Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-11-23
TYPICAL DIAVOLOS.
LUXURIOUS BRlGANDS WHO MAKE EUROPE THEIR CAMPING GROUNDS.

EUROPG HEIR CAMPING GROUNDS. Picturesque Rogues of Eastern Roumelia.
 with Common Things-The Real ':Fra
 Diavolo''-Scribe's Delusive Creation.
 rigaudage-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 spasmodhc outbursts in Sicily. which has lost much of its former yirulence in the kingdom of Hellenes proper, and which, thanks to railways and the mainte- nance of something approaching a stable government, Is fading even out of Mexico seems, by all accounts, to be hourishing in the fullest luxuriance in Eastern Roumelia The energy and impudence of the gang of bandits who recently captured two Austrian subjects, NM. Lander and Binder, at Bel Iowa, and demanded no less sum than 300 Turkish pounds for their ransom, are almost of a nature to vie with the late NJ. Edmund Abouts delightfully."- picturesque but slightly imaginative narrative of the achievements of the Greek 'Klept" Hadji Stavros, "King of the Mountains"
 It cannot be denied that there is a slight touch of humor ill the proceedings of these ruffianly outlaws, and that they have con trived to cast new light on the domestic economy of brigand life. There has been hitherto tolerably general consensus among travellers that the modern bripand in Roumelia and on the Turko-Gree from tier is, as @ rule, deplorable ragamuffin. usually a neer do we'll peasant or an inso- lent horse couper, 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 ire quently goat skin than shirt of textile fabric; he rarely washes; his ideas touching combs are indistinct and he never heard of n tooth brush
 AS for his diet, it is one in which salt fish and sausages largely predominate over butch CTS 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 malo- dorous 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.
 PERFECT SYBARITES
 The rogueS are perfect sybariteS, and in a letter addressed to q rich merchant of Tartar BaZardjik, they demanded that there should be forthwith sent to them six Martini rifles of the pattern furnished to the Eastern Rou- mellan gendarmes, together with large supply of ball cartridge, thirty-five pairs of shoes, as many shirts, ornamented with the finest Russian embroidery thirty-five pairs of stockings of the best quality, thirty five cakes of scented soap, an equal quantity of ivory combs, three dozen less one of ivory cigarette holders, large quantity of tobacco and ciC9rptteS and naotlv .ecor+aI e+ool- .s z cognac, vermouth, bitters, cheese and other creature comforts It is only to be wondered at that these dandy brigands did not add few dozen boxes of sardines, Paris kid gloves hand mirrors, birthday cards and fasLs of eau de Cologne to their list. Their altar of roses they probably prepare for themselves, the odoriferous manufacture being indice- nous to the region they adorn with their pres encc
 About the only tenable hypothesis that can be formed to account for the elegant luxury i'll which the Bulgarian brigands have taken to living may be that they havo been read ing translation of the libretto of Scribe's Era Diavolo, and that they have resolved to Give up to it."
 The real Era Diavolo," whose name was Michele Pezza, was the most repulsive of highway robbers. He had been a stocking knltter 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 179S Cardinal Ruffo undertook to force the French to evacuate the Neapolitan territory he par doned Era Diavolo," and even gave him a commission as lieutenant colonel of yolun- teerS
 EXECUTED AT LAST
 For eight years this inconceivable black guard waged guerrilla warfare on the Gallic invaders, robbing and murdering his own countrymen when there were no foreigners to fight, but in 1906 he was captured, shot and gibbeted, the officer who ordered his execu- tion being, oddly enough, a gallant French | general, the father of the great master of the | romantic school in France-Victor Hupo. There was in reality nothing more romantic about Fra Diavolo than there was about our Anglo-French highwayman, Claude Duval, who was simply an absconding prohigate footman of the Duchess of Portsmouth, but | in the early days of French romanticism every incident and every parsonage that could be perverted to picturesque use were eagerly seized upon by the novelists and play wrights. They turned to Spain, and espe- cially Italy; and, while Victor Hugo fabri- cated wholly unhistorical Lucrezia Borgia as the hero of a tragedy, Alexandar Dumas manufactured an equally unveracious Fra Diavolo as the hero of novel
 The ready witted Scribe at once availed himself of the latter amusing but delusive creation, and with the collaboration of the composer, Auber, he produced the always charming comic opera of Era Diavolo. y There can be but little doubt that, while the lyric art benefited largely by the popularity of Auber's sparkling and harmonious num- bers, an appreciable amount of social harm was done by the highly picturesque and his trionic presenfment given by Scribe of the sham Era Diavolo" and his gang of mur- derous desperadoes. Society began to be- ieve in the existence of marauder ele- gantly and expensively attired in plum colored velvet, with gilt sugar loaf buttons ro his jacket, his lower limbs swathed with cris-cross thongs, and wearing a conical hat profusely ornamented with ribbons
 This ideal brigand was scrupulously polite to ladies, and would bow over and reveren- tially salute the taper fingers from which he gently removed the diamond rings, and only under extreme pressure of necessity would this orthodox bandit, who was usually de vout son of the church, rob a bishop.-New l York Graphic