The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-01
CONSCIENCE MONEY.


constantly hearing Of highway robbery,
and even of downright brigandage, out
on the Campagna and up i'll the noun
tains. Sometimes rumor would bring
the marauders to the very gates of the
city, and at last the bandits were re-
ported to have ventured into tho town
itself. Tho report did not exaggerate the
reality.
Happily none of our party fell vic
tim to these attempts save ono, who
was stopped in open day by tho side of
Santa Maria Maggiore, forced back to
tho wall and "hcld up" with half q
dozen knives cleaning in n semicircle
around his throat
He was relieved Of his watch and
gave up his purse, but beyond the loss
of these articles suffered no injury The
watch he subsequently recovered, and
tho purse contained only few francs.
Simon Backer always was lucky dog.
There was ut this time, in tho noun
tains near Cervara, q bandit whose ac-
tivity and audacity had made him ter
ror to the district for several months
past. Emboldened by the smiles with
which fortune favored him, he grew
daily more daring. Ho had ventured in
to Subiaco and carried off prisoners I'M
der the walls of Tivoli. Tho peasants
never failed to cross themselves when
they spoke of Fontana. He was said to
be not moro than 90 ut most, of q strik-
ingly handsome presence and to cour-
age that was indomitable he added the
strength of Hercules.
For nearly half IL year this follow and
his band of cutthroats hold possession
of the Campagna. The attempts made
from time to time to take him always
came to nothing. Now it would be the
royal and now tho pontifical gendar-
merle that would go after him, but the
carblncers seemed never to arrive in
time. There was always something to
delay their departure or obstruct their
march.
Tho Campagna is a veritablo land of
Goshen for brigand who knows his
business Everywhere there are grottoes,
caverns, grass grown ruins, abandoned
quarries and broad belts of forest, IN
trodden for generations. A few villages,
lost in these solitudes. arc united to the
outer world by q track which is un-
worthy the name Of road and bound to-
gether by footpaths only recognizable by
those accustomed to uso them.
The child trotting from enc to the
other with cheese for the grandmother,
or returning with water from the dis
tant fountain, would frequently fall in
with the "wolf'
This wolf was Fontana disguised
With some cheap trinkets, perhaps q
necklace OF beads or q silver bracelet,
he would entice the child to chatter,
wheeling out of her who sold his
beasts or disposed of his crop; inquir-
ing if this one had received tho bequest
expected or that other been paid the
legacy left him. And how could the
frightened child refuse to answer when
tho "wolf" suddenly transformed him
self into handsome gentleman, with
soft manners and hands filled with
pretty things:
In one of these villages lived a man
named Beppo Guerra. It was he him
self who told me this story. Ho filled
tho triple Office Of notary, apothecary
and mayor.
AT the close Of the winter fairs held
i'll Rome and the neighborhood Guerra
had committed the great impudence of
bringing back with him a largo sum of
moncy-several Thousand francs. Fon-
tana got wind Of this.
One evening, when everybody in tho
village was asleep and Reppo was fin
1shlng ms pipe down stairs, some shots
were fired at the door. No warning had
been given; no noise had been heard
Before Bcppo could recover himself a
ball crashed through tho window and
tore long splinter from tho ceiling
Jolst, the door was burst open, and Fon-
tana entered followed by several mem
bers Of his band.
Terrified by tho noise, Nine. Guerra
rushed to the room to save her husband,
and the children ran to seek protection
near their mother
Unmoyet: by the entreaties of the
wife, the iuflims levelcd their pistols
at the hoac.S Of the aifrightcd family.
Twenty thousand francs is what we
want OF you, y shouted Fontana Come,
there's IN til:c TO waste. don't want
any blrDGe.ing, and I'm not going to
hstcn 10 &Ay tale pitching Hand it over
quickly. I'll give yon five minutes to
make up your mind
Resistance was useless To call for
help was 10 seek sudden death and
bring down vengeance on the heads of
little ores. Bcppo understood the stu
alton exactly
II have not such sum, - said he cold
~
"Then give us what you have. The