The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-15

murderers there were very few who had murdered
for theft gain, except of course, the brigands.
Wine seems to provoke many Q fatal blow. On
the numerous feast days which an indulgent
church affords them, groups OF young people
assemble ct the cafes and little inns in;the country,
and drink their wine, and are merry. But the
distance between extreme merriment and extreme
anger 10 very short; moreover, too often the dag.
ger or knife is carried though the law does forbid
It. The consequences are obvious, and the FIRE.
quency OF such fatalities seems to have blunted
the feelings of the whole population; they refuse
TO consider AZ criminal. murders committed In
desperate anger, and In moments of intoxication.
But the most interesting inmates Of this prison
at the present time are the brigsnds. 1t 10 un-
pleasant to meet them IN the country; to talk to
them at ease and IN safety was rather agreeable;
lsborers, or have committed some crime and
been obliged to fly from Justice. In the
mountains are plenty Of bands, numbering from
ten 10 twenty men, glad to receive recruits.
some murder, or to perform some other illegal
act before many witnesses so that he may
have reason to dread the law and its officers az
much a. his companions. There was one boy of
seventeen. servant to one of the captains Of
band, who had witnessed many murders, and in
some cases had made stab or 80 himself. He
seemed perfectly Indifferent to his position, and
by no means ashamed Of his past career. What
struck me more particularly was the short time
many of them had been brigands, and the hard
ness of brigand life. Many had only been in the
profession few weeks before they were cap.
tured, few had adorned 1t for longer period
than year and q half or two years. Those who
had been tried and were condemned talked freely
Of their former life, though none would plead
guilty of murder except In self-defense if asked
how many lives they had taken, they would an.
swer, in half.waggish manner. None, OF
course" All declared their life to be one Of in
tense hardship. The difficulty Of obtaining food
pressed sorely upon them. They might get money
and articles Of value by robbery. but. as have al
ready said to convert the money and the valuables
into bread and meat, 1t was absolutely neces-
sary to have recourse to the "msnuten-
Roli"; and these, with the true grasping
nature Of the Italian poor never supplied 1t but at
q high rate. 1t was curious to hear these brig.
snds declaim against the unfairness of the imam.
utengoli." They seem to think that they them.
selves are objects Of sympathy.
OF the brigand chiefs who are new In prison at
Salerno, three deserve special notice, namely !:
Nunzionte d. Agotino, Antonio Fortunate, and
Nunzionte d Agotino was captain of a band
consisting of ten brigands and one woman, Chiars
d Nardo, and for many years troubled the neigh
borhood of Monte di Postigone. not very far
from Paestum. He is now twenty .seven years of
sge, end in appearance and manners would pass
for gentleman. He has not the dark eye and
dark skin SO common in Southern Italians, but
fresh, healthy complexion. bright brown eyes,
broad forehead and tawny beard and mustache;
were he to be met in London, the probabilities are
that he would be taken for an English officer. l
had long conversation with him Of the frsnkest
character. He talked with perfect open
ness about brigandage, did not seem at
all distressed at his capture. exposed !, to
places on his body where bullets had entered
one on his arm, another below the shoulder, and
q third behind it-all received during his cap
ture. As he talked he shrugged his shoulders,
raised his eyebrows and gesticulated in that easy
manner of q lounger at q cafe. How many muir
ders or what atrocities this man had committed
do not promise to tell. He admitted none, though
he did allow that he had taken away life in self
defense. his accusers say he murdered his own
infant. When that charge happened to be men
toned, he smiled pleasantly and said the child had
Died early, which he thought was good thing for
the little one, since a brigand's camp is not q
good kind Of nursery. When this gentleman's
fingers were within quarter of an inch of ones
wstcbguard, or thrown out IN the earnestness OF
conversation towards ones arm or chest, 1t was
impossible not TO feel how disagreeable such
proximity would have been few miles distant In
the country.
1t may also have occurred to him how diff
feIent would have been the character OF our
interview had we met in the region of his
former rule. As 1t was, the conversation was
interesting to the visitor, and an agreeable
charge to the brigsnd perhaps, consider
ing the tedium Of prison life. For he has now
been n jail some fifteen months. and only waits
the final decision Of the superior court OF Naples
before he Ia transported to one of tho Numerous
condemned for life, and there is little prospect of
any mitigation of the sentence. Before he had
taken to brigandage my friend had worked in the
fields as laborer; but he soon discovered that
such life was only ft for slave. What could
he do9 He wanted to become rich. There was
no path open to him but brigandsge, and for
many years he had been successful in it, COM
mandiDg his band not only with profit, but with
pleasure. Now that he was taken, however, and
all his companions were either captured or killed,
he supposed he must submit to whatever penalty
the stronger party choose to impose upon him.
In his opinion il was evidently only struggle Of
parties, and for the present he had got the worst
of it, When, after some time, l made him bow
and bade him adieu, he returned the compliment
In the manner of q man perfectly at his ease.
Should we meet at some future day near Monte
di Postglione. trust he will recollect our brief
friendship, and act accordingly.
Antonio Fortunate is q man of an entirely diff.
ferent steamp. There is no pretence of chivalry
about HIM. With his long black hair, black short
beard and mustache, deep. set black small eyes,
thin aquiine nose, saow complexion and some
what sunken cheeks, he is not particularly en-.
gaging, and yet has nothing absolutely forbidding
in his countenance. he began life in the peace
full and confidential capacity of a barber, but he
afterwards entered the army, and when he got
into some difficulty with one of the officers of his
regiment, he deserted and took to the hills. He
here formed band Of some nine or ten robbers.
and had led them to plumber with more or less Of
glory and gain for eight years, when at last he
was taken. His band is now entirely destroyed,
and whatever may be his real feelings on the sub
ject, he displays little or regret at their end
II seems absurd to feel any sympathy for any
OF these brigands or their chiefs, men who have
committed the grossest atrocities, and who
would doubtless do so again had they the op-
porturity but, matter of fact. it Is impossi.
bic to converse with them without feeling q sort
of compassionate interest in them. If this ap.
plies TO the generality of them, it applies with
especial force to Giuseppe Apuzzo, the captain of
band which, for some five years after 1862, in.
tested the neighborhood Of Csstellsmare, Sorrento
ard Amaf. BE ia now about thirty years of age,
and is very respectfully connected. In his youth
be was extravagsnt, rapidly spent small fortune,
and then, being Bourbonist, took to brigandage
in the cause of Francis ii. There seems to be no
possible doubt that this religious ex.monarch has
many friends amongst the brigsnds, and that he
has done much to maintain and assist them. In
appearance and manner at least, Apuzzo is gen.
tleman. He has fine face, with good forehead
and particularly intelligent eyes. He seems to re.
gard his career as brigand q mere political
necessity, and believes that, had the Buurbons re.
turned he would have been rewarded instead of
punished. He told me with an air of polite
suavity that he would never touch a forestierO,
and that when on one occasion his band seized an
Engshman near Sorrento, who had risen at an
ar1u hau IN he rso h. aI