The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-06-12
THE CoRsicAN VENDETTA.
Where It Is Considered Praiseworthy 70
Wipe Out Insults In Blood.


where 1t Is Considered Praiseworthy TO
Wipe Out Insults In Blood.
Should a Corsican, in revenge for in
jury done to him mself or his relations, or
sven to his dog or his horse, kill another
with knife or coup de .fttsd, public sympa-
thy sustains him, the hills shelter him,
his relations feed him, and justice in
the shape of gendarmes winks with
both ewes unless the murderer be very
unpopular. True he is termed ''ban-
lit" and has to take refuge in the
naGcqui, as the natural bush is called
that clothes the mountain sides. Well
informed Corsicans tell one that there
ere at this moment in the island over
/, 1,OeO in hiding. But please understand,
the bandit is no brigand. Should you,
defenseless, happen to fall in with him
he will not take your purse, but on the
contrary, offer you food if he has it and
shelter in his cave, and most probably
refuse any payment for his hospitality.
1t is only his foes family against which
! he wages war, and of course, in self de-
| fense, with the gendarmes. These lat
ter he will shoot with as much uncon-
Germ as woodcock. And yet, though
| the Corsican will not rob you, it is not
because he does not love money. For
very few francs, both Corsican gentle
men and English residents aver. you
can find man who will do your killing
for you and rid you of your enemy with
knife or bullet. 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 or fifteen
years in Corsica, on his own property,
told me the following story: 1t seems
that one of the employees of the
former proprietor, faneying he had some
grudge against the new owner, made
himself Objectionable by breaking down
fences, driving goats and sheep into the
gardens, and annoying Captain G. in
other ways. Captain G. happened to
mention the fact of the mans enmity,
and deplored it as unreasonable, both to
Corsican gentleman, a neighboring
proprietor, and also to a shepherd with
whom he was on friendly term.
LET me know if it continues" said
the gentleman, "and l will have the
man taken over to yonder rocks and you
won't hear of him again"
ST will arrange for little coup de fatsSl
whenever you like to give me the
office, =" said the berger.
This was fifteen years ago, but even
now it is said there is in Aiaccio alone
! at least one murder week, though
these outrages are so hushed up by the
authorities that it is difficult to get any
} reliable statistics. I never, for instance,
saw the account of any murder in the
little local French paper LIE Raillement,
l the only one, think, in Ajaecio, but
this proves nothing, for there was un.
doubtedly one atrocious crime commit
) ted in the village of Bocognamo, abou
] twenty miles off, while we were at Ajac
: clio, for particulars of which | vainlI
studied the columns of LIE Raillement
, The official whose duty it was to inves
g tigate the matter had wanted to requisi
:, ton from the livery stable keeper th'
Q carriage had bespoken, so heard tht
t story from the mans own mouth. Tht
q victim was an Italian who had married
e and settled at Bocognano. The Italian
o are called lucquds by the Corsicans
and come from Italy in large numbers
e They are very industrious, and do
n great deal of the hard work of th,
s island. Their example of industry ex
|, cites the Corsican's jealousy, but not hi
8 emulation; hence there is little Low
lost between them.
d It appeared that the pig of a Corsica
i wandered near the open cottage door c
L an Italian, and to drive it off the latte
n threw a stone, whereupon the wife @
d the Corsican Indignantly demanded Q
7, her husband if an Italian was to thro'
n stones at Corsican pig with impunity
,r The Corsican at once went into hi
o house, and returning with his gun, she
s the italian dead on the spot. The mul
derer escaped to the macqut, and is,
|, presume, there still, unless the extenl
70 ating circumstances of the victim bein
g a lucqUG has enabled him to return III
l. molested to the bosom of his family.
If National Review.