, 1890-03-22
italian Brig1nds.
(From the Daily Telegraph

nasty ruled over the Kingdom of the Two
Slcllles, and the Roman PNntif was still q
temporal aS well IN n spiritual Sovereign,
the profession of brigandage 1Ourislied like
q green bay tree throughout Southern and
Central Italy. Bands Of armed highway.
men infested the SiciIian aud CalabIees@
hills, the highlands of the Abrnzzi, and
the malarious PLAN surrounding the Eternal
City. No wealthy or we'll .to-do person,
foreigner or native, WAS safe from these
predatory industrialS. Travellers aud
Tourists, influential citizens and wealthy
landowners, were seized-freQuently ia
broad daylight-boulid, and carried OF to
mountain taStneSSeS, where they were held
To ransom. for weeks, sometimes months. ct
~ stretch, subjected To every kind of incon.
v%etience and privation, and Compelled to
undergo extremltieS Of fatiguS whenever
circumstances compelled their captOrs to
shift camp or execute IL fore ell march by
night from one place of conccalment to
another. When the amount Of their rS.
drInption money and the term Of its pay.
ment had been fixed by the chief Of the ap.
s~OrlatiOn into whose hands they had fallen.
ami the decision arrived had been conmu.
nlcated TO their bankers or ~consuls. rrla.
tiVeS or friends, rs the case might be-
they had to suffer q long agony Of sue.
prnSe, with prospect of torture, and mutt.
lati0n before them, should any unforeseen
delay occur in the transmission of their
ransom, and with the certainty Of being
put to death should the sum demanded not
be forthcoming, or should the authorities
raShly attempt to effect their rescue by
force. 1t was the hideous custom of Ger.
tain bandit chiefs, renowned tor their OK.
ceptl0llal trucuIence, to stimulate prompt
payment OF their pecuniary exactions by
a. GU a rI ~ n ~ "a. nn ~ A. "a ~
TO Ills kllIStOIk or 10 the person commits ion.
ell b. him to collect and transmit the price
of his deliVeTanCe. This CHASTITY reminder
would be accompanied by an intimation
that 'mOre would follow" at stated inter.
walls unless the money should CON to
hand by euch and snch time, at the expira.
ton OF which, in default of pay ment, a pis.
tOl.shOt or kmife.Stab would permanently
settle the prisoners account. Brigandago
was y power in the realm OF the lazzaroni
when Alexandra Dumas the Elder ArsS
visited Naples, and discovered that al
lie Nasone"-KinR NoSey, as his subjects
atfectiOnately nicknamed him-secretlykept
up friendly relations with the leading ban.
dltti Ut the "Regno," rarely FILLING to give
them "the straight tip" as to tho move
ments OF his own troops when the Neapoli.
tan Government felt called upon to seS on
foot a military expedition with the profess.
ed object Of discriminating some peculiarly
noxlous band of despaFadOes. AS late as
1869, while the Rcumenical Council was
holding session in the Basihca of st. Peter.
1t was unsafe, after sunset, to drive along
the high road skirting the walls Of Rome
and Sin imberghi, tle well known English
chemist, was shot dead by the brigands one
afternoon, within twOh un dred yards Of
the POrta Pia, while returning in an open
carriage from u shOoting-party in the
~Oampagna.
Soon after Italy had ACHE we'd her na.
tional unity under the Crown Of Savoy, the
Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and she
whilom States of the Church, were freed
from the curse of organized b~riCandage,
and public security, for the first time in
Italian history, was effectively guaranteed
throughout the length and breadth Of the
Peninsular. This and other remarkable
changes brought about in the aRegno
Unto" by the ~resolute and intelligent 20.
lion Of the Royal authorities, with the COR.
dial support OF the Legislature, appear TO
have all but overwhelmed with astonish.
ment two elderly brigands who reported
themselves at tbs Neapoiitan Prefecture on =
the 10th instant, having just bsen dis.
charged from thS State prison Of FayignanA. =
In which they had been shut up for Eorty. !,
one consecutive years under Q life. sentence
of penal servitude. These men, vincense j
RI; H;nC0 onh 0;uearrn a; No. Aw m