The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-03
Hunting
Cicero S Villa
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

| / was very green when / went to
| Italy-that is, about Italy. had been
used to going anywhere in America
! without thought of injury, unless late
at night in certain parts of great cities,
| so | supposed / would be as safe in
Italy. | have always been fond of
walking, and when in Rome instead
Of going about among the environs in
trolley or other vehicle l tramped.
A man may walk all over Italy and
not be injured, but there are certain
| chances that he will be robbed or MUIR
dered or kidnapped.
/ was hunting for one of the many
ruins of Cicero's villa. The site in
Italy is like what General Washing
toms body servant was half century
ago. The old negro expired every few
years until he got beyond possible
age, then took his final leave. / had
heard of one of Cicero's dwellings, be-
yond the Campagna in southeasterly
direction and resolved to visit it. |
hunted all day, finally finding a few
stones, which might have once been
part of villa or wall inclosing
pasture. 1t was too late to return to
Rome that night, so | looked about me
for place to spend the night. Seeing
house on a hill near by, | went there
and found a stone structure that might
once have been villa, but was now
occupied by the lowest grade of Ital-
ians.
/ was told by a surly Italian man
that couldn't stay there-they had no
room to spare. This surprised me, for
they were evidently very poor, and
one of this class would usually sleep
out In the cold himself for a few lire.
l asked if there was any conveyance
at hand, and when be said no | told
him that l was going to stay in the
house whether made welcome or not
The man, bag and younger won.
an consulted angrily in Italian with
each other. Not understanding their
language, l did not know what they
said, but finally they consented TO let
me remain. They gave me some black
bread-all they had for supper-and
smoked before going to bed. Two
more men came in while / was eating
and on seeing me looked very much
disgruntled. 1t occurred to me that If
they wished to murder me they would
be pleased TO have me stay with them. |
Consequently l was In no danger. But |
| could not make out why they con
sidered me an intruder.
On being shown to my room, not be |
ing pleased with the looks of the bed, |
! spread my overeoat on 1t and lay |
down on the coat without undressing. |
hadn't lain there long before / heard |
tapping on the wall beside me- / |
was not long in understanding that |
some one was rapping by the telegraph |
code. But the language was not Eng
lish. ! had picked up the telegraph |
code some years before while station
agent on a railroad, but / knew no
other language than English. l under
stood few words of French and knew
that the rapper was talking in that
and asked who was rapping
reply came in English, mixed with
a little French. The person first ask
ed me who | was and on my replying
that | was an American, stopping in
the house for the night, raped back
that he was a French amateur ar
that he had been hunting
for Clcero's villa and that while doing
so had been surrounded by several
men, brought to the house and held for
ransom. He had sent to Rome for
10000 lire $4,000 and was awaiting
the issue.
1t was plain to me now why l was
not wanted in the house. The rascals
didn't care to tackle another man.
made up my mind that they were not
regular baEdits-only a few persons
who were used to the criminal meth
DDS of the country. Having a loaded
revolver, / began TO think up plan
by which I might get the prisoner out
1f their clutches. / was not a prison
er myself, for on reaching my room
made bold to take the key out of the
loor before | could be locked in.
/ asked my correspondent if he had
1 weapon and was told that it had
been taken from him. ! then asked
lin about the lock on his door, and he
aid it was screwed on the inside He ]
lad an implement in his pocket that l
le used for stone scraping purposes b
which would do for a screwdriver. 6
After more talk told him that if he
would take the lock off his door and
'ome out l would join him and we :
would attempt an exit at the point of h
ny pistol. He seemed fearful of our c
10Th being killed. but convinced him
hat we were not in the hands Of real
and he finally consented. ?
He removed the lock without much =
Iifficulty and came out to meet me in :
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