Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-24
CORSICAN BANDIT IS DEAD
Antonio Bsllacssia Was Hsld in Fear and
Esteem By CorSioanS,
LIVED CONSISTENTLY IN THE HILLS
uustrious Persons Were His Guests
Three widows, EiEht children and
Seventy Grandchildren
Mourn His Death.


/ influenza. This has been his third time Of
/ dying. Twice before he revived, but now
| he Is said 10 be really and truly dead.
| Some, on the other hand, AFFECT to believe
| that he died in reality many years ago
I and that he was successfully impersonated
/ by various old Corsicans with an eye TO
/ business. Anyhow he was or is a delicious
| old bandit and Corsica could not have done
without him. Ancient history says he took
! TO the bush Of the wild isle towards 1s4s
! after having attempted to murder a mere
public attorney. Two years later he shot
a rival who presumed to court one OF his
| lady loves, and in due course of time he
brought down two or three gendarmes with
/ his fowiing piece. These were the mere
dry bones of his picturesque career The
| real man was revealed In his beautiful at
/ titude. For forty-four years he lived
with his tribe in the woods and hills above
| Docogano, a delightful life of brigandage.
Police and troops were sent at intervals
to capture him, but always strangely
| failed. In the early days of his career he
used to shoot and shoot straight, too, at
his pursuers but after a time such exag-
] gerated realism was dropped by common
consent The gendarmes, of course, con-
tinued to pursue him once a year, but made
/ no unfair attempts 10 corner MN. OI his
part he played the game also, and never
/ gave the show away by wandering into a
police camp when even a Corsican magma
ton would have lost faith in him.
Twenty Years of sport.
For twenty years the sport kept up
on both sides. After all, the gendarmes
were fellow Corsicsns and were not going
to damage the islands reputation.
Bellacoscia was a valuable asset. Tour
| lists, some illustrious, visited him in fear
and trembling, with guides who played
upon their nerves with horrid tales as they
climbed to his eyrie. A princess of Sake
Meiningen had an audience with the king
of the Corsican brigands and presented
him with a gold watch. Baron Haussmann
was another distinguished visitor and gave
him Sevres porcelain vase. M Emmanuel
Arene deputy. introduced Edmond About,
the novelist, to Bellasocia, who received
| him royalty and held win d'honneur' to
pay respect to the author of the "Roi des
Montagnes," bestowing on him a knife,
| which, of course, was supposed to have
| pierced several base traitors hearts.
! when you use It on your foes" said
| Bellacoscia to the thrilled About, leave 1t
| not in the wound. for the handle bears my
| name" Ordinary tourists in later years
were received by Bellacoscia and his
| banditti. as times were growing hard. The
! chief himself in black velvet and with
| long, snowy beard and hair, would only
bow gravely and look with his velvety black
/ eyes, but his lieutenants were always ready
with a tale of blood and vengeance. A
silver coin was the usual fee placed in the
| palm that held the knife. A more generous
! tip brought forth story No. 2, which was
usually a better and gorier one. On leav-
| ing the visitor was presented with a safe
conduct, which, of course. was utterly
needless, but which looked well.
Bellacoscia himself occasionally came
down from his Businesses and once dned
with the project. who did not know, or
else pretended not to know, who he was
OF course, Corsican hospitality is sacred
and Bellacoscia departed safely. The gend-
| armes, as a matter OF fact, never went to
/ look for him anywhere unless they were
quite sure he was somewhere else.
Bandit Attends Court.
| One day in 1892 he came down and desired
to be tried in the assize court But he
knew well enough that his bag of gem
darmes had been secured some thirty years
| before and that after a certain time Grim
! inal prosecution lapses under the law. He
| was solemnly reminded of various SEN
fences passed on him by default, one to a
| term of hard labor in 1851 and three to
death in 1854 1856 and 1877, successfully,
and then was duly acquitted. However. he
was requested to leave his native isle of
Corsica on a pension Of $500. He remained
| on the mainland for some time but he
yearned for Corsica, and Corsica appar-
emily could not spare him, for he was al
lowed TO return and end his days an hon
ored bandit. He was still supposed to be
an outlaw, but Il would have Jared i'll with
the policeman who dared to touch a hair
OF his hoary head. OF course, the gem
darmes never thought OF any such thing.
On the contrary. they were delighted when
he unbent. as he did now and then, and
took a hand with cards over a bottle OF
island wine at an inn in the village of
Bocagnano. Antonio Bellacoscia, among
other privileges, was allowed three wives,
having with IMMUNITY married three SIS
ters who all lived with him. They bore
him eight children and he leaves seventy
grandchildren. Two of his daughters were
even oficially introduced at one time to
President Garnet OF France. Whether one
Of his sons will succeed him in the bandit
business is doubtful They say that all
Of the good old institutions, even in Cor
sica, are dying out.
Italians Sell Paintings.
A well known Italian family who owned a
valuable collection Of portraits by Van
dyck is stated to have been offered by the
director Of a museum in one of the Euro
pean capitals 1000 for seven Of the pic.
lures. This offer is said to have been de-
clined, but a subsequent bid OF $4,000 by
an American millionaire is reported to have
been accepted. Having been informed OF
this, the government wired 20 the loca
authorities instructng them to prevent the
fulhllment of the contract. and the owners
OF the pictures will, II is asserted, have
70 answer before the proper tribunal fol
selling art treasures without making the
necessary declaration.
In fact reports OF the sale OF severa,
paintings by Vandyck 10 Mr.. ]. Pierpon
Morgan have caused widespread interes
throughout various Italian cities. severa
prominent Roman picture collectors hav,
suggested the organization of a new holy
alliance" Of all European art amateur,
which would take the necessary steps L
prevent the exodus OF the great master
pieces OF the past to America. Only to-
many Of these have already crossed the At
lantic Il is argued, and Il is hoped tina
yovarnunapfa mill syf,-. 81.