The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-23

former whom the stranger made use OF
aided by the two brothers, who continued
70 draw deeply from his purse
"The plot was 70 prove that Arnando
! WIS carrying on Volumnous COTE
| spondence with a woman at Catano. Carlina
was therefore instructed 10 write, during
| two weeks, letters which we're dictated TO
| her, and mailed from Catano, when II was
her duty 70 see that they came beneath
| the Signora's notice.
Of taking the letters from the postm9n
/ when he brought them, and what would
! happen II the other maid should take ihe
mail and give II directly to her masteri
'Carlina alone had intelligence enough
I TO foresee this contingency. At any price,
! Lodovica must be taken into their con-
/ fidence and made TO aid them.
Accordingly, without warning her com
/ panions, she told Lodovica. But the
latter Indignantly refused to have any
| thing to do with the plot and even went 30
| far as TO say that she would tell the whole
I story TO ArmAndo when he returned that
| night from Syracuse, where he was spend
/ ing the day.
1t happened that very day, however,
/ that the foreigner at the end Of his patience
carried away ArmAndo Nitopis wife and
! when the husband returned 70 the villa
| he found no one there except Lodortca,
| who told him everything. The sgnora
had gone away with Carlina.
! THE unfortunate husband understood
| perfectly what had become OF his wife
! He did not. however, start unmedntely
! in search Of her. There were doubtless
some arrangements 20 be made trst, for
il was not until two days later that the
J villa was closed. II has remained 80 ever
! since.
A week later, signor, a man. evidently
a foreigner. who was walking with a woman
! somewhere near Messina, was suddenly
attacked and killed with knife thrust
in his heart by two masked men Inc
woman was gagged and carried to car
| rage which was waiting close by.
zone Of the men took on his mask and
examined his victims pocketbook Curl
ousy before they fed in haste. The woman
had succeeded In freeing herself and was
uttering desperate cries, but when the
rescuers came up they could only see the
dust OF the fast disappearing carriage.
Near the body, however, they found
a mask and the open pocketbook II
was full OF bank notes, on one OF which was
| written
This man was scoundrel. His punish
ment wac his just due. NALsANolA
IAN INQUEST was made, and it was dis
covered That the victim was a Danlsh
gentleman, the Baron de Sehrdrupp he
was to have left Sicily the next day with
| the woman who accompanied him VINO
this woman was was never known.
1T was also known late that the Baron had
been living for some time at Catano, where
he had been seen In company with two
brothers. The authorities sought to find
thess two men, bit they had sappeared.
Several months afterward guide
who was returning from Mount Pelleyr1no
and who had been in Palermo but a short
time, was found with dagger in his heart
and piece Of paper lying near him. which
bore the words:
This man vas a scOundrsl' HIS punish pun
| ment was his Just due. NALsANoiA.
three weeks later a travelling mer-
chant who had recently set up In business
in Trapano was likewise killed in the same
manner, and as he had done twice before
Valsa voia signed his deed.
1T seems that no one could ever Ind
out who these two men really were. Tn
names which they had given were proved
to be assumed, but Il was impossi 10 to
discover their identity. Criminal justice,
when Il comes in contact with the Mana
Immediately confro "a tremendous OBJ
stacles and II is wore tina useless to tr
to find a witness who knows and will
tell any OF his knowledge.
But those who told me the story think
that these last two victims were Fihppo
and Vinoenzo and that Valsavoia which
Is, by the way, the name OF the village whers
they and their sister were born-s no other
than Armando Nitopi
aIs this a true story7' I demanded in
oredulousy, as the stran ger finished. How
much is fact and how much tableG
1T is all true, in my opinion, replied
my companion. 1t Is a perfectly logical
explanation Of events,
WAS the woman who was carried away
from Messina.'
And where Ia she nowl'
Probably In one Of the numerous caves
Of which our mountains are full. There
she will doubtless be kept until she dies.
But the servant
Nothing has as yet been heard Of her
But, as you Sec you must not confound,
in Sicily the people who kill for revenge
with the others whose number is con-
stantly lessening' who kill for money, and /
do not believe that this Nalsavoia, who
has three assassinRtions and kidnapping
to his account, Is one Of the famous brig
ands whom the popular tourist loves TO
fear. Besides-but / beg your pardon,
here we are at Girgenti.
We were indeed, just entering the station.
The engineer, whose conversation had
made the time pass so pleasantly, strobe
10 the door, apparently looking for some
one among the crowd. "A II In reply TO
his look, a young man OF about twenty,
who had pressed forward in the crush,
lifted his hand In rapid salute 70 my com
panion and presently lost sight of both
Of them in the seething army OF porters
and facchini.
Three days later, as was leaving Cir
genti and waiting at the station for my
train, one Of the guards there informed
me that the night before, a servant girl
pamed CaTlina had been kidnapped.
Doubtless a lover who was IN too much
Of a hurry the man explained, smiling
said nothing. Gnce In the train /
began to think deeply, and recalling the
story | had heard, wondered II this was
not another Of Valsavoias moves, for
the girl Carlina was the only link missing
in the mplete chain Of revenge, II VAL
savoia was, as the stranger had surmised,
identical with A msndo Nitopi.
was inclined 10 think he was night.
But as ] reflected further, II struck me
that he had shown too intimate knowledge
for a mere outsider and presently the truth
dawned upon me that the man with whom
| had travelled from Palermo was nc other
than-Valsavoia himself
4