Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-10-29
BRIGANDs OF EUROPE.
THEY ARE BOLD AND FAScl-
MATING GENTLEMEN.
How "A Robber Chief Deseends ON n VII
laSe and Carries ora Bride--Ban-
dts Who Hccome the Fa-
VOrite Heroes.

Tee briSauds Of Italy Spain and
other foreign countries are not rep.
resented in America by any picturs
esque class. writes NJ. l. Payne in
the Detroit Free Press The outlaws
of this hemisphere are more properly
classed as bandits carrying of the
booty instead of the person. The
iaunty brigands OF history ran
down their native mountains like
goats had eyes like cats being able
TO see as we'll by night us by day and
whose hearing was as that OF fox
so that q rustic Ut the leaves however
/ slight served them us warning.
Added 70 this was u trained intelli-
gence OF distinguishing people Al long
distances OF knowing the gentry and
their movements by "a system OF COM
munication as complete as that OF the
teleg raph, and a cunning that bated
detection. These are the brigands OF
Italy. OF Spain OF Cuba or OF any
country where brigandage is the or
shoot Of despotic power the trained
army OF outlawry.
There is always leader 20 those
bands OF mountain robbers who live
by despoiling the rich and stop at no
| crime 10 achieve their ends believing
that personal violence indi a,es trua
proves The leader is usually an
educated criminal who surprised in
some deed of crime. hastens 10 the
mountains and calls around him
horde of desperate men. They az
once assume dress that IS a display
OF bravado the gaudy colors OF the
I peasant combined with part OF tho
costume OF the noble. with u gypsyish
lot OF icwelry and desperate hardi.
hood OF demeanor A rakish nat or
somhrero completes this barbarous
/ costume.
The women-for there arc always
women found to wed these mountain
rutiians are often handsome and fre-
quently interfere to save a captive
for whom no ransom Is offered from a
cruel death. They live idly. wearing
4 rich clothes wrested from travellers.
and their hands are covered with
rings twenty.tour being no unusual
I number besides a variety OF gold
4 NAiehAt1s sunny ~ NAAAth 10 kiAElE uBEEE1z
1t Il SAID that the captain or rob.
/ Der band who desires a wife does his
I counting after this style Casting
I, his evil eye on some fair village
maiden. he descends upon the occa.
\ sion OF dance on the green aud
mingling with the dancers. manages
to dance with the fair one himself
| Then he charms her with his grace
and the beauty Of his dancing wills.
/ pers love messages In her terrified
ears--for she well knows with whom
she is dancing and circling nearer
and nearer to the outer edge Of the
! company he suddenly gives a whis.
tie and his men appear in moment
and dash OF with the prize the
| leader covering their retreat with a
! fusillade OF firearms. which the vii.
lagos dare not return. being too much
cowed by the bandit daring.
Honorable marriage by captured
priest who Is held in readiness Is
offered TO the girl who dare not re-
fuse to become the brigand bride
knowing she can never return to her
homo below the mountain. II Is said
these marriages are exceptionally
happy and that the men love their
abducted prize with constant affection
and the villages from which they are
stolen are forever after safe from fire
and rapine at the hands Of the band.
The capture OF rich victim puts
the whole band into high spirits
There is really u certain code OF
honor observed in this high. handed
project The captive is treated fairly
well il he does not make too much
trouble He is allowed TO communi-
cate with his family through members
of the band and az he knows thnt
treachery will cost him his life he is
careful to observe the laws set before
him. Tie utmost caution IS used by
the bandits while they are negotiating
the ransom and when the money is
paid over receipt in due form Is
given. 10 happens often that the cap.
tive and tho captors part like the best
OF friends even exchanging memen-
toes OF the occasion; this is due to d
grateful feeling on the part OF the
captive that he has escaped long
confinement in mountain caves or a
cruel death. and to a lively appreci-
alton Of the ducats on the part OF the
captor.