Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-12-02
HRfeANpAeK fN souTH ITALY.

O"uesfo'u Atdi1, VI WutCu De gives sOuio CuiAOu
stories Of one oritwo famous robbers. amcngs
them Fra Disyolo, the hero Of novels and operas
e'rse FRA DIAvoLo. at
4 He was born at Itn, of poor parents, living bJ
\ daily labor. His name is given by all the wrl
I ters Of the time as Michele Pezza, and his sur
name is accounted for in various modes. Col
letts says Il is a proverb of the Neopolitan low.
er classes that the priests and the devil are in.
vincihle. In the crimes which distinguished his
boyhoOd and prepared him for honorable service
underthe BourbODs, Pezzs was 80 uniformly
! successful that his companions complimented
his valor and fortune by the titleOf Friar Devil
4 Others tell us that be was originally designed
for the church, aud acquired his title while hs
wore the cassock. 1t is certain that the name
was given him in his native village, aud that he
himself proud of the title which indicated the
cunning of a priest and the malice of the devil
continued 20 retain it after his talents for mur-
der had attracted the attention Of the Two Sici-
| lies.
| He was a homicide and rObber, secured the
mountains for two years with a price put by
| proclamation upon his head, and had become al
once the admiration and terror Of his compat-
riots before the revolution opened for him q
field in which he acquired an immortality Of in-
| fanny.
/ When the revolution broke out, Fra Diavolo
and his brothers collected a band and waylaid
courisrs officers and small detachments of troops
passing between Naples end Rome.
General Champoinnet confessed that this band
gave him more difficulty than any division Of
the royalist army.
The horrible cruelties related of him surpass
belief Among these incidents, it is said that
some officers fell into his hands during an en-
gagement He caused them to be bound to trees
and burned alive, while the Inhabitants of neigh
boring villages danced around this QaHo-dG-fe.
He had now acquired fame, and visited his
royai master to receive hOnors and particular
instructions His reception was of the most
fsattering character. The King made him a
brevet-captaiu; the Queen marked her admira-
ton and gratitude by placing upon his finger
beautiful Emerald ring. The ring is preserved
in the family of his son, the Cavalier PezEa, who
receives from the King of Italy the pension
which Ferdinand settled upon Fra Diavolo.
He re-entered the Terra di LavorO TO continue
his partisan warfare; but he was born brigand,
and went to such lengths of cruelty and rapaci-
ty that Cardinal RuffO refused him permission
to enter Gaeta, and informed the king ofthe ma
tUre of Pezza's exploits.
The king responded in these words:
81 approve your refusal to permit Fra Diavolo
TO enter Gaeta as he wished. admit that he
is brigand chief but must also admit that he
has served us well. 1t is then necessary to use
him, and not to displease him. At the same
time, it is necessary TO persuade him that he
must keep the rein of discipline over himself
and his people, if he really wants to acquire ia
vor with me"
After the taking of Naples by the royal party,
the Queen announced to him his appointment as
colonel. The letter is said 10 have contained
lock other Maiesty's hair. After the return Of
Ferdinand. he retained his,rank, and obtained a
life pension of three thousand ducats with the
title of Duke of CassanO.
CARDINAL RUFFo AND THE "sANF EDIsrs."
Nardini, who, in the beginniBgo of this revolu-
ton, was in the service of Ferdinand, gives us
picture of this beast in cassOck:
"This fool took into his head to ask from the
king the command of the city of Capua, and beg
ged me to write his petition; since, though he
claimed that he could read the Latin Of his bre-
visry-which | very much dOubt-he did not
know how to write two words consecutively.-
Among other titles TO merit which he wished
me to insert in his petition in order to give him
grace with the sovereign, he insisted much upon
the fact that he had roasted the arm of Jaco-
bin under a slow fire., and eaten it with glut-
tonish relish; that be had dexterously disembOw-
eled two other Jaeobins, and bad quartered five
or six children of patriots
FRA DIAvoLo on A CAMPAIGN.
In the autumn of 1906, while the French
troops under Joseph, were marching on the cap
itai, and Ferdinand was yet reigning at Naples,
this great devil, with a band of two hundred
brigands was burning, robbing and killing
among the subjects of his master on theGarigli-
ano When Ferdinand fled to Sicily, Fra Dia-
vOlO followed him; collecting in Sicily band
of about three hundred men, consisting of ex-
cOnvicts and old soldiers of the army of Ruffo,
L l.. 81 ~
by the companions of his bOyhood in consider
able numbers, and at one time had probably fif-
teen hundred cut-throats under his orders
This force rOved over the country between the
Vulturno and the States of the Church They
were divided into small parties, who burned, pill
laged, and prostrated the French authority,
aud created in the public mind reaction in IA
vOr of The BOurbOns. <5ss
Fra DiavOlo now bore the titles of brigadier-
general of the NeopOlitan army and Duke of
Cassiano. Joseph having resolved to destroy
him and and his marauding bands, made mill
tary dispositions for the purpose on large
scale. fhreegenerals were charged with guard
ing the lines between the States of the Church,
the GariglianO the Volturno and the sea.
General Goulu, with a brigade, kept his eye
on the Valley of the Cora; General Dusheme,
with division, held the Roman States; and
General Valentino, commanding in the province
of Gaeta, was charged to prevent the escape of
the bandits by sea.
These arrangements drew Gordon round the
country in which Fra DiavolO was turning ev-
erythiDg upside down. Then Colonel Hugo,
father OF the illustrioHs Victor, was sent with
force of about one hundred men to hunt down
the quarry, ass ,-sss.t eea sst
COLONEL HUGo's PURSUIT.
Here he astonished both his troops and the
directly across the mountain towards Naples
Fra DiavOlo was moving along the other side,
thinking himself at least out of danger A few
peasant guides were obtained, and the French
troops marched up mountain never before
scaledIby an army-scarcely travelled by civil
lied man-in the darkness of moonless night
They stumbled along over stones and fallen
bushes, depending entirely on their guides for
the direction and their situation. Towards
dawn the wearied soldiers were told that they
were at the summit. The sun rose and the mag
nifcent Bay of Naples lay before them.
s. They set out towards Alletta. Fra Diavolo,
marching quietly along the northern declivities
of the mountain was suddenly surprised by a
spirited fire of musketry- 1t seemed to him TO
come from the clouds. The action was short,
most of the brigands were killed or captured,
but the slippery chief got off with thirty of his
men.
Hugo pushed on after him along the decliv-
tiles which were so thickly covered with shrubs
and trees that no orderly march was possible,
and everything depended on the fidelity of the
guides.
Fra DiavolO had this time better hope of es-
cape than ever. His adversary did not know
the direction and he himself was familiar with
every tree. He dashed away towards the road
10 Apulia, expecting by this msnevre TO elude
The foe behind him, but be had scarcely struck
the highway when he fell in with fresh regi-
ment of French cavalry marching from Naples
10 aid in the chase.
This time escape seemed abs0lutly impossible.
On one side Of the road was a precipice which
no man could scale; on the other Hugo was ad-
vancing towards the road. Flight towards
Apulis would throw him into the tolls of his
hunter. His inventive genius sup
piled remedy for this net of difficulties.
> He turned to his men aud said:
Z tie my hands behind my back. DO the
same TO my lieutenant"
The men We're astonisbed but obeyed in 81
lence-using handkerchiefs in the absence of
cords.
rNow," said Fra DiayoIo, elet US move down