New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-30
Blind WarHerO.
Stabbed, Rewon
Stolen Bird e
Sightless Argonne Veteran,
Who Went to Italy With
Mother, WEEDS Girl Who
Charmed Him by Voice
Slashed by Angry Father
Young Wife Rejoins Her
People, but Ruse Gets Her
ON Ship With Husband

The story Of the triumph of blind
mans love over parental rage and at
tempted assassination was revealed
yesterday when Salvatore Fiiippo, an
American warrior of the Argonne,
brought in his bride from Naples on
the Italian liner Argentina.
A German bullet passing sideways
through both eyes robbed Filippo of
his sight, but it did not detract jot
of his lighting spirit.
When America entered the war FL
lippo enlisted with tho 10th Infantry
and was one of the first of the men of
the A. E. F. to get into action. One
evening, when four of his comrades
were in No Mans Land wounded by
machine gun bullets and exposed to
sporadic fire, Filippi crept out and got
men and was out to get the fourth
when German bullet clipped him.
After several months in hospital he
was sent home and lived with his
mother at Erie, Pa. The soldiers
mother, an Italian by birth, told her
son year ago that she wished to end
her days in Italy, and, aided by his
disability compensation from the gov
eminent, he took her to Italy.
Voice Wins Soldiers Love
At village in the Province of Lucca
Filippo met Isabella Bruna, who was
then sixteen. He could not see her,
but her voice and the attentions she
showed to him caused him to love her.
She pitied him, and this pity led to
lcve.
When the seriousness of their affec-
tion became apparent to the head of
the Bruna household he warned Filippo
to keep away from his daughter and his
home and threatened the blind Ameri-
can with harm if he persisted in his
suit. The couple, however, kept up q
ciandestine engagement, and several
months ago were married secretly.
They were harbored in the home of the
husbands mother for week, and one
night the brides father, accompanied
by three of his townsmen, broke into
the room of the sleeping couple,
stabbed Filippo, leaving him for dead,
and took his bride away.
While recovering from his wounds in
a hospital Filippo's mother sought the
by her father, and would not listen to
the pleadings of her mother-in-law that
she return to Filippo.
Wife Seeks Blind Husband
But in time her pity that had once
ripened into love revived, and she
again contrived to meet her husband.
She refused, however, to live with him.
a few weeks ago the warrior of the
Argonne told his bride that he was
going back to America. She went to
Naples to bid him good by. He told her
the vessel was to sail at 4 p. m. They
sat in his cabin talking, and when the
hour of parting came the bride realized
the vessel had sailed at p. m. and
that she was then some twenty miles
out in the Mediterranean.
Resenting the ruse, the young woman
refused to speak to her husband. He
had bought ticket, hoping that she
would accompany him, and had his
passport vised for himself and wife
After the third day of isolation lisa
bella sought her husband, and both
were happy yesterday when they ar
rived in New York
They were driven from the pier in
South Brooklyn to a hotel in Manhat-
tan, and after Mrs. Filippo has seen
enough of New York they will go to
tn bridegroom's home, in Erie, Pa.