Bridgend & Neath Chronicle, and County of Glamorgan Advertiser. — 1892-08-05 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

EWS.  FIFTY YEARS OF BRIGANDAGE.  The famous Corsican bandit, Antonio Bonelli, surnamed Bellacoscia, who recently surrendered himself, was tried last week at Ajaccio. Bonelli who is now an old man of 67, has been sought after by the police for 50 years, and from time to time columns of infantry were sent to surround him. A price was pat upon his head, but, though his retreat was known to hundreds, he was not betrayed. For nearly half a century (says the Daily _News correspondent) Bellacoscia was the King of the Mountains. Some years ago he fell in love with a beautiful girl of Vezzani, but as he was unable to marry her according to law, he asked a priest to bless their union. He has become the father of a boy, now twelve years of age, and a girl aged seven. Antonio Bonelli fled to the hills in 1847 to escape military service, and the year following he was joined by his brothers Jacques and Martin. In 1848, the notary Marcaggi was fired at in his own garden and seriously wounded, two shots out of four having taken effect. The assassin ran up to kill him, but be 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 show no papers. In 1851 Bonelli locked up a man 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 murder, death for attempt to murder; in 1857 another sentence to death for killing gendarmes in the txecution of their duty, as they were endeavouring 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 Bellacoscia on account of this last offence. 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 esid taken prisoner, and the rest escaping. None of the gendarmes were hurt; but Bellacoscia was eelnsi.enzned to &Nitta jr t December, 185 Q. fQr ittstuor.::i)g to nwirder gnu), and la nOsi,r clsisrged v‘ith the same offence. He surrendered 'three months ego, on account of his s'isq,-1- • a s„ss ren, re aid','E Ire was ussumuctins to illaCPidi where the people gave him a sympathetic reception, The examleation turned exclusively upon the crimes of. 40 yea! 5 ago. The judge complained of the sym pativ of the pAlie and the press, French as well as Corsican, with the bandit. The sequel showed that he had good reason for to doing, as the verdict was an acquittal.  1