Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-07-28
The Female Brigand.
WRITTEN FOR THE rHIBoDAux MINERVA, By J. 7

! should be properly brought up and receive al
education adequate to their great wealth but Oh
the other hand they were equally determined tina
the youngster should be for ever kept in Ignorance
as to who were his parents and what their caree
and occupation.
Near the summit of the mountain Matthias is
small village, on the outskirts of which there lvee
a shepherd and his wife whom Sasso well knew
and whom he had selected for the future guardians
of his child until such time as the boy should be
sent to school. Perhaps it was more from fea1
than cupidity or perhaps from mixture of both
that induced the shepherd to acquiesee to the pro-
position Of the brigand. The infant was trans
ferred forthwith to his new guardians. Time wore
on, and the boy grew " fat and saucy." Many
were the stolen interviews an anxious mother and
doting father had with their little son. One
evening towards sundown Sasso made his usual
visit to the shepherds hut where he had not been
for two weeks. What was his astonishment to find
the child gone, dead and buried even three days
ago! 1T died in teething" The brigand did
not utter word nor shed tear. He left the
! Ill d
conscious of self 1t was about night-fall when he
met the boy who attended the shepherds flock.
He beckoned him to approach. In one hand he
held convulsivey dagger, in the other purse Of
gold, when he addressed the terrified boy with the
look of a maddened hyena thus: "What has be-
come Of my child! Confess, else this blade will be
driven to thy heart but if thou test me the truth
take this gold it is thine!" The poor boy fell on
his knees begging for his life and relating the whole
circumstances of the child's death at once.
| 1t appeared the shepherds wife had told the
secret to one Of her male relatives, who succeeded
to work so far upon the superstitous feelings Of the
woman, that she really became convinced that
her soul would be rrevocably lost to the powers of
darkness, unless the child was sacrificed; partly,
| as an atonement for having harbored such an un-
gody creature (as she thought) under her roof,
and partly for the bloody deeds Of its parents !!
Unfortunately the appeal was not lost either upon
the shepherd; consequently the helpless innocent
child was stranged by its unnatural guardians and
buried not far from where Sasso and the boy then
stood The latter showed him the spot. The body
was exhumed and found with the fatal handker-
chief vet around its little neck! The brigand
handed to the boy the reward for his information,
but cautioned him under pain of death not to men,
ton any thing Of what had happened to mortal
being. He then took the little coffin with its re-
mains and carried it home to his subterranean
abode.
The brigand's wife after contemplating the corpse
and hearing the circumstances of the chd's death,
became raving maniac for several weeks, and had
to be chained and kept in close confinement.
Though reason returned, it was accompanied with
a feeling akin to what she-tiger would feel when
deprived of her young. She implored her husband
to let her take vengeance on the destroyers Of her
babe which he readily granted and then she felt ap
parently calm and contented. A dark stormy
night was selected for the execution of her design.
The party consisted Of herself and husband with
twelve chosen men from the band, all armed to
their teeth. For her first victim she selected the
man who had instgated the shepherds wife to kill
the child. He was an old man living BY himself
with not even dog to watch the premises. An
entrance TO his bed chamber soon effected, and
the gagging and securing Of the victim accomplish
ed in less than no time" To describe the tortures
of that il-fated old man beggars description With
demoniac smile On her iendish countenance, the
blood.thirsty woman would prick with her stiletto
the mans naked breast and other parts Of his body
and then ask him how he felt! After enjoying
his agonies and contortons for some time, she COM
menced BY mutilatng slowly the whole body, cut
ting OF slice here and there without touching
however the yitals. The blood was staunched
with preparation brought for that purpose. OBJ
serving finally that her victim was sinking fast un-
der the continued tortures, she very deliberately
but slowly drove the ssiletto to his heart and then
pressed with her whole weight upon its hat in
order to pin him to the bed-thus putting an end
to the poor wretch's sufering This butchery
lasted about an hour.
The band Row repaired to the shepherds house.
Sasso called the man up requesting him to open
the door as they we're very tired and wished to re-
fresh themselves having just returned from little
professional tour On the highway. The shepherd
Of course had to obey and his wife got up also.
The female brigand now proposed to have some
macaroni cooked, bag full Of which, she said,
they had brought for that purpose, and as they
were numerous party, the largest caldron in the
house should be put on the fire. Her orders were
quickly obeyed, and no sooner had the water COM
menced boiling, than BY given sign the astonished
man and v;f, ~errp instantv seized hv the rnlhers