The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-01-05

uptlt'St meaning. iii''ii. t'H !"'i
down in utter exhaustion t" sleep Oil
tue effects of their medicine.
BANDIT OF MANY PRAYERS.
Ne Never BILLED without Worship. and
n. Had Childlikc Faith.
Giovanni Tolu. bandit. wh" for 20
vcaie WAS the terror "f SardlnE'. di'" i
few months ago, after havin" related the
story If hi, life 10 Il lawyer. with III"
request that i b;' published for this
pur,r'>s':
To warn the unfnrtunatHs CT my
class and 10 teach tllr officials how u
proceed if they wculi better the c"ndl-
ton uf tn. poor and unlnrkv
According to- his autobiography To!u
wax the most pinu> man that ever cut u
throat or strlp Il purse He hryan his
career of crime hv trying I" Kill pr'fs'
who prevented his marriage with t'i'
girl Of his heart Nevertheless. III his
srlscuuent life ne had Il wnr>tlptul re-
gard for the cloth He confessed. he at
tended mass he even prayed III the
nress,lce of his dead victims
Before | took tn" life of traitor or
a rich nurres>or OF tn" poor. II" cx'
mains in his lsuk II always he>nught
the Virgin and The saints 70 adr,>" and
comfort ms. Dn the day when resolved
20 kill Salvatore Nor" sought the "lh
of bravcn On my WAY t" hm called
without cea>iig on the mother of N"t
to rnli~htcn ne aud advise me whether
nv coura,lc really deserved to die. l
also commended nv soul to Gods care
in case should 90 under IN the COM
bat. When | had shot Moro dead. |
loaded nv gun again. laid the stock on
his BODY and then offered up III fcrru'
humility an Ave Maria and requiem
for the departed soul
II killed the bodies, hut not the souls
of NV enemies. and observed always
the religions exercises which the cir
cu!uStances required.
The handltS fav0ritc books were
"MulitatlonS on the Life Of the Holy
Virgin" and tho Bible. "Althou2h Il
hauiit. > he declares. II never neglect
ed anv religions duties Every day
said nv murplng and evening prayers.
| praved for the dead. Went tn church
and cnufeSscn many times every year.
The abbot of Florinas WAS wont to lead
me into church by the secret passage
from his house Outside the police were
watching for me: inside ! fulfilled my
duties to God. ] was alone with the
priest.
rolu had some queer ideas about
priests proper discharge OF his
churchv duties The priest who prayed
more than three times Il; mass he re-
latcS invariably bewitchrd somebody.
"Olce Ill Florinas goes his story. Il
had a bad attack of rheumatism, and |
was convinced that had I"cn hCwitch-
ed bv Il priest sought help from the
Flurina> priest. who was an excellent
man. He put on his vpStment>. and with
holy water and cross began to exercise
the evil spirits The pain ceased almost
at once. and had few weeks of peace.
Later | went to the cnratc of OSSl. who
was supposed to he still more skilled III
exorcism. He told me to knccl. and he
srrinkled me with holy water Then
he uraved p long time Went to him
three times. The third time the pain
was worse than ever, and then he cnn-
fes>2d 10 me that he had been hewitch-
cd tv another priest. who was nlghtlcr
than hc Finally obtained relief from
the abbot of OSSi. who for 40 days made
me- partake Of blessed oil and blessed
bread.
Perhaps this childlike faith was what
made the Sandman peasants regard To-
In with love and veneratinn He was
ALWAYS helped and fed hv them when j"
was hard pressed by soldiers OF police
10 him hundreds "f them gladly paid Il
small annual sum as insurance against
thieYrS. cutthroatS and robbers. They
had 1mplicit confidence III his ability t"
protect them. NJ the s:mc time they
often refused to pay taxes and were un-
willing to ask the police or military to
.arrest those who rlundered them.
In his 80 Years Of bandit life Tolu,
despite his religious scrunl"S. Killed be-
tween 80 and 80 Mon, robbed hundreds
and burned to the ground tho buildings
on nine great estates. Ee was ever at
war with the authorities of the l,nd.
and IN the last ten wears of his career
dpvrtei himself exclusively 30 rohhin"
and killing persons holding office or
standing Ill the service of the police or
! military