Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-08
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AMONG THE BRIGANDS.
The Adceature ola Ronsnn Dignitnry, VAo
Was Held Captive for Fire Days.

The Adceature of a Ronsna Dignitary, Who
Was Held Captire for Fire Days.
rome CORES pondence London News.
Slgnor Egidio Sarconi, deputy vice chan
cellor in the ministry of grace and justice,
set out from Rome about the middle of Au-
gust last to enjoy his months holiday at
Corleto Perticara, hamlet in the Basilicata,
| and about half days journey south of Po-
tenza, the chief town of the province. His
family had preceded him thither, and in his
eagerness to join is>with the least delay pos
slble he stayed no longer in Potenza than to
| hire vehicle, accepting in fact thes first
that offered. On he went, anticipating the
| joyous reception in store for him, and-high
legal functionary as he aas-thinking
nothing of the law, and as little of its break
ers, Wien, suddenly, some six miles from
Potenza, he was aroused from his reverie by
| two grutf voices bidding the driver pull up.
Presently two sinister faces appeared at the
window, two rifles were leveled at b N, and
| he was told to alight Immediately. Unarmed
himself, with 10 assistance near him for
miles around, and the driver most likely an
| accomplice of his assaiiants, there was nothing
for it but to comply.
Forthwith the brigands bound him hand
| and foot, carried him up the hill that as
cended from the roadside, and on reaching q
dense forest of beech trees, deposited him
| on the ground. They reliev.d him of his
valuabies, including some 100 lire he had
about him, and then they told him that I'M
less 5000 scudi were paid for his ransom he
| woald be put to death. Vainly did lie plead
| poverty and protest that his family dsd not
possess that sum. His captors were mex
| orable, and with many brutal threat,
| forced him to write to HIS relatives for the
sum required. BY this time it was night
| fall, and with his hands and feet bound so
tightly that the cords cut his flesh, he had
| to stretch himself full length on the bare,
damp earth, while the brigands slept beside
| him.
| Ga the same spot, and very nearly in the
same position, he spent the whole night and
part of the next day, with scarce morsel of
food or a drop to drink, till he received or
ders to march. His feet were Just so far
left free as to enable him to walk with diff
cuty over the heights and hollows of their
devious path; and when his swollen and
! aching limbs forced from him an involun-
| tary cry of pain, his captors would push
him before them with the muzzles of their
rifles, and keep him i'll perpetual fear OF
being shot by accident. -Four days and four
nights of this bodily sas mental torture did
| he undergo, till on the fifth
day q chance of escape providentially
appeared. The brigands, who always kept
him tightly bound, had descended to the
PLAIN that morning and returned with @ little
food-bread and cheese, with some water.
Having eaten their fill, and given Sisnor
Sarconi what remained, they all three lay
down to slesta under the shadow of some
plum trees.
/ It was sunset before they rose and re-
sumed their march, Signor Sarconis legs
being left little freer to enable him to
1 climb the hill over which their journey lay.
They bad not gone far when he, being always
a little ahead of his captors, got glimpse
through the trees of five carabineers who
were patroling thu neighborhood. The mo-
ment he saw tile uniform and the red stripe
of their trousers he darted off toward
them, though they were full rifle shot
away. By this time the brigands had also
seen the carabineers, and without further
heed for their captive, they took to their
! heels in tho opposite direction. Signor
Sarconi was at once unbound and conveyed
under an escort of two carabineers to his
overjoyed family at Corleto Perticari, while
the other three gave chase to the fugitives.
These gentlemen, however, are still at large,
and their victim, in spite of all the conjugal
and flial care lavished on him, has not yet
recovered from the prlvations and actual
wounds inflicted on him during his five
days captivity.