The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-03-10
THE CAREER OF AN IMPOSTOR.

stranger, Wlnked furtlVely at eacD
other as the doughy, ill-shsped, fiat
faced little production was handed
round to their inspection. For, by
tacit consent, they had come to the
understanding that the little BBlsa
mo was thing of supernatural affi
nities-a changeling, possibly, substi
tuted by some evil fairy for the real
Balsamo junior by whom joy should
have been brought to the household
In spite of the sinister hints thrown
out with regard to the origin OF her
offspring, the maternal Balsamo nurs
ed him with fond solicitude, and had
| him christened by ceremony with the
name of Giuseppe, which was soon
converted into the familiar Beppo.
She gave him such rudiments of edu
cation as she knew how; and he grew
up in the family thick set, bull
necked boy. much given to the society
of the small blackguards by whom
the neighborhood was invested; self
willed also, and, in general terms, a
bad, vicious youth.
At this period of his life, cruel
practical jokes formed one of the re-
laxations by which the young Beppo
beguiled the tedium of home life
Gunpowder, which he procured by
the singular process of theft from a
neighbor's shop, was an element IN
which lie revelled. By several inge-
! NOUS adaptations of this dangerous
material, he caused all the lamps in
| all the houses of the vicinity to ex
plOde at the same hour one night, and
when the frightened housewives rush
ed out into the dark street, expecting
| that the great fire mountain was about
opening to swallow them up, they
were met by a storm of fire or ackers
| and other diabolical contrivances,
set in such a manner by the sweet
child Beppo as to throw confusion
into their ranks, and bring them
shrieking to the ground, in turmoil
of smoke and terror.
AS the young Balsamo grew up, il
was considered advisable by his pa
rents to take some means of restrain
ing the evil proclivities that were SO
early developed by him. They de-
cided, in fact, upon giving him re-
ligious education, with which view
they sent him to the convent Of Car
tagirone, in which establishment he
was entered as novice, ard invested
with the sombre garb Of the brother
hood. Here he was placed under the
especial care of the apothecary OF the
convent, in whose laboratory ne found
and availed himself of the opportuni-
ty of acquiring some superficial know
ledge of drugs, which ha subsequent
~ made useful to himself in the
course of his nefarious career. His
residence among the good friars was
of brief duration, however. Soon he
began to scandaize them by his i'm
pious conversation and fagitioas
practical jokes. Appointed to per
form the office of reader to the convent
that is, to read aloud portions of
Scripture in the refectory, while the
monks were at their meals-he used
to substitute passages of his own for
those in the text, and the outraged
anchorites expelled him with igno-
miny from their convent.
Hereupon he took refuge at the
house of maternal uncle, for his
father was dead now, and tho mother
could not afford to maintain the pro
higate son III the luxurious idleness
which was aimed at by him. AS he
affected some capacity for artistic
pursuits, his uncle recommended him
to devote himself to painting, which
he did ostensibly, while, in reality,
he kept his pockets full by associatiHg
with the most notorious thieves and
swindlers IN the town, in whose en-
terprise and plunder he shared.
During this time he enlarged his ca
pacity for swindling to great ex-
tent His cousin, pretty girl of
| seventeen, had lover, ardent In his
devotion to her, indeed, but verdant
to excess. To this young man Beppo
devoted much attention, constituting
himself agent for him in the uncer-
tain business of courtship, and ap
propriating most of the valuable trim
kets and jewelry entrusted to him by
the hapless swain as presents for the
object of his affections. About this
time the hourishing young Balsamo
became so notorious for his evil deeds
in general, that he earned for himself
the name of BepDo Maldetto; the Ac-
cursed Beppo- or, as it would be
rendered in our vernacular,' that
young cuss, Beppo." The name was
| prophetic of his future.
In the fast life now led by him,
money melted rapidly away. SO that 1t
became necessary for him to take &C
tive measures for replenishing his
collapsed purse There was certain
goldsmith named Marano, who had
been a friend of the elder Balsamo-
an elderly man, reputed rich, and of
rather sanguine and confding dispo
sition. On him the young swindIer
fixed his eye.
Let rs walk in the fields. Marano,"
said he, insinuatingly to his victim
one fine afternoon. You. were my
fathers friend; l would fain commune
with you, and receive your counsel
| and advice"
They strolled out from the town
and wandered into lonely district of
rocks and weird caves.
1T is barren spot" said Marano
the goldsmith. Poverty seems to
have its biding place here.
ITO the eye of the uninitiated eve
ry rock appears barren" rejoined
Beppo; ''and yet, unless my instincts
deceive me, there is much treasure
hidden beneath some of these. Know
ye the power of the d,vining rod7"
continued he, cutting slender twig
from a stunted huzel- brush. "Watch
well, now, as | traverse the ground
with this N gic wand extended be
tween my two hands, and where it
bends and turns over, at that spot a
hidden treasure, depend upon it, lies
buried"
They went over the rocks, for some
distance, without any demonstration