The Warwickshire Herald. — 1888-09-13 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

CRIMES OF A CORSICAN BANDIT. The Corsican bandit Rocchini has paid the penalty of his crimes on the scaffold. Rocchini was 24 years of age. His career of crime commenced by a vendetta with the Taffani family. One day a Rocchini killed a dog belonging to a Taffani. Subsequently a Taffani killed a Rocchini, and then a Rocchini killed a Taffani. The vendetta was kept up till the two families were reduced to one representative each. The man executed was the surviving Rocchini, and he had firmly determined to kill the last Taffani, to avenge all the members of his family that had fallen victims to the hatred of the Taffain. He wandered about in the woods, never stopping in one place more than a day. Sometimes he slept at a peasant's hut, at others in caves, or in the open air. He had often seen the gendarmes who had been sent to track him, and on more than one OCC/51011 had exchanged &hots with them. One day he met • young woman named Julie, and was so influenced by her beauty that, despite the danger, be rained in the neighbourhood for a considerable time. He watched for favourable opportunities, when she was tending her goats in secluded spots, to declare his love for her. His addresses were, however, rejected with scorn. Juliet was warned by her neighbours that the affair would certainly end badb if she continued to herd her goats on the mountains. Being a strongminded young woman, and despising the danger, she took no heed of the adviee given her. But ens day she returned home deathly pale. The bandit bad again presented himself before her, and had threatened to kill her if she would not marry him. Julie had no one to protect her, her , mother being her only living relative. She begged her mother at once to End her a husband who would defend her against Rocchini. Arrangements were soon made for Julie's wedding with a stalwart blacksmith, but the marriage never took place. A few days before the ceremony was to have been celebrated, Julie once more found herself confronted by Rocchini. He 'grain asked her whether she had made up her mind to be his. On receiving the reply "Never," the bandit deliberately shouldered his rifle, and shot the po.s. girl. She was not quite dead, but Roochini, drawing a pistol, put it to her ear and blew out her brains. He was sentenced to death for this and other murders, all of which he confessed to the Public Prosecutor before being guillotined. The execution was carried out on the Place Porta at Sartene. Monsieur de Paris appeared with his vans on the place of execution at 2 o'clock in the morning. The spot is a lovely one, and commands one of the finest prospects in Corsica. There was a large crowd of people, and although they were kept back by troops M. Deibler was excessively uneasy, and glanced around him from time to time as if expecting to see one of the bandit's friends rash from the crowd in order to take his life. Towards 4 o'clock the chaplain who had left the felon before midnight returned. After the abbe's arrival Rocchini was aroused from sleep, and jumped up from his mattress with alacrity. He was terribly moved on seeing the priest again, and, knowing that his doom was at:hand, he began to pray. The Proeureur dc lc Republique entered the room where the bandit was, and told him that his appeal had been rejected, and that his execution was about to take place. "Die like a man and a Christian, R,occhini," said the official. The bandit bowed his head, and, after having acknowledged the crime, laid to his charge, with the exception of the murder of • gendarme, he begged for mercy, and asked that a telegram should be sent to the President of the Republic. A few minutes later M. Deibler walked in, bound the bandit's hands and legs, and threw open the collar of his shirt. Then all was ready and the funeral procession was formed, Rocchini going calmly to the scaffold, where he kne:t down and asked pardon of God and man. There was much bungling on the part of the executioners, and the head rolled out of the hands of one of the assistants