The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-01-10
FRA DIAYOLO o JT'ID.)ol \ D.

FRA DIAYOLO OUI I " 0| a
Daring Exploits Of g Noted lsn-'
Sian Bandit.
/ rha Career Of an Educated and AceoD11se
nlished Freebooter Who Preferred
q Lawlcss Life to an Hon
est One. Rfsss
At Loustslk, in Poland, the criminal
court was engaged recently with one q
the most extraordinary trials on recore 2,
and one that has been fully reported y {
the French and Russian Journals Ane
accused was Russian nobleman named
Kroukowski, whose exploits as 2
brigand put Fra Diavolo and oil MS
| brothers in the shade And the inter
esting thing about all his criminal ana
romantic career is that there is no room |!
for fiction in the story, because II mas
been established by evidence corro0o-l
rated and sworn to in court. q
For years past, says the Chicago
Times. this man Kroukowski was IN
the habit of carrying on a nocturnal
warfare upon the rich MOBILES OF
Volhynia. Being the son OF rich par
ents who lived in the Podolsk Govern
ment, he received an excellent edncar3
ton and spoken French like Partisan.
He spent a great deal OF his time IN
Paris at the commencement OF MS
career. and was the guest there OF
several aristocratic families. In 1881
he was living very fast life in the
French capital, and when his fortune
began to slip away from him he organ,
lied band of brigands, the principal
officers of which were his coachmen,
his Wallets, and some moujiks on his,
own estate. Then he set out for the
Kejoff Government, and commenced 20.
take the castles of the mobiles by storm
or strategy, according to circumstances.
In a short time, after few sklrmashes
with the Cars troops, he found himself
and his band surrounded, and nothing
seemed left for him but death or sur
render. The troops, however, only sue
.eeded in capturing comparatively
small number of the brigands, and their
establishment was great when 1t was
discovered that the chief had escaped.
| Then they remembered that teenle
and white-haired man, bent with age,
asking charity of the officers, was per
naitted to pass through their lines. That
bogus old beggar was Kroukowski.
Two years slipped by and nothing
more was heard of him until suddenly
he appeared at the head of another
band of robbers, which he organized
and equipped for service in Galicia,
where his exploits were recon-
menced. Of course he never re!
manned very long in one place, and
his movements were singularly rapid.
He came upon community like bliz-
card and his boldness knew no bounds
At Loustsk and Doubno it was shown
in the evidence that he often used to
walk about the streets and dirt with
the ladies; but every time that the po-
Lies got wind of his presence tho search
for him proved fr1litless One night,
however, the authorities became aware
of the fact that the celebrated bandit
was in q little inn at the outskirts OF
the village of Kevertsi. The troops
were Immediately called out. The
place was surrounded and all the doors
carefully guarded. Suddenly a Russian
officer in full uniform appeared. With
an air OF authority he asked to see the
officer in command of the troops. The
latter approached him respectfully and
told him the object of his visit. The
handsome officer seemed surprised at
! o% I,o%1 Il
peared to regard as a hoax. Then he
requested the young Lieutenant in
command to be SO good as to give let
ter with which he presented him in the
politest manner possible, to his friend,
the chief of police.
The Lieutenant took the letter, prom
ised to deliver it and saluted. The fine
looking Russian officer stalked away
after having returned the military
salute with which the troops honored
him. When the Lieutenant got back to
the village and reported, he handed the
chief of police the letter which he had
received from his brother officer. The
latter opened it, and read in French the
following:
''Kroukowslki, chief of the brigands,
presents his compliments to the chief
of police"
The unfortunate Lieutenant lost his
rank for allowing himself to be duped.
Kroukowski also followed the ex-
ample of his Italian confreres in max
ing prisoners and demanding high
ransom for them. One, of, his prisoners
was the daughter of prominent Rus
sian Count. The Count paid the ransom
and got back his daughter, but proposed
TO the outlaw to marry his daughter,
and promised that if he did so and re-
turned to an honest life he would do his
utmost to secure his pardon, and would
succeed beyond doubt. But Krou.
kowski replied that he regretted ex.
ceedingly that previous engagement
put it out of his power to comply with
the Counts request. He was very much
in love with another lady.
The authorities then went to work tc
discover that interesting young lady.