The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-03
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than lighting. He would get up In
genious devices TO induce people to
walk right into trap and then hold
them for ransom. The country round
about his lair suffered from many of
his tricks, but the bandit never used
the same ruse twice, so that each new
one worked as well as the preceding.
Young Luigi oldest son and heir OF
Count Bartlnelli. was known TO be
suitor for the hand of Beatricla Car
rono whose father had other plans for
her. One day Luigi while walking on
a road near his fathers villa was ac-
costed by a man, who asked him lf
he were not Luigi Bartinelli. and when
he said yes the man told him that
man Il short distance up the road was
looking for him with a letter from
| lady, marked Immediate" Luigi, be-
lleving the note 20 be from Beatricia,
started in the direction indicated over
took n man whom he supposed to be
the messenger, but was directed to 60
farther. In this way the young man
was passed from one person to an
other till he came TO lonely place.
where he found one who admitted he
was The messenger. He said mock
ingly that the letter was from Senorita
Carrono, who instructed him to pay to
Carrlcci, the bandit, $4,000 for a ran.
som. Luigi was taken 70 the robbers
lair, whence he dispatched n letter to
his father stating the case. 1t was i'm
possible for the count to raise so much
/ money Immediately, and the case
dragged.
One evening Maria Bassanio, daugh-
ter of n farmer dwelling near Count
Bartlnelll's estate, was left alone by
her father. who did not expect to he
at home till midnight. During the
evening. hearing knock at the door,
she opened Il, to find a stranger carry
ing on his back a heavy sack. under
| which he staggered and seemed very
| weary. He begged a lodging for the
night, but the girl refused. Then he
till morning, to which she consented.
Deposlting it on the floor beside the
| fireplace, lie departed.
Maria sat down beside a table and
began doing some needlework. She
looked at the sack, wondering what 1t
contained. While she was looking at
1t she fancied that not far from its
center there seemed to he a very slight
rising and falling motion. Her heart
stood still. The motion was doubtless
produced by some one breathing.
Maria's first motion was quick
| glance at the wall where her father al
ways kept gun. Glanclng again at
the sack, she saw something glisten in
the lamplight. 1t was the point of a
| knife protrudlng through the sack.
In another moment the blade began to
| move. making a slit in the sack.
With one bound Maria reached the
gun on the wall, took 1t from its sup
ports, cooked it and fired at random at
the sack. There was n spasmodic mo-
tlon; then all was still again. In an
other moment something rcd stained
the sack and trlcllled through II on to
the floor. 1t was blood.
Terror stricken, Maria rushed 10 the
| door and out TO the road, down which
she fed as II on the wind. She had
not gone far before she ran right i0'p
the arms of nan. SO frightened was
she that she did not know him til he
eagerly begged her TO tell him what
had happened. Then, recognizing her
father, she lost consciousness.
But not for long. Reviying, she gave
her experience. Bassanlo, thinking it
best 10 secure assistance, gathered a
number of men who lived along the
road, and, all well armed, the party
went to the house. Opening the sack,
they found the dead body of n man
with Il charge of shot in the breast.
One OF the men present pronounced
him 70 be Pietro Carrlccl.
From the bandits neck hung silver
whistle. This indicated that his as.
| slstants were ut hand. Putting out all
lights, the company kept quiet for n
time. Then Bassanlo went out in front
of the house, and n shrlll, sharp whis-
tie rung out on the still night air.
| Presently footsteps were heard, and
| several men came down the road.
They had no sooner passed the gate
than they were seized from behind
and disarmed.
| A messenger was sent to Count Bar
tinelll with the news of Carricci's death
and the capture of Il part of his band.
One Of the bandits on promise OF
| pardon agreed to guide n force of gen
darmes to the place where Luigi Bar
! tlnelli was held captive. The expedi-
J tion was successful. The lair and all
in it were captured, and the young
man was released without ransom.
Count Bartlnelli realized the fact
that but for MaUia's courageous act lie
would either have lost his son or that
sons ransom. lie at once gave her
quarter Of the ransom and pledged
himself to give an equal amount for
a dowry the day she married. There
was a reward Of $4,000 offered by the
government for Carricci dead or alive,
and this Maria received also.
! Luigi Bartinelli, who for weeks had
been in terror for his llfe had no soon
er regained his freedom than he de-
sired to see the girl who had killed
his cantor and made the destruction of