Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-11-28
TYPICAL DIAV0LOS.
LUXURIOUS BRiGAnDS WHO MAKE
 EUROPE THEIR CAMPING GROUNDS.
Picturesque EoSues os Eastern RoumeIia.
 Luxurious Rascals Who Are Not Content with Common Thin.s-Tbe Zeal Era

BrSgandage-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 spasmodic outbursts in Sicily which has lost much of its former virulence in the kingdom of Hellenes proper, and which, thanks to railways and the maintc- nance of something approaching a stable government, IS fading even out of Mexico seems, by all accounts, to be flourishinr 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 a sum than 300 Turkish pounds for their ransom, are almost of a nature to vie with the late M. 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 sligbt touch of humQr in the proceedings of these ruffianly outlaws, and t!at they have con- trived to cast new light on the domestic economy of brigand life. There has been hitherto a tolerably general consensus among travellers that the modern bricand in Roumelia and on the Turko- Greek from tier is, as a rule, a dcplorable ragamuffin. usually a ne'er do well 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 lnnermost garment is more ire quently a goat skin than shirt of textile fabric; he rarely washes; his ideas touching combs are indistinct and he never heard of a tooth brush.
 AS for his diet, it is one in which salt fish and sausages largely predonlinate over butch CTS neat 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 pine 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 a rich merchant of Tartar Bazardjlk, they demanded that there should be forthwith sent to them six Martini rifles of the pattern furnished to the Eastern Rou- mehan gendarmes together with a laree 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, a large quantity of tobacco and cigarettes, and a neatly assorted stock of cognac, vermouth, bitters, cheese and other creature comforts. It is only to be wondered at that these dandy brigands did not add a few dozen boxes of sardines, Paris kid gloves. hand mirrors, birthday cards and f1asks of eau de Cologne to their list Their altar of roses they probably prepare for themselves, r1oo Jfoo los, nous to the region they adorn with their pres ence.
 About the only tenable hypothesis that can be formed to account for the elegant luxury in which the Bulgarian brigands have taken to living may be that they have been read ing translation of the ibretto of Scribes Era Diavolo," and that they have resolved to Give up to it."
 The real Era Diavolo," whose name was Michele PezZa, was the most repulsiye of highway robbers. He had been a stocking knltter in a 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 n 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 volun- 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 glbbeted, the officer who ordered his execu- tlon being, oddly enough, a gallant French general, the father of the great master of the hsn 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 profieate 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 unhistorica1 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 ayailed 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 Diayolon 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 presentment given by Scribe of the sham "Fra Diavolo" and his gang of mur- derous desperadoes. Society began to be- Geve in the existence of a marauder ele- gantly and expensively artired in plum colored velvet, with gilt sugar loaf buttons to 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- italy 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 bishop.-New York Graphic.
 To Keep Away Mosquitoes.
 Hadji Hassein Khoui Khan, Persian am- bassador at Washington, always sleeps with his hands resting in pan of cold water. He