The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-21
AvITABILE, THE CRUEL.
hts Arm or Iron :. the Puuiah-Meu
Hanged BIZ the Heels In BIoeks OF Five,

In Marion Crawford's sketches Of AmalH and
the adjacent districts 10 q reference to an "enor-
nous palace, visible from the sea at great
distance" known as tho Paazzo deRli Spirit. II
was built, says Mr.. Crawford, "by q parsonage
known as Gen. Avitabils who came to tragic
end before com pletng It,"
The name was familiar. and before long tho
parsonage referred TO was Identified. Some Of
tho account that follows Of this gentleman adj
venturer Is taken from the writings Of u near
relative aud part from stories heard by the
writer In his youth. 1t will be seen that lie
General Avitabile" was indeed NJ to rank with
those gentlemen adventures of whom KiplnR
sings in THE Last Chanty" as
Fettersd hand TO wrist. all for red inicuity.
Avitabllo was q Neapolitan BY birth. and In
early manhood served as n sub.lisutenant In
Napoleon I.'s artillery In the latter part OF the
conqueror's career. After Napolcon's exile life
in the royalist army In exhausted France be-
came too slow for his hot blood. and he wan
dered out to India. OF which. doubtless, he had
heard much when Napoleon's vague schemes
for subjugRtinc the Orient were discussed and
gossiped over in the French regimontal messes.
How he got there. or what his adventures be-
fore he reached the scenes OF his success and his
crimes, there are few living who can tell. for Of
those of the British contingent In the Punjab
who knew him. and OF him. most were menu
bers OF that Inflated force Of Ii. 900 that were
destined to perish so miscrably in the Khybar
Pass during tho retreat from Cabul after
Macnaghten's murder by the rufian Akbar.
At the time Avitabile reached tho Punjab Its
rulers were the sikhs. Hindoo sect OF compar-
ativcly modern origin. and their chief the
famous Runjit Singh. had lately conquered tho
province of PeshAwcr from the AfshAns, driv-
ing them back into and beyond tho frowning
Businesses of the Khybar Late In his wise and
vigorous reign Rnnit singh had adopted the
a.inte policy OF otilcering his splendid but un;
n Gen.. Allard was the means OF introducing
Avitabile to tho sikh ruler. That Avitabile's
personality and methods must have IMPRESSED
Runjit Singh is evldcnt, for he was promoted to
the rank OF General and ed the Governor
ship OF the PROVINCE Of Poshawer. certainly tho
gift. The selection was justified BY tho crlt-
csms of the British Resident-that he kept hi.
province In better order than any ftho Others"
supreme In his sphere. Avitabile built himself
an extraordinary dwelling. magnificent in pro-
ogy OF the sifhs Solid gold was none too good
. sGs ns % SS ssss he wa:
a man of dauntless determination and quick re-
,ourc, and absolutely merciisss and unscrupu-
lous. He ama->ed an enormous fortune by plum
derinE and hning the Inhabitants and by ex-
torting blood money from the unfortunate
criminals who fell into his power. Some OF his
deeds b~ggar description. He never hanged
men ia any other method than BY the heels. aud
in his Judgments as between Sikhs and Moham-
medans. AID l. said to have excused n WHO'S. ale
hanging OF SHY M1s.em. for killing OK, oxen and
mary method he had prevented 4 more extern
stys destruction OF Moslem life by the sikh,
childish passion for IN usic. He collected musical
sncf boxes, and at dinner would set them all
witch must have been discord. Poultry too.
WAS . passion. and his poultry yard was . source
His methods Of governing the city proper we're
primitive. He bad a large iron box. secured
with paddock and chain. placed IN much used
conpsnts. &C., were slid. or this box he alone
had key, aud so was certain that MOTH nx was
slated Of = gorgeous horse artillery Jacket Eng.
hshl. wide crimson trousers drawn In At tho
ess sns no sSs
laced cap. Add TO this striking attire features
sSs Ss s: srs' ind.o
dered on land instead Of on the sea-
ince and repressei crime. but Il was by HON
ropathic rem edies- simGid similibus. Among
ferred on his province are named the reducing
OF the revenue to dxed II somewhat exorb-
ROBBERS sS In order sR.s he nigh, 90 The rosbas
the generality. But his methods were some
what stringent for he himself confessed to an
English officer to whom he had taken liking
that the collection of 1000 rupees OF revenue
sometimes cost 1000 rupees in the destruction
OF property and that rs money was the prime
necessity. every crime, even murder. might be
RtOned for At price
Once he caught a petty chief In some small
trickery In the matter Of tribute, To enforce
the enormous ino posed AyitA bile had him
seized and stripped and cold water poured
slowly over him night afer night. The poor
fellow died. and his torturer's plAintiye waii 70
the same English oficer WAS that the "robber"
had died without giving him aught To obtain
the price Of blood from man who had assas-
sinated another. this soldier OF fortune exposed
him naked to the midday sun, with the half Of
his body painted red. The agony OF the sufferer,
exposed to the attacks OF insects and the blazing
tinued stubborn the mother OF the assassin tod
man WAS made to slaughter tho wre'ched muir
derer In the presence Of the court.
Instances Of le GSntrdts ways OF governing
might DO multiplied. but enough has been said
10 show that as late as 1870 In northwestern
India there were parallels to the worst ruifians
eighteenth centuries, This was the man who
returned home to the sunny heights above
Agerola To build n vast palace with his blood
wrung riches. tn poison and be poisoned On tho
evening of an adventurous life.
Avitabile visited England ore he settled down
near his native place. and one or more stories
some prominent people there, he related with
great Rusto. Of course In Italian the story OF the
mrtiny at Peshawer and now he repressed IL.
II was tho comment of lady who heard the
narrative. and who understood his SeApoli-
tanese," that the words Iccidre kil) and am
tndztdr, lslay) formed the burden Of the tale.
He met Carlyle at dinner once and related to
him the anecdote OF the payment OF the Per-
sian poet Firdusi for tho shah NRmeh" IN
labor OF thirty years duration) by Mahmud OF
Shazni In q sack full Of coppers. Whereat
asked II "thi. Firdusi" was dead. il must
have boon about ls4T. 80 that Avltabile retired
to Agerola TO end his days IN theblckerings and
final tragedy limited at by Mr.. Crawford.