Francisco Scaramanga

Francisco Scaramanga was a free-lance assassin mainly under KGB control through the D.S.S. in Cuba. He wass widely feared and admired in the Caribbean and Central America where he was something of a local myth and known there as The Man with the Golden Gun.

## History

### Early Life

Scaramanga came from a Catalan family of circus where he spent his youth. In the travelling circus of his father, Enrico Scaramanga, he had several roles. He was a most spectacular trick shot, he was a stand-in strong man in the acrobatic troop, often taking the place of the usual artiste as bottom man in the "human pyramid" act, and he was the mahout, in gorgeous turban, Indian robes, etc., who rode the leading elephant in a troupe of three.

This elephant, by the name of Max, was a great companion to the boy. Max developed a mucous deposit behind his ears causing him intense irritation during a visit of the circus to Trieste, but, through an oversight, the condition was not noticed. The big top of the circus had been erected on the outskirts of the town adjacent to the coastal railway line and, on the night which was to determine the future way of life of the young
Scaramanga. Max went berserk, threw the youth, and, screaming horrifically, trampled his way through the auditorium, causing many casualties.

The local carabinieri were alerted and opened fire, mortally wounding him. Meanwhile the young Scaramanga, now armed with his pistols, who according to the press, had a deep devotion for his pet, drew one of his pistols and shot the policeman through the heart, and fled off into the crowd of bystanders pursued by the other policemen who could not fire because of the throng of people. He made good his escape, found his way south to Naples.

### Hired Gun

Shortly after at age 16 Scaramanga emigrated illegally to the United States where he lived a life of petty crime on the fringes of the gangs until he graduated as a full-time gunman for the Spangled Mob in Nevada with the cover of pitboy in the casino of the Tiara Hotel in Las Vegas where in fact he acted as executioner of cheats and other transgressors within and outside The Mob. In 1958 was forced to flee the States as the result of a famous duel against his opposite number for the Detroit Purple Gang, a certain Ramon "The Rod" Rodriguez, which took place by moonlight on the third green of the Thunderbird golf course at Las Vegas. Scaramanga shot two bullets into the heart of Rodriguez before the he had even fired a shot. He was then compensated by The Spangled Mob with $100,000.

He then travelled the Caribbean investing fugitive funds for various Las Vegas interests and later, as his reputation for keen and successful dealing in real estate and plantations became consolidated, for Trujillo of the Dominican Republic and Batista of Cuba. In 1959 settled in Havana and, seeing the way the wind blew, while remaining ostensibly a Batista man, began working undercover for the Castro party, and after the revolution, obtained an influential post as foreign "enforcer" for the D.S.S.

In this capacity, on behalf, that is, of the Cuban secret police, he undertook the assassinations of NATO agents in the area. He was responsible for the death of British agents 267 (British Guiana), 398 (Trinidad), 943 (Jamaica), and 768 and 742 (Havana). He also maimed 098, an Area Inspection Officer, with bullet wounds in both knees. Scaramanga also killed CIA men in Martinique, Haiti, and Panama.

### Clash with Bond

After these killings he came to the attention of MI6 and M authorizes Bond to assassinate Scaramanga, if he can, to prove his worth again after his recovery following his time spent being brainwashed in the Soviet Union. Bond catches up with Scaramanga in Jamaica, where Bond pretends to be a freelance security officer, Mark Hazzard, and Scaramanga hires him to guard an upcoming meeting of gangsters at a hotel he is building.

During the meeting Hendriks, a Dutch KGB officer, blows Bond's cover, subsequently pitting Scaramanga and Bond in a shootout. Bond wounded Scaramanga on a train causing him to flee. Bond finds him eating a snake in a swamp, but before he can finish the gunman off, Scaramanga shoots Bond in the shoulder with a poisoned bullet from his backup weapon, a golden Derringer. Bond returns fire, killing Scaramanga instantly upon shooting him several times with his Walther. Soon thereafter, a Jamaican policeman finds the nearly dead Bond in time to save him.