The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-07-28 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

FIFTY YEARS OF LIIIIGANDAGE..  The trial of the famous Corsican bandit, Antonio Bone Ili, surnamed Bellacoscia„ who surrendered himself the other day, has just been opened at Ajaccio. Antonio Bonelli, who io an old man of 67. with a fine and manly presence, is an interesting Igure, and during half a century's outlawry he has shewn qualities of courage and faith to his own whigh, if they had been devotel to a patriotic csll.se, would have made him a hero. His misfortune has been, says the l'aris correspondent of the bully Nrirs, that lin was born a century too !Pte. and in a country where resistance to the law is le,lioned a crime. The police have tor 50 ;Vears teen endeavouring to capture him, and front tine. to time columns of infantry were sent to surround him. A price was put upon his head. but though his retreat was known to hundreds lie was not l'.' rayed. For nearly half a century Bellacoscia Was the King of the Mountain. A few years ago he fell in love with a beautilul girl of Vezzani, but a, he was unable to marry her according to law, I.( asked a priest to bless their union. Antonio liondii fled to the hills in 1647 to escape military service, and the year following he was joined by his brothers Jacques and Martin. In 1546 the notary M Ireaggi was fired at in his own garden and seriouslv wounded, two shots out of four having takun effect. 'the assassins ran up to kill hint, but he was able to take refuge in his house. Everybody accused the Bonellis of having committed the crime, but no witnesses could be found to depose against them. They had a grievance against M. Marcaggi, who, as Mayor of Bogognano, had refused to perform the marriage of a sister of Bonelli with a stranger to the village who could shew no papers. In 1851 Bonelli locked up a nun who had refused to let him marry his daughter, and only released him on the promise that he should become the girl's husband. The prisoner on recovering his liberty regarded the promise as null and void, as it had been extracted by violence. For this offence Bellacoscia was sentenced to penal servitude for life. The other sentences against him are: In 1851, two years' imprisonment for threatening language, death for a murder, death for attempt to murder; in 1357 another sentence to death for killing gendarmes in the execution of their duty, as they were endeavour. lug to capture him. All these sentences, however, had lapsed when in 1876 he was again sentenced to two years' imprisonment for threatening language. In 1880 a party of five gendarmes and an officer undertook to capture Ilellacoscia on account of this last odence. They surrounded his refuge, but the watch dogs barking alarmed Bellacoscia and his brothers. Shots were fired on both sides, and one of the bandit's companions was wounded and taken prisoner, the rest escaping. None of the gendarines were hurt, but Bellacoscia was condemned to death in December, 1880, for attempting to murder them, and is now charged with the same offence. He surrendered three months ago, on account of his children, be said. He was conducted with great deference to Ajaccio, where the people gave him a sympathetic reception. The examination dwelt exclusively upon the crimes of 40 years ago. The Judge complained of the sympathy of the public and the press. French as well as Corsican, with the bandit. Tim sequel shewed that he had good reason for so doing, as the verdict was an acquittal.  At a bull fight at St. Marsan several men have been injured, 20 horses gored, and six bulls killed. Her Majesty's ship Royalist has hoisted the British flag on the Gilbert Islands, to the north-east a New Guinea. "My lord, my client admits that he did wrong, but consider the temptations of city life, sir; were they not too great ?" said the lawyer in conclusion. "It seems they were. We'll give him 10 years in the country near Portland," returned his lordship. He'll not be exposed to temptation there."  "jam the unluckiest man alive." "What's the matter ?" "Why, I heard that she was engaged, so I went around and proposed to her, so that shn. wouldn't think I had been trifling with her." " And wasn't she engaged?" "Yes, but she broke it off. She said my love was more sincere than his."