The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-04-20
CONTEMPT FOR LIFE
How the Terrible Vendetta Still Sur
wives In Corsica.
Men Killed With as Much Uncon-
Germ az q Jack Rabbit
Silence OF the Cor
sican Press.

From the National Review.
Should q Corsican, In revenge for injury
done to himself or his relations, or even
to his dog or his horse, kill another with
knife or coup de fusil, public sympathy
sustains him, the hills shelter him, his re-
lations feed him, and justice, in the shape
Of gendarmes winks with both eyes, unless
the murder be very unpopular. True,
he Is termed a ''bandit," and has to take
refuge in the macqui, as the natural bush
Is called that clothes the mountain sides.
Well informed Corsicans tell one that
there are at this ONE in the island
over 1000 in hiding. But please under
stand the bandit is no brigand. Should
you, defenseless, happen to fall in
with him he will o take you purse, but,
on the contrary, offer you food, IL he has
II, and shelter in his cave m most prob
ably refuse any payment for his hospital
ity. 1t is only his foes family against
which he wages war, and Of course in
latter lie Will shoot with as much uncon-
Germ as a woodcock. And yet, though
the orsican will not rob you, Il Is not be-
cause he does not love money. For q few
francs, both Corsican gentlemen and
English residents aver, you a find a
rid you OF your enemy with knife or bull
let. And while this utter contempt for
human life prevails there can be no hope
Of the extinction of the vendetta.
An English gentleman, Captain g., who
has now lived for some ten OF fifteen
years in Corsica, on his W property, told
me the following story: II seems that N
OF the employees OF tine former proprietor,
fancying he had some grudge against the
new owner, made himself objectionable
by breaking down fences, driving goats
and sheep into the garden, and annoying
II lrnnfnln a. In nfhAr uroNc ~ a.
happened TO mention the fact Of the mans
enmity, and deplored il as unreasonable,
both to a Corsican gentleman,a neighbor-
ing proprietor, n also TO n shepherd
with whom he var on friendly terms.
Let me know IL he continues" said
the gentleman, sand / will have the man
taken over to yonder rocks,and you IN
G of him again."
~ will arrange for n little coup de fusil
whenever you like to give me ''the Office"
said the berger.
This was Is years ago, but even now il
is said there is in Ajaccio alone at least
one murder a week, though these outrages
are SO hushed up by the authorities that IL
is difficult to get any reliable statistics.
i never, for instance, saw the account OF
any murder in Inc little local French pa
per lie R~diitenienf, the only one, i think,
in Ajaccio; hut this proves nothing, for
there was undoubtedly one atrocious
crime committed in the village of Bocog-
nano, about twenty miles off, while we
were at Ajaccto, for particulars OF which
/ vainly studied the columns of lie Rattle
ment. The official whose duty il was to
investigate the matter had wanted to re-
QUESTION from the livery stable keeper the
carriage ! had bespoken, SO ! heard the
story from the mans own mouth. The
victim was an Italian who had married
and settled at Bocognano. The Italians
are called lucquas by The Corsicans, and
come over from Italy in large numbers.
They are very industrious, and do o great
deal of the hard work of the island. Their
example or industry ~excites the Corsican's
jealousy, but not his emulation; hence
there is little lost between them.
II appeared that the pig of a Corsican
wandered near the open cottage door of an
Italian, and to drive il off the latter threw
q stone, whercupon the wife of the Corsi-
| a Indignantly demanded Of her husband
IL an Italian was to throw stones at a Cor
sican pig with IMMUNITY. The Corsican
at once went into his house and, returning
with his gun, shot the Italian dead on the
spot. The murderer escaped to the
macqui, n is, l presume, there still, I'M
less the extenuating circumstance of the
victim being a lucqua has enabled him TO
return unmolested to the bosom of his
family.