The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-10-13
BRIGANDS OF EUROPE.
THEY ARE BOLD AND FASCl-
MATING GENTLEMEN.
How a Robber Chief Descends on a vii
lage and Carries Off a Bride-Ban-
dts Who Become the Fa-
vorite Heroes. i @.@< .....

z.54s@t# VOFlCe heroes.
The brigands of Italy, Spain and
other foreign countries are not rep
resented in America by any pictur-
esque class writes M. L. Payne in
the Detroit Free Press. The outlaws
of this hemisphere are more properly
classed as bandits. carrying off the
booty instead Of the person. The
Jaunty brigands Of history ran
down their native mountains like
goats. had eyes like cats being able
to see as we'll by night as by day, and
whose hearing was as that of a fox.
so that a rustic of the leaves, however
slight. served them as a warning.
Added to this was a trained intelli-
gence of distinguishing people at long
distances OF knowing the gentry and
their movements by system of COM
munication as complete as that of the
telegraph and cunning that baff1ed
detection. These are the brigands of
Italy. of Spain. of Cuba or OF any
country where brigandage is the off
shoot of despotic power, the trained
army of outlawry.
There is always a leader TO those
bands Of mountain robbers who live
by despoiling the rich and stop at no
crime to achieve their ends believing
that personal violence indicates true
proves. The leader is usually an
educated criminal who surprised in
some deed Of crime, hastens to the
mountains and calls around him a
horde of desperate men. They at
once assume dress that is a display
of bravado. the gaudy colors of the
peasant combined with part of the
costume of the noble, with a gypsyish
lot of jewelry and a desperate hardi-
hood of demeanor. A rakish hat or
sombrero completes this barbarous
costume.
The women-for there are always
women found to wed these mountain
rutfians-are often handsome and fire.
quently interfere to save a captive
for whom no ransom is offered from a
cruel death. They live idly, wearing
rich clothes .wrested from travellers
and their hands are covered with
rings twenty-four being no unusual
number: besides a variety of gold
chains some as thick as their fingers.
1t is said that the captain OF a rob-
her band who desires wife does his
counting after this style: Casting
his evil eye on some fair village
maiden. he descends upon the occa-
sion of a dance on the green, and
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; whis-
pers love messages in her terrified
ears--for she we'll knows with whom
she is dancing-a circling nearer
and nearer to the outer edge of the
company he suddenly gives a whis-
tie, and h men nppear in {, moment
and dash off 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 bandits daring.
Honorable marriage by a 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. 1t 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 a rich victim puts
the whole band into high spirits.
There is really certain code of
honor observed in this high handed
project. The captive is treated fairly
we'll if he does not make too much
trouble. He is allowed to communi-
cate with his family through members
of the band and as he knows that
treachery will cost him his life he is
careful to observe the laws set before
him. Tie utmost caution is used bv
the bandits while they are negotiating
the ransom. and when the money is
paid over a receipt in due form is
given. 1t happens often that the cap
tive and the captors part like the best
of friends. even exchanging memen-
toes of the occasion; this is due to a
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
eaptor-
That bogus Indian curios and relics
should be created the moment q do