The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1865-08-05
THE MARQUIS OF TAM AND THE
BRIGANDS.

A correspondent OF the morning row, VIII
ting from FIoreutino on the Let inst, des
scribes an extraordinary outage committed
by the brigauds The Marquis of Tani re-
sides in castellated mansion, situated on an
eminence, ten minutes walk out of the city
which has been occupied by his ancestors foI
four hundred years
''During the Carnival week, on the even-
ing Of the Giovtdo Grasso, he was at party
in Farentiuo, where he stay ed until two
o'clock on Friday morning, at which hour he
got into his carriage to dive home, without
other company than tn It of his coachman
and footman. Just before reaching his resi- :
dence, where the narrow road is boarded
on both sides by tall box hedges, and imme-
diately under splendid group of stone pine
trees, the carriage was brought to sudden
halt by band of brlgand5, armed to the
teeth, who dragged the marchesino out of his
carriage, and the ccachman and servant from
the box, and tying the horse to the hedge,
conveyed the prisoners behind little cottage
wall on the left of the road, where with all
sorts of weapons brandished before him, they
exhorted the MAJ chesino not to be afraid and
make no r. sistance. He, of Course, denied
all intentions of resisting such an imposing
force and requested to know what they de-
manded from him. ga mere tribe /; don't be
alarmed ? they replied, 'all you bave.to do
is to sign this order, with which we will send
two or three men up to your father, and as
soon as he has paid the money you will be set
at liberty The marchesino inquired the
amount of the order, and on hearing that 1T
was for 10000 scudl upwards of $4,000
stated that it would be useless for him to sign
it, as his father had not anythiug like such a
sum in the house. AT this refusal the bri
gands all shouted out tAlla montague ALA
montegna 7 and graspng the captives firmly
by the arms, a brigand on each side, and an
other behind, to hasten their reluctant steps
occasionally with. the muzzle of his gun, the
whole party dashed headong down steep
descent on the north side of the eminence on
which the house is 81 uated, and made for
piece of forest below, where they called
halt, and came 10 a second parley. The mar
chesino haeing.in vain requested tbe chief OF
the band, if there was auy, to come forward
and discourse ia the name of The others, in
quired plainly of the brigands whether they
had captured him with the intention Of
numbering him or whether they would content
themselves with what money he had in the
house, and let him go They disclaimed all
murderous intentions, assuring him that they
were1egular troops, obliged by political re-.
verses to take refuge in detached bands in
the mountains, each under the command of
regular officer but as there was great num-
Der of them, they OF course had Iced OF mons
ey to procure supplies. They added, and this
appears to me very interesting, IS conf ming
the option ofthe greater part of these bands,
that as soon as their holy cause should tri-
umph, AID 1t re nostro obtain his throne
again, the marchesino would not only receive
double any sum he might have it in his power
70 f,,rp oh, at ar,nAr
WI uld be also decorated with knightly
ribbon.
Having wound up with many shakes of the
hand and assurances that .hey were all bro h.
ers, the brigands sent three of their men Wi
the servant to visit the marchese house, and
obtain possessi sion of the family strong box.
The alarm of the inmates may be easily
imagined. The old Marquis, who was in his
bedroom at the late hour, was that disturb
ed, and the ladies OF the establishment lost
no timelin handing over TO the brigands,
who had come up stairs with the servant
while the other two mounted guard below,
the strong hox, real cingue cento affair,
bound with solid iron bars, and closed with
secret locks in manner that de6ed the in-
trusive bayonet of the brigand, who was anx
ious to verify wether it really contained
money or not. He subsequently attempted
to break it open with;the butt-end of his mus
ket, in doing which the percussion hammer
fell, but fortuL ately only the cap exploded,
for if the musket had of gone off the explo
sion would doubtless have alarmed the bril-
gands, who were near enough to hear it dis
tinctly; they would have supposed fight
was going on, and would most probably have
taken to flight, and after killing their hostage,
for it is certain That on these occasions they
are always in furry, and the marcheisno in
the varions shaking of hands with which he
was hohored perceived that many of the men
were trembling. When the brigands and the
servants came back to the forest with the
the strong box and bundle of dollar roul-
eaux, a fire was lit and the box broken open
with stones; the contents being revealed,
amounting altogether to about eight thousand
scupi, the bandits fastened to stow away the
rouleaux about their persons previous to de-
camping. By the light of the fire the faces,
dresses and arms OF the brigands, who were
ten in number, we're distinctly visible, and it
WIS to be easily remarked that although the
custom worn by them was that common to
the necessity of the southern Papal and Nea
politan provinces, neither their faces nor their
hands.were 80 rugged as those of peasants
Their accent was decidedly Neapolitan. The
marchesino having represented to his plum
derers that he was left entirely without
money requested them to return him at least
one rouleaux for present use; but the brigaod,
who had been up to get the strong box and
the loose rouleaux, told him to be at ease on
that head, as he, in bringing down the money,
had let two reouleaux fall ON the stairs, which
he did not stop to pick up, as all the scudi
had burst the paper and were rolling about
the steps. finally the hostage, with his two
servants were allowed to depart, after staying
about an hour and half in the brigands
power, and after being duly warned that if he
dared to denounce them they would certainly
cume back and murdar him even in the hasx