Year: 1877

Fully Worry of Dick Turpin.


A correspondent Of the London Times
writes from Palermo, Sicily, an account
of ar Englighman's capture near that
city by brigands. Two brothers, it ap-
pears, had run down TO neighboring
station to visit some mines, and on reach
ing there separated, one, Geo. Ross, re-
naming with party which was to drive
to the mines, and the other, Forester
Ross, riding on, accompanied by ser
want. The account continues


AS Forester Ross rode up the hill he
met two persons, splendidly mounted,
and dressed like Sicilian country gentle
.aen, who saluted him. A little further
Is r,arty was stopped by two men
standing by their horses, who inquired
their name. The clerk answered, as
signing feigned name to his master !;
but Mir. Ross responded truthfully,
whereupon he was ordered to dismount
and get on one of the horses they held.
The two horsemen he had just met now
rode up, intimating that resistance would
be dangerous. The young fellow was
forced to obey, and the horse was led
for some distance, when he perceived
chance OF escape, slid down over the
crooper, rushed down the hill at full
speed, and though fred at by the brig
and, succeeding in reaching the carriage.
Here he naturally thought himself Sc
cure, bat had hardly time to tell his story
when one Of the gentlemanly-dressed
bFigards rode up to the carriage, from
which the astounded passengers had all
decended and were standing in the road.
With the utmost audacity and self
possession this man, who is asserted to
be no other than the proud Leone him
self, rode into the midst Of the passen-
gers, singled out young Ross, with cool
impertinence upbraided him with treat
ing him very badly by his attempt TO
escape, and compelled him at the muzzle
of his double-barreled breach-loader to
remount the horse from which he had
just escaped, apologizing at the same
time with mock courtesy for the incon-
put him, saying, "You must not find
fault with us; you must blame the
Government, which in so many years,
has not been able to catch us Or kill Us"
The unfortunate young man appealed to
those around him for protection, and it
would have been very easy thing to send
a bullet through the brigand as he sat in
their midst, but the people either were
not armed, Or, what is more probable, on
finding that one was claimed, came to
the usual Sicilian conclusion that It WAS
no affair of theirs. Take him he did,
and rode off with his prey to the spot
where the clerk and groom were retained
by the rest of the band. This Leone,
who has for years commanded band in
the center Of the island, is one of the
brigand chiefs on each Of whose heads
the reward Of 25, 900 francs was set some
three years since, yet ne not only man
aged to elude all attempts to capture
him, but also to escape what to an En-
glishman would seem the far greater
peril-treachery On the part of his fol-
lowers. But in Cicily, if there is not
honor, there is at least terror among
rogues. The last and least thing which





q cape 6riga7ate like Leone has to dread
is, perhaps, the being denounced to the
authorities, even for sake of 81 200. 1t
was said that Leone was small shop
keeper in Palermo, and, not succeeding
in the grocery line, he became ambitious
and resolved to do business in a larger
field, in which he has thriven but too
well. Some three years since he Csc
questrated" Barone Pocari at his coun-
try house, carried him into the noun
tains and kept INN there thirteen days,
until he paid G3, 3,0O0f of ransom. But
he treated him with much courtesy and
fed him right well, sending even to Pal
erme for a cook to serve him.