The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-10-28
HISTORICAL TALE
OF LAKE COMO
STORY OF HOW YOUNG ITALIAN
CAPTURED THE FAMOUS CAS-
TIE OF MUsso IN THE
10TH CENTURY. 2

Il
the early part OF the sixteenth GEN.
fury a young man named Clan Gia-
como Medlci. afterward called 1.-The
Medici." became ambitious to possess
this fortress. At sixteen he had COM
mitted a murder. ana when later be
was offered the stronghold on Lake
Como as price for demonstrating AS
TORE Visconti ne readily consented.
Meanwhile the duke. having become
himself afraid of the Medici. laid
plan for putting him, too. out of his
way. He gave him the official docu-
ments comforting upon him rhe rock
on Lake Como and sent him to take
possession. He was also made the
bearer OF sealed letter TO the com
mandant Becoming suspicious of the
contents OF the letter. he opened 1t
and found that II contained an order
to arrest the bearer and put him to
death secretly. Giacomo destroyed the
letter and as soon as he had taken pos
session OF the fortress paid the men
who were there TO go away and re-
placed them by his own adherents.
The new possessor of Musso made it
impregnable. mounting cannon on its
battlements that commanded the lake.
He established custom house" and
kept his revenue officers busy inter
cepting vessels and levying dues upon
their cargoes. In this way he pros
pered. and his power enabled him to
appropriate much of the neighboring
territory.
The Emperor Charles V. OF Spain
then had foothold in northern Italy.
and his representative In that region.
villaterelo. thought that he should pos
sess himself of Musso for his imperial
master. thus ending the Medici's pira-
cies. Villaterelo had In prison a man
named Sardo. whom he determined to
utilize in this work. He told Sardo
that IL he would go to the Medici as a
spy and concoct plan by which the
fortress Of Musso might be delivered
into the Spanish hands he should re-
ceive free pardon from the emperor.
Sardo accepted the mission and de-
parted Tor its accomplishment. In due
time he returned with the information
that on certain day the Medici
would leave Musso for Bormio In or
der TO take the famous baths there. A
few soldiers only would remain In the
fortress. and these. Sardo said, he had
bribed to open the gates TO the Span
iards.
Villaterelo and his spy then CON-
pleted a plan supplementary to what
had already been accomplished. Boats
filed with armed men were TO be
rowed under cover of the darkness to
the foot of the rock on which Musso
stood. The force was TO climb TO the
fortress, and when it was in their pos
session a cannon was to be fred as
signal to that effect. A sailing vessel
following the expedition was then to
return to villaterelo with the news.
On the appointed night. 1t having
been ascertained that the Medici had
really left Musso. the little fleet start
ed from the town of Lecco. on an arm
Of Lake Como. called Lake Lecco. I'M
der command Of villaterelo's brother.
On reaching Musso they debarked and
began the ascent Approaching the
summit. they gave preconcerted sig
nal and. moving over a narrow pass,
| were one by one admitted within the
gates.
On the bosom Of the lake below the
commander of the dispatch ship lis
tened for the sound of the signal gun
/ hn
Suddenly boom from above broke
upon the still night air. On the wings
Of the wind the little ship sailed south
ward TO Lecco. where Villaterelo was
feverishly awaiting the result Of the
] expedition AS soon as the welcome
news was communicated to him he set
sail himself to take possession of his
newly acquired fortress.
| Let us take up the thread OF the
story with the Medici's part in IL. On
the day he was 10 have gone to Bormio
he ostentatiously left bis stronghold
with a large proportion Of his men
and a quantity Of baggage as II for a
long journey. But he had not gone
far before he returned by an unfre-
quented path and re-entercd his castle.
doubtless through subterranean pas
sage hewn in the rock under the noun
tain. a portion of which is still dis
cernibe. When the first of Villate-
relo's soldiers emerged from the mar
row passage which led to the gateway
and stood within the battlements he
was silently dispatched. The next
man then entered and met the same
fate. Thus the whole of the invading
force was killed. no man knowing
what had happened to the one who
had gone before him. When the last
man had been killed the Medici him
self fred the signal gun.
Meanwhile the possessor OF Musso
had caused the lake to be guarded by
boats. with chains swung between
them under water. with the intention
Of cutting Off villaterelo's feet But
the sp.niard had not reached this
point when he received the informa-
ton that instead OF being In possess
sion OF Musso his little army had been
annihiated.
After number OF years OF such life
the Medici accepted a large sum OF