The record-union., 1893-08-18
ITALIAN BRIGANDAGE.
To What Section Confined on the
Peninsula.
Its Cause.-The Remedy-The Malta and
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Safe From
Harm-The Governments Failure
to Repress the Great Evil.

darm-The Governments Failure
to Repress the Great Evil.
There is no such thing as an Italian
brlgandage; there is a regional one in
that section of the kingdom which is an
appropriate hot-bed of such local disease.
North Italy has been free from any sort
OF brigandage for the past twenty years.
The clearing of all forest land, the net
work of railways and highways, the
density of rural population, together with
the increase in elementary instruction,
have worked these good results upon the
country and ruined all good prospects for
q would-be brigand. Hence criminal in
stincts were forced to take a more refined
and less romantic form; they emigrated
into towns where rogues of many varie-
ties thrive as long as no one detects them.
But as soon as we reach geographically
the thicket-covered Maremma and the
Roman Campagna, the question changes.
population to the square mile decreases,
ignorance prevails, Seaports are scarcely
frequented by steamers; therefore any
man who in a village brawl or who for a
love affair has stuck knife into fellow
fence, resorts to the woods for shelter,
where he Will drag on a curious sort of
existence, hunted animal lille, generally
resorting to his rifle only for self-defense
In fighting against the carabineri. or in
that other form of selt-defense which con-
sists in shooting down pitilessly some
man who has betrayed his hiding place
to the police authorities.
These bush rangers seldom disturb
pacific traveller; sometimes they light
their pipe at the cigar of a sportsman;
they get food from the peaSantry, to
whom, if they think it convenient, they
often do a good turn. One seldom hears
OF any useless cruel deed committed by
them. At most they exact some paltry
sum of money from the bailif OF some
rich land owner when they want little
cash. on the whole it would be wise to
leave them undisturbed, as, putting into
the balance the cost of prosecution and
the advantage of their capture, the former
is much more costly affair. Generally
speaking the usual end of the average
Maremma bandito is shot from the rifle
OF carabluere.
The island OF Sardinia has a brigandage
similar to that of AIaremma. The vim
dictive Sardinian, taken to the woods
like his Corsicau cousin, in consequence
OF a family feud that has brought about
some blood spiling, a Sartlinian bandito
is by no means necessarily a bad man.
Sometimes he is deservedly popular
character among his fellow country men,
who are quite ready to screen him from
the police authorities.
Now let US cross the old frontier be-
tween the Neapolitan kingdom and the
former States of the Church. From here
to the Straits of Messina, "A vigorous brig
andage ragged during ten years that is
from 1860 to 1870. 1t took the appearances
OF political movement in favor OF the
Bourbon dynasty. Indeed, it was a sort
OF plebeian rural Nendee. The italian
army was obliged to keep the field against
well-armed bands, sometimes mum mberinr
many hundreds Of horsemen. In Malta
and Rome were the head centers Of the
standing committees, " ho were active in
directing the bloody work OF the banas
and in furnishing their leaders with valu-
able information, excellent rifles, ac-
cOutrements and ammunition. The army
had hard work to do, and often they had
+ be Iitiless.
Courtmartials and criminal courts
were quick in judging and prompt in
shooting or hanging. Those foreigners
who clamor for the restitution of the tenn
pOral power to the Pope must surely To-
more that 1t was above all the vicar of
Christ who countenanced many OF the
common aJssassins like Cipriano la Gala
and gave them shelter within the from
tiers of bis State. The Italians relent-
less desire to take possession of Rome
was the result of sheer necessity; only
thus could they insure tranquility to the
unhappy inhabitants of the south. Few
people know that life and property in
those parts were as insecure between 1861
and 1870 as in medieval times.
This terrible state of affairs ceased sud-
denly with the occupation of Rome; and
the few remnants of the old bands were
easily captured and sent to penal servi-
L. ~, = ,1I,,-, -.
ige Of brigandage in the former conti-
mental section of the Southern kingdom.
Any thing that occurs in that way is sim
ply sporadic and limited to the remotest
parts OF Calabria.
Sicily is still the theater of a thriving
bandit trade, and the combined efforts OF
the Government and public opinion have
not been to this day crowned with sue
cess.
Now Sicilian brigandage Tor better still
Inalandrinaggiol has not even the paltry
excuse of political preteXt. Never since
1850 have the Bourbons had partisans
among the Sicilians, nor is the local
clergy at all intransigent. The bands
muster very limited number of men
actually composing them. They recruit,
so To speak, occasionally among the rural
population, and are headed by vulgar as
sassins, and robbers escaped from pris-
ons, and they are noted for their Grass ig-
government She passed from the su-
pinely tyrannical rule of the Bourbons to
the stern command of men sent to the
island from North Italy as TO a place OF
exile. No link of sympathy united the
jovial LON bard, the bold and slow Pied
montese, the willy and quick Tuscan
officials with the reserved and resentful
Siciliaus.
How could the rulers understand the
ruled? Even the wide difference in the
patriot proved an obstacle to good ad-
ministration. The Sicilian soil is divided
into large Ieudi: the small landed proprie-
tor, who is the back bone of the northern
population, does. not exist in the beauti-
tul island. Most OF the big lords are ab-
sentees and prefer town to country life;
many reside on the continent.
Thus the rural districts are left entirely
in the hands of inefficient Stale officials.
and of local elements which rule at viii
the weaker section of their brethren
The amount of petty tyranny exercised
by the powerful on the weak is absolutely
incredible, and breeds as consequence a
thirst for revenge. In this abnormal state
of things any bold character may assume
the roll OF arbiter of power and at the
same time that of redresser of wrongs
This explains the unbopnded popularity
OF such brigands as Antonio Leone, who
found accomplices in every village OF the
province Of Palermo, whom no one burst
betray, who could walk in the capital and
take his ice at the SWEETEST cafe of the
city and enjoy the performance at the
opera-hOuse even when King Hum bert
then Crown Prince was present This
Antonio Leone, who succumbed in fair
fight with the carabineri, was the bloody
flower of bad tree grown naturally on
the Sicilian soil.
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