Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-06-26
Saint MARI $ 9sacoIl.
An Italian Vendetta.


gand Giuseppe sfusDiino.
From he London Daily Express.
Rome, April 15.-Who has not
heard OF Musilino? Who did not
know that two entire regiments OF
soldiers, together with "carabinieri"
and policemen innumerable had been
securing the Calabrian Mountains
for eighteen months in the hope OF
securing eternal fame by the cap
ture of the dreaded bandit2
The government successfully
raised the price upon his head from
10000 TO q, 600, and, finally to 80,
900 lire, but all efforts TO capture
him proved futile. Months rolled
on; MusiIino was seen everywhere,
but never taken; and while there
we're among US skeptics who doubt
ed II such o person really existed
there were others who wrote indig-
nant letters TO the newspapers ask
ing what tae government was about,
that with 1000 men and unlimited
means Of their disposal they were
powerless to take this one man, who
meantime was treading the path he
had marked out for himself, leaving
a trail of blood and terror behind.
Five years ago, Giuseppe Musoli-
no and Vincenzo Zoccolli, two peas
ants Of Santa Stefano d 'Aspromonte,
a village in the extreme south Of the
peninsula, came to high words about
some matter Of small Importance.
Later that night Zoccolli was found
lying unconscious with a bullet
wound in his breast, and MusolinC
was promptly arrested on charge
of attempted murder. He loudly
protested his innocence before the
jury at Reggie, but could not sue
coed in proving it, and was sen
fenced tOtwenty-twOyears imprison.
ment.
A Heavy Sentence.
The sentence excited much com
ment ut the time being very heavy
one for a crime in which passion was
presumed to have played a large
part, for, as everyone knows, an
Italian jury makes all allowance for
crimes committed under its influence.
When o boy of IL MusolinO had
quarreled with aud killed a boy OF
his own age, had suffered several
years Imprisonment for this crime,
and from that time was supposed
justly or unjustly--to be associated
with every evil deed committed in
the neighborhood. His previous
conviction and his bad reputation
may possibly account for the length
Of the sentence passed upon him.
BE that as it may, on hearing il
Musolino sprang to his feet, and,
lifting his hands to heaven cried 10
ZOccolli, Pray that / may not be
spared to live through these twenty
two years or TO escape from prison,
for swear before God If do will
kill you and every member Of your
family"
The threat was no sterile bravado.
Gifted with extraordinary muscular
force, and with q subtle audacity,
the condemned man, in the prison
of Gerace, meditated long upon the
means of escape, and, having domi-
mated with his imperious will the
fears and doubts of his rOom-com-
paniOns (who, strangely enough,
were men from his own village.) he
induced them tn second him in his
attempt. Little by little they made
an opening in the wall, hiding the
stones and mortar in their mattress
es when the hour for the round"
came, and the hole itself by placing
the mattresses on end against it.
When the aperture was ready, a
kind Of ladder was formed with the
laths of the beds and the sheets torn
in strips, and by this means, on the
night of January 3, 1899, the four
prisoners scaled the walls encircl
ing the prison and lowered them
selves into the street. Here the
organizer ofthe undertaking unfold
ed his programme to his comrades
in the following words: Now, CON-
mence my vendetta. IwilIkill every
man, woman, or child who swore
false witness against me, and SO
helped to bring about my ruin.
Then | viii search out their relatives
and kill them also"
Vendetta Begins.
After tramp of thirty hours over
mountains covered with snow, the
four associates arrived in the vicin-
ity of Santa Stefano, overcome by
cold. hunger, and fatigue. Waiting
until night had fallen. one of the