Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-03-16
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
of HISTORY
By Albert P0ySon Terhunc
GaribaIdi and Anita
By Albert P0ySon z
(Copyright. by the Author.)

through his glass scanned the Bra
lillian shore, past which his vessel was
churning its slow way.
The red-bearded man was Giuseppe
Garibaldi, a young Italian sailor. He
had taken part in an attempt to free
Italy from the tyrannical yoke Of Aus
tria.' The plot had failed and he had
escaped to South America. There he
had plunged eagerly into the maze of
revolutions that have always con-
vulsed South American states. Carl
baldi's genius as a born military lead
er made his services valuable.
He joined the party that was in re-
bellion against the Brazilian empire
and won a series of brilliant victories
against stronger foes. Several times
he was badly wounded, more than once
was taken prisoner and at one time
was put to torture. From place to
place in South America he wandered
always drawing his sword for liberty
and against oppression. 1t was on
day when his fortunes were at their
ebb that he sailed past the Brazilian
village of Barra, examining the shore
through MS telescope.
- All at once the
"ru,e we glass was held
'nrou9n Telescope stationary. Carl
baldi had seen the lovely face of a
Creole girl looking from window in
the distant village. Long and earnest
ly he gaZed on her. Then he dropped
the telescope and ordered the ship
stopped and boat lowered. He rowed
ashore and set out to find the house
at whose window that face had ap-
peared. He searched in vain. He
could not locate the dwelling. In de-
spair he was about to return to his
vessel when he CHANGED to meet in
the streets man with whom he had
some slight acquaintance. This Bra
lillian invited the disappointed Italian
to come home with him for a cup of
coffee and a cigarette. On entering
his hosts house the first person on
whom Garibaldi's eye fell was the girl
he had been so vainly seeking. The
owner of the villa introduced her as
his daughter Anita. Garibaldi, in his
autobiography, thus describes the
scene that followed:
1--WE both maintained an ecstatic 81
lence, gazing at each other like two
persons who do not meet for the first
time and who seek in each others
face something that shall revive re-
membrance. At last saluted her and
said: You must be mine!' knew but
little Portuguese, so spoke these au-
dacious words in Italian. However, l
seemed to have some magnetic power
in my insolence. 1 had tied knot
that death alone could break" #
From that moment to the day of
Anita's death the strangely met couple
adored each other. Anita was Carl
baldi's first and only love, and she
was just the sort of wife for such
man. She shared his terrible hard
ships without a word of complaint,
faced wretched poverty with smile
and walked serenely with her warrior
husband on the ragged edge of mortal
danger. IS
In battles she fought, sword in
hand, at his side. Once, during
charge, when a soldier fell dead, she
snatched up the slain mans musket
and continued to load and fire it I'M
| til the enemy retreated. In a South
American sea fight once the deck of
| Garibaldi's ship was swept by a hail
| of shot and shell that drove many of
the defenders to the shelter of cabin
and forecastle Garibaldi paused in
his task of commanding the maneu-
I 20 oh 10 AV,i@ -
go below for safety.
81 will go!" she cried, "and drive
back to the deck those towards who
are skulking down there. Then I'll
join you again"
| In a battle far inland Anita was cut
off from her husbands troops and
found herself surrounded by the en-
envy. She was ordered to surrender.
Instead she fired both her pistols into
the ranks of her foes and put spurs
to her horse. She broke through the
| hostile line, but her horse was shot
dead and, dismounted, she was unable
to escape. When captured she waited
| for nightfall, then stole a horse and
galloped into the forest. The enemy
L
W~'''o' s"' was forced to
anu to- swim q swollen
river, clinging with one hand to the
tail of her horse, and for several
days fled without food or shelter
through the wilderness. 1t was a
week before she could shake off her
pursuers and rejoin her husband. At
another time she had to ride in wild
fight from the enemy, carrying her
12-day-old son across the saddle in
front of her.
To Anita's inspiration much of
| Garibaldi's later fame is due. He
went home in 1847, taking her with
him. There he fought once more for
Italy's freedom and was again forced
! to flee for his life. Privation and ex-
posture had proved too much for Anita