Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-05
NIUSSOLINO, ITALIAN BANDIT,
ON TRIAL FOR II MURDERS
5rigand Tells With Seeming Sincerity
of a Celestial Visitor Who Showed
Him How to Break Through the
Stone Walls of His Prison.

wr ~ USSOLINO, the most picturesque
NH bandit who ever lived. has pre-
pared his memoirs and sold them
to a publisher at the higest price
ever paid in Europe for manuscript
He received 5000 in money and will be
given 20 per cent royalty upon the sales
of the book. Even Victor Hugo, who was
as sharp as any author dared to be. meyer
! drove harder bargain. Though he was
given as much cash for one or two of his
books as Mussolino has received, Hugo
never had the audacity to ask for roy
atty in addition.
But, then, Mussolino's fame knows no
equal I'm all of Italy. He has committed
thirty murders, every one of them fair
and with the victim alone to blame, ne
saws. Eleven or these victims were the
Judge, prosecutor and jurors who had
convicted him unjustly, the bandit asserts,
of minor crime. All were notified Tar In
advance that they were to be slain, ana
each killing was brought on on schedule
time.
Never in his life, though. did this aston
fishing assassin rob an individual ana
not one of his victims was member OF
the lower classes. So the peasanJry, par
ticularly the women. came to love him.
They helped him to find the most mac
cessible hiding places n the mountains
ana gave MIN warning WITCH NAAI SSAN-~~f
OF whom brigade was always employed
in the search, were near. For months at
a time this Fra Diavolo had no food other
than that carried to him by these per-
sons. He was driven from one fastness 70
another. At one time, attired as a monk,
he talked with the soldiers who were IN
pursuit of him, offering to take commits
sions from the officers. Finally. betrayed
by his peculiar accent he was captured
and confined in the strongest prison IN
Italy. Even there It was feared his friends
would reach and rescue him. Every tai
ian peasant who can read will buy one OF
Mussolino's books, even should he be
obliged to mortgage his little cot to OBJ
tain the money. t-
Mussolino Is now on trial at Lucca,
Italy. for the killing of the Judge, the
prosecutor and the nine jurors. This court
is located far from the scene OF the band
fits crimes, for were the trial to be held
near by, Mussolino's friends would swoop
down and set him free Then the search,
which lasted for years and cost dozens
of lives, would have to begin all over
again.
Throughout the troubles Mussolino's
sweetheart has ever been upon his mind.
He was grieved at his inability TO marry
her. She was willing to become his wlIe'
despite the price upon his head, but the
bandit ever gallant, declared he could not
been justified
The brigand opens his astonishing book
with this broad statement: 81 have killed
many. but never knitted anybody from be-
hind his back My murders, so-called,
were duels-each man had a chance to
fight for his life, whether he deserved 1t
or not And never robbed living soul,
never laid hands on the weak.
"Expatriation and Punishment robbed
r of the sweetest Joy of life-woEnan 8
love- I might have attained that happi-
ness, but at the price of virtue. 1t would
have been Infamous of me to accept a
woman's love while fugitive from JUS
Ice. a wanderer on the face of the earth.
During Christmas night dreamed
was standing at the brink of great
precipice, while a strange voice whispered
behind my back. Turning, saw a tan
figure that spoke as follows: What are
your thoughts. my son?'
{" L am thinking of my troubles, and
whether there is an unhappier man in the
wide wide world. And 1t pains me to
think that animals act more honorably
than most men. Thousands would be
ready to murder me If 1 moved from this
place
''Thereupon the spectral body said: AS
long as there is life there is hope Musso-
limo. Pray to God and He will succor YOU
81 made answer: don't believe in
spirits whereupon the stranger said:
You will believe in me when l tell you
that you shall depart from this place and
take revenge on your enemies
Next morning when 1 told my cell
mate of what had happened. he laughed
and called me a fool, but / said: It's
worth working for, anyhow. 1 will try to
break through the wall at the very spot
where the spectre appeared. If succeed