Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-05-27

| peculiar to Southern Europe, and -four
ishess especially in Italy, where travel
ing is rendered unsafe by the murderous
bands OF robbers who infest the mount
ainous districts. The habits and char
acterlstlcs of these freebooters are not
without interest when looked at from
distance, though close acquaintanceship
with them Is TO be avoided if possible.
Around Naples and Salerno they are SO
numerous that travellers, and also the in
habltants of these cities themselves, are
| IN constant dread of the robbers, and
scarcely dare venture beyond the gates
OF the city without an armed escort.
The main object of brigandage is
| financial one. The robbers are in want of
money, and the best way, they seem to
think, to provide themselves with this
necessary article is to steal it. When
they capture travellers they help them
selves to money, watches and jewels,
and anything else that may be of value.
But that is not all; they take the cap
tives into the mountains and hold them
for something more, and they are careful
to insist upon having as much as they
can possibly get If the victim is a
nobleman or some wealthy aristocrat,
they think it will be worth about $40 600
to release him, but if he is an
ordinary mortal, with no influential
friends, one or two hundred pounds
will be sufficient. In several in
stances prisoners have been kept three
or four months by the brigands. and
while negotiations were pending they
have been allowed to see their friends
and even to visit neighboring cities to
make personal appeals for raising the
ransom demanded. But this only hap
pens where parties Of two or more were
captured, one being allowed to 60 away
at a time and the rest held as hostages
Sometimes when the ransom is not forth
coming at reasonable time the brigands
cut off the ear of victim and send it to
his friends, with the intimation that the
other ear will come soon unless matters
are hurried up. This usually has the
desired effect.
The brigands generally treat their
prisoners we'll and civilly They look
upon them as lawful prisoners of war to
be exchanged for money. Sometimes
they parole them not to attempt to es
cape, and allow them to do what they
please, and at others they put them in
charge of watchful guards, who have
orders to shoot them if they attempt to
get away. If pursued, however, and too
much encountered by their prisoners
they kill them, on the principle that
dead men tell no tales.
The appearance of the brigands is
rather picturesque. Their leaders are
often tolerably welleducated men, and
they sometimes make their demands
upon party of unfortunate travellers
whom they propose to rob in terms of
the most ceremonious politeness. Their
courtesy, however, does not make the
object they have in view any less disa-
greeable to their victims. The costumes
of band of these outlaws encountered
on the road between Salerno and Postum
are described as follows: They were
dressed in long jackets of brown cloth,
the color of withered leaves. These
were provided with immense pockets of
a circular shape, on both sides, and others
on the breast. Besides there was slit
on each side of the jacket that gave en-
trance to two more large pockets COM
modious enough to hold anything in the
shape of garment One of the brigands
in searching for missing article drew
out of these different receptacleS for
plitnder a pair of trowsers, two shirts,
three or four pounds of bread, a bit of
dirty bacon and hunk of cheese. What
else was included among his resources
did not appear. Their waistcoats were
buttoned at the side, with gilt buttons
down the center for ornament; the
larger ones Were stamped with dogs
! heads, birds, etc. There were two large
circular pockets at the lower part OF the
waistcoat in which were kept spare car
tridges, balls, gunpowder anG knives.
Two smaller ones higher up held watch
on one side and percussion-caps on the
other. The garment was of dark blue
cloth, like the trowsers, which were cut
in the ordinary way. The jackets were
also provided with capuces or hoods, at
tached to the neck by buttons. When
the weather is very cold or at night they
are drawn over the head. y belt about
three inches deep, divided by two parti
tons to hold about fifty cartridges, com
pleted the costume Most of them had
revolvers Kept either in belts or in 1.-THE
lefthand pockets of their jackets They
were secured by silk cord passed
around their necks and fastened 10 a ring
in the butt Of the pistol. Some few had
stiettos, only used for human victims.
Many wore turned-up wide.awake hats,
with ostrich feathers, which gave them
an absurd and theatrical appearance.
Gay silk handkerchiefs wound round
their necks and collars on their cotton
shirts made them look like handles when
they were clean, which was but seldom.
! a band of these outlaws not long ago
attacked an English gentleman and his
/ daughter, who were driving about a
mile from the city of Palermo. The
father was dragged from the carriage by
/ the brigands and taken to one of their
/ haunts in the mountains. They endeav-
ored to make him sign a paper giving