Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-07
LUXURIOUS BRIGANDs.
Typical Fra Diavolos F7ourishing In
Eastern Roumelia.

Typical Fra Diavolos Flourishing In
Eastern Roumelis.
From the London Telegraph
Brigandage-which may, happily, be said to
be all but defunct in Spain and the Italian
peninsula, which is only heard Of now and
again in feebly spasmodc outbursts in Sicily,
which has lost much of its former virulence in
the kingdom Of Hellenes proper, and which,
thanks to railways and the maintenance OF
| something approaching a stable government
is fading even out of Mexico-seems, by all
accounts, to be fourishing in the fullest lux
uriance in Eastern Roumelia. The energy
and impudence of the gang OF bandits who
recently captured two Austrian subjects, MN.
LANDER and Binder, at Bellova, and are de-
handing no less a sum than l,3OO Turkish
pounds for their ransom, are almost OF nature
to vie with the late NJ. Edmund About's de-
lightfully picturesque, but slightfully imagi-
native. narrative Of the achievements of the
Greek .Klept" Hadji stavros, king Of the
Mountains.
While the hope must be universal that the
two captives will be delivered safe and sound
from the clutches of the Bellova brigands it
cannot be denied that there is a slight touch of
humor in thelproceedings Of these ruffanly out
laws, and that they have contrived to cast
new light on the domestic economy OF brigand
life.
There has been hitherto tolerably general
consensus among travellers that the modern
brigand in ROumelia and on the Turko-Greek
frontier is, as a rule, deplorable ragamuffin
usually a ne'er -do-well peasant or an insolent
horse copper, who is in league with the dram
shop keeper, and sometimes with the priest of
the village round about which he prowls. His
innermost garment is more frequently a goat
skin than shirt OF textile fabric; he rarely
washes; his ideas touching combs are indis-
tinct, and he never heard of toothbrush
As for his diet, it is one in which salt fish and
sausages largely predominant over butchers
meat, and rancid oil over both; and, as regards
stimulants, he will drink as much as he can get
of the commonest red wine, the most fiery corn
brandy, and the most malodorous mastic or
'.raki-" OF course, he smokes, but usually his
Tobacco has been the vilest Russian ''mahorka'
and his pipe a rude chibouck of cherry wood.
The Bellova brigands seem, however, to have
souls far above such primitive garb and such
simple viands as we have glanced at
The rogues are perfect Sybarites, and, in
letter addressed to a ricn merchant of Tartar
Bazardjik, they demanded that there should
be forthwith sent to them six Martini rifles of
the pattern furnished to the Eastern Roume-
liam gendarmes, together with a large supply
of ball cartridge, thirty-fve pairs of shoes, as
many shirts, ornamented with the finest Rms
sian embroidery; thirty-five pairs of stockings
OF the best quality, thirty-five cakes of scented
soap, an equal quantity of ivory combs, three
L. d
large quantity of tobacco and cigarettes and
neatly-assOrted stock of cognac, yermouth
bitters, cheese, and other creature comforts.
1t Is only to be wondered at that these dandy
brlgands did not add few dozen boxes of
sardines, Paris kid gloves, hand-mirrors birth
day cards, and TASKS of eau de Cologne to their
list. Their altar of roses they probably pre-
pare for themselves, the odoriferous manufac-
ture being indigenous to the region they adorn
with their presence.
hnT1tf ha nrnly fapa
be formed to account for the elegant luxury
In which the Bulgarian brigapds have taken
to living may be that they have been reading
translation of the hbretto of Scribe's Fra
Diavolo, and that they have resolved to ''live
up to it."
The real FRA Diavolo." whose name was
Michele Pezza, was the most repulsive of
highway robbers. He had been a stocking
knitter in small way of business in the
kingdom of Naples, and, going bankrupt,
took naturally to the road He became the
scourge and terror of the two Calabrias. and
price was set on his head, but when in
1873 Cardinal Ruffo undertook to force the
French to evacuate the Neapolitan territory he
pardoned Fra Diavolo," and even gave him a
commission as Northumberland of volunteers
For eight years this inconceivable blackguard
waged guerrilla warfare on the Gallo invaders
robbing and numbering his own countrymen
when there were no foreigners to fight but in
1906 he was captured, shot and gibbeted, the
offlcer who ordered his execution being oddly
enough, gallant French general, the father of
the great master of the romantic school in
France, Victor Hugo. There was, in reality.
nothing more romantic about Fra Diavolo than
there was about our Anglo-French highway
man, Claude Duyal who was simply an alb
sconding prohigate footman of the Duchess of
Portsmouth, but in the early DAYS of French
romantlclsm every incident and every person.
age that could be perverted to picturesque use
were eagerly seized upon by the novelists and
the playwrights. They turned to SPAIN and
especially Italy; and, while Victor Hugo fabri-
Gated a wholly unhistorical Lucrezia Borgia as
the hero of tragedy, Alexander Dumas manu-
featured an equally unveracious Fra Diavolo as
the hero of novel
The ready-witted Scribe at once availed him
self OF the latter amusing but delusiye creation.
and, with the collaboration of the composer
Auber, he produced the always charming comic
opera of FRA Diavolo." There can be LITTLE
doubt that, while the lyric art benefited large
ly by the popularity of Auber's sparkling and
harmonious numbers, an appreciable amount
OF social harm was done by the highly pictures
que and histrionc presentment given by Scribe
Of the sham Fra Diavolo" and his gang of
murderous desperadoes. Society began to be-
heye in the existence of a marauder elegantly
and extensively attired in plum-colored,yelye
with gilt sugar-loaf buttons to his Jacket, his
lower limbs swathed with crss-cross thongs
and wearing aconical hat profusely ornamented
with ribbons.
This ideal brigand was scrupulously polite to
ladies, and would bow over and reyerentiaIly
salute the taper fingers from which he gently
rem owed the diamond rings, and only under
extreme pressure OF necessity would this Ortho-
dox bandit, who was usually devout son of
the church, rob bishop.
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