Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-06-16
THE HIDDEN RANSOM,
Story Of an American's Experience In
Italy.
BY r. A. mitchell.
copyright. 1903. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l

Rowland HILL young American,
WAS walking one morning on the Via
Caraccialo at Naples On one band
was the park. teeming with tropical
plants. statuary and fountains. On
the other were the waves of the Med
oterranean, splashing against the sea
wall that protects the street from
their encroachment. Far out on the
bay the sun was shining on the haze
enveloped island of Capri. casting a
white light on the water directly be-
meath 1t. causing it to appear as il
resting on sea of silver.
But Rowland Hill. though an artist,
thought nothing of this. His mind
was occupied with misfortune which
had happened him several years be-
fore and which had separated him
from the girl he loved. His head WAS
bowed. and be did not notice either
the beautiful scene or the people he
met But suddenly one of those strange
mental influences for which we cannot
account caused him 10 look up. His
eyes met those Of o man he immedi-
ately recognized and who recognized
him. Hill started: the man scowled.
Hill advanced a step. and the man PIT
his hand under his coat as if for
weapon, then said in Italian:
If you inform the police You diei''
On the other side of the street two
men in cooked hats (such as the great
Napoleon wore, and long military
cloaks emerged from the park They
were government policemen Hill
made a dash for them. and as soon as
his opponent took in the situation he
too, ran like deer He was too late.
Hill pointed to him. the officers gave
chase, and he was captured
"Who is he?" asked his captor
Luigi Binettir'
Great was the surprise Of the gov
eminent officials when they learned
that the most desperate bandit that
had ever infested the environs Of Ma
pies had ventured into the city, had
been recognized and arrested. His
capture was most interesting to the
man who had brought 1t about. Row
land Hill FIVE years before had gone
from America to Florence to study
art. His father had recently left him
$4,000. In Florence the young man
had met Signorina Blanca Favari Of
an aristocratic family, dwelling on the
Parco Marguerhita, which climbs the
cliffs back Of Naples. TO Naples he
followed her. proposed and was ac-
eepted.
Hill was fond Of roaming and one
day while walking ON a lonely road
near the village of Casoria. not far
from Naples. was taken by the bandit.
Luigi Binetti. carried TO the neighbor-
ang mountains and held a prisoner.
Meanwhile the bandit went TO Naples.
learned the exact amount of his cap
tive's fortune and gave him the choice
between turning it in as a ransom or
death. Hill arranged for the CONVEX
sion Of his property into gold and its
transfer to the bandit He returned
to Naples free man. bat he had lost
not only his fortune. but his love. 81
gnor Favari declined to permit his
daughter to marry a penniless man.
From that day till he met his cap
tor on the Via Caraccialo the Ameri-
can lived wretched life, and. though
he did not know it. Blanca was equal
ay miserable. The bandit was exc
cuted. But this only satisfied Hilrs
craving for revenge Before the exc
cution Luigi Bfnetti told his jaiIer
that he had hidden In the cliffs behind
Castellamare, some fifteen miles south
of Naples, a treasure that he would
give him provided he would secure
him q pardon. The jailer did not be-
lieve his story, but passed it on TO Hill
later on.
Now, when Hill had been liberated
by the bandit a bandage was taken
from his eyes, and he found himself
on the high rocks overlooking Castella.
mare from the south. The description
Of the place where the robber bad
claimed he had hidden the treasure
corresponded with the spot where Hill
had been kept captive. He had
walked or been carried blindfolded fol
half day from the place before being
liberated He believed that the hid
den treasure was his own gold and that
1t was located in the neighborhood OF
Castellamare.
Hill searched the heights about Cas-
tellamare for weeks. when one morn
ing in a gulch some distance behint
and far above the town he came to al
excavation in the rock partly built VI
in its front that he judged might hav,
once been a Roman peasants abode
Like fash it came to him that it hat
been the place Of his captivity. With
In he found scratched ON the rocky
wall rude drawing Of an anvil, from
which pointed an arrow in a north
easterly direction and the figures 16O
Selling at once the idea that this was
key to the hiding place Of the treas
ure, he proceeded-the distance wa,
100 paces-to rock which bore some
resemblance to the drawing. Digging
at its base, he soon came to fat ston,