The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-02-21
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.
yRJiE--O--I


That truth is stranger than fiction
is often Illustrated in every day. lite,
and sometimes the arcality is mixed
up. with p deal Of romance. An in
stance Of the strange vicissitudes Of
life, with touch OF the romance. is
brought I to mind by an article in a
Memphis paper lately received. ~;
Some years 'agorswhen Memphis
was mere village, an italian couple
looated there, and conducted a small
but lucrative peanut and fruit busi-
ness Oh a street corner, until they ac-
cumulated sufficient capital to open
o little barroom. 4. Here the madame
conducted the business. successfully,
made her sample room fayorite. re-
sort for good class Of customers,
and, finally, after ,accumuiating con-
siderable property, moved into a
more fashionable quarter of the city
and opened an elegant establishment,
and .'Msdnme Vincenfspf became
known far and wide.
Meanwhile daughter who had
grown up into womanhood, returned
from the boarding school she had
been attending for some years, and
her rare beauty and accomplishments
rendered her very attractive. Nine.
Vincent was, Notwithstanding her vo-
cation, much respected, and her hus-
band,. Vincent Baccigalupo, was not
very long since prominently mention-
ed in,the Memphis papers'as q proper
person TO fill the office of Chief Mag
istrate of that city. 1t is not SUR
prisipg then Chat Miss Baccigalupo,
young, iich, beautiful and cultured
as she was, should, number, in her
train many suitore, some of them
such as. might be accounted very at
tractive to an ambitiousj j;match-mak7
q N
ihS n"n n"n nr1i ~: nG l,ulr. n.;;E
But before we proceed further, an
other character in the drama We were
rehearsing, should be-, introduced.
Mr.. JAS. Brizzoiari, a brother of
Madame Vincent,a young lawyer of
fine talent, was coming into notice,
He had already risen to the dignity
of place on the Democratic Execu-
tive Committe, and was believed TO
have good prospects for seat in the
Lower House of the Tennessee Legis-
lature He was tall, handsome and
spirited, and carried himself like a
chevalier.
His rapid rise to prominence gave
promise Of brilliant future, when,
in consequence OF, newspaper article
which he construed as rejecting on
him, he challenged the author, h fel-
low of the legal profession, and a
duel ensued, in which he, Brizzolari,
was wounded. The duel was con-
Quoted with great 'eclat, the combat
ants sailing down the river in sepa-
rate crafts, and saluting each other
rs they passed, in TRUE chivalric
style. t. ,,.;
While the public mind was still
somewhat excited over the "meet-
ing," and public curiosity about Briz7
zolari giving place to sympathy for
the wounded hero, the announcement
fell upon the public ear like a clap OF
thunder from q clear sky that this
brilliant and promising young man
eloped with his niece, the beautiful
and accomplished Miss Baccigalupo.
The parents were deeply mortified
that a daughter and nephew should
have so disgraced their family name,
but tipe,.%hich heals all ills, soon
blotted ou5 this episode from the
memory iof the public, If not from the
minds Of those most closely indenti-
fed, and when the elopement was al
NOSE forgotten, Brizzolari was heard
from, saloon Keeper in Fort Smith,
Arkansas, his nieca, his wifeno long
er, living alone in Little Rock.
Another attor in the drama, albeit
he might have been introduced sooner
though he 6guiirreess 81 in these csc d dram,eatis
persona iAlthe last act of this play. is
Angelo Marie. Like the hero Of the
story, Marie 'was, a tail, well-forlmed,
muscular, man, of fine physique, and
enjoyed reputation that his associ-
ates considered enviable. he owned
lucfati*e sat5ohf business, was pop.
ular, and enjoyed considerable local
political Influence. 80 'WoHa Il