to Turin to implore Queen Marghcrita to grant Musolino a pardon, her Majesty promising to “think about it.

A TRAP THAT FAILED. Ouce, and once only, has ha been betrayed, and that was when a notorious spy named Princi was actually- approached by'the Italian Government to betray Musolino. Ten thousand francs was the bribe provided if he could bring about the arrest of the brigand—an offer whicli he accepted, together with 50fr. for current expenses. Princi obtained the confidence of Musolino by accompanying him on several marav.cti,ug expeditions, and it was eventually arranged by the police that he should take a supply- of laudanum to mix with. Musolino's iood, the capture to be made when the victim had succumbed. On the night of tho tryst the police awaited Princi's coming, but hour after hour passed without tlie spy putting in an appearance. At last, however, he came, his face livid with fear. Musolino, he said, was enchanted. He had placed the laudanum in his macaroni, which the brigand had eaten without the slightest ill-effect. He washed his hands of the whole affair and refused to do anything more. But the officer in charge was obdurate. Either Princi would lead them to Musolino’s cave, or he would be placed against the rocks and shot as a confederate. That settled it. The spy agreed to fetch Musolino and lead him into the ambush, and in the course of about half an hour he returned in company with Musolino. No sooner did they get within range than the police opened fire on spy and brigand alike, with the result that Princi was wounded and fell to* the ground, while Musolino. though slightly wounded in the face and hands, escaped. The Italian Government gave Princi IOOOfr. instead of 10,000 fr., and a free passage to America, the latter present doubtless being the most acceptable, owing to Musolino’s friends’ facilities in swearing and keeping vendettas. HOW HE WAS CAPTURED.’ Musolino determined in the early part of the year to make a. tour through Italy and France, making arrangements with a sweetheart to join her in America. Strolling through the streets of Urbino one of the soldier policemen caught sight of him, and, suspecting he was a local murderer, followed him. Musolino was not long in getting out of the town, hut, reinforcements having arrived, he was run into a cul-de-sac and seized. He promised the carbiniers conveying him to tho local lock-up 10,000 lira to release him. Then for the fifst-time it dawned upon the captain of the corps that it was not the local murderer but the famous bandit Musolino. It was not, however, until he detected the strong Calabrian dialect that the lucky caption knew that they would be dividing .£SOOO placed on the head of Musolino. , That we have not heard the last of this vendetta is a matter beyond doubt, because Musolino has plenty of adherents who have sworn “vendettas,” and they are said to be even searching out the soldiers who arrested their chief. BURIED ALIVE. Condemned for the murder of the judge and two of the witnesses who gave evidence against him at the Zoccoli trial to penal servitude for life, Musolino has been sent to the strongest of the Italian prisons in the vary unhealthy district of

Naples. He will be kept in solitary confinement, and will not see a human face or hear a human voice unless he needs the prison doctor, his custodians not being allowed to even call him by name. His cell is made of stone, and is 12ft. square, light being admitted to it by means of a stout iron grating, whilst the only furniture in the cell is a round block of wood for a seat, firmly fixed in the floor with cement, and a rough pallet upon which he sleeps. Once a month clean bedding is given to him, and there is pumped into a kind of stone sink a few gallons of water. The English prisons are Hotel Cecils as regards accommodation, and luxurious compared to the Italian penal establishments, where soap, towels, combs, tooth brushes, hoots or books are things which the inmates remembered they were using when at liberty. The warders are pensioned soldiers, extremely brutal do their charges, and should a prisoner die, no inquiry is held, and he is buried in tho cemetery—necessarily somewhat largo—attached to the prison.* His food, consisting mainly of soup and rye bread, is pushed through a hole iu the door of the cell from which he will never be taken, except when iu or when he dies. He wears a coarse brown canvas suit, hut nas neither boots nor underclothing. Suicides are most frequent, and the Government and prison authorities look upon them as a kind of “happy release.”

WHAT THE PEASANTS EXPECT. The Italian peasants expect Musolino to escape by the aid of “the Madonna” and again start on the second vendetta, tie has vowed to exterminate all who took part in his second trial. A small army or gendarmes are on duty, both inside -and outsido the ’ prison. Already there are rumours that the Kffng will pardon Musolino and end the “vendettas.”