Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-06-25
THE HIDDEN RANSOM.
Story Of an Americans Exp.ri.ne. !,
italy.
sy r. A. mitchell.


was the park. teeming with trongoaI
pants, statuary and fountains. On
.ne other were the waves Of the Med.
terranean, splashing against the 80
wall that protects the street from
tneir encroachment Far ont ON the
DAY the sun was shining on the haze
enveloped island Of CaprI castiDg
white light on the water directly be-
meath 1t, causing it to appear as n
resting on sea of silver.
But Rowland Hill. though an artist
tnought nothing Of this. His MIND
was occupied with a misfortune which
had happened him several wears ba-
fore and which had separated him
rom the girl he loved. His head was
bowed. and he 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 to look m His
eyes met those Of a man he immedi.
ately recognized and who recognized
him. Hill started; the man scowled.
nm advanced a step, and the man put
MS hand under his coat as IL for a
weapon. then said in Italian:
Ii you inform the police Won der,
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
We're government policemen. Hfll
made dash for them. and as soon "a
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 Binetti?'
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 it 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-
cepted.
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-
ing 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, but 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 a wretched life, and. though
he did not know it. Blanca was equal
ly miserable. The bandit was exc
cuted. But this only satisfied Hills
craving for revenge. Before the exc
cution Luigi Binetti told his jailer
that he had hidden in the cliffs behind
Castellamare. some fifteen miles south
Of Naples. treasure that he would
give him provided he would secure
him 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 had
claimed he had hidden the treasure
correspondent with the spot where Hin
had been kept a captive. He had
walked or been carried blindfolded for
half day from the place before being
liberated. He believed that the hid
den treasure was his own gold and that
it was located in the neighborhoOd OF
Castellamare
Hill searched the heights about Cas-
teliamare for weeks. when one morn
ing in a gulch some distance behind
and far above the town he came to an
excavation In the rock partly built up
In its front that he judged might have
once been a Roman peasants abode.
Like a flash it came to him that 1t had
been the place of his captivity. With
in be found scratched on the rocky
wall a rude drawing OF an anvil. from
which pointed an arrow In a north
easterly direction and the figures 100.
SEEKING at once the idea that this was
a key to the hiding place Of the treas
ure, he proceeded-the distance was
leo paces-to a rock which bore some
resemblance to the drawing. Digging
at its base. be soon came TO a fat stone
beneath which glittered every dollar
Of his ransom
Returning to Naples. he reported his
fnd to Signor FaFari who withdrew
his opposition to the match between