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Show THE CORSICAN VENDETTA. riie Cnitom That. Has Often Extinguished Entire Families. Should a Corsican, in revengo for injury in-jury done to himself or his relations, or ; even to his dog or his horse, kill another j with knife or coup de fusil, public sym-1 sym-1 pathy sustains him, the hills shelter him, ! liia relations feed him, and justice, in the shape of gendarmes, winks with both eyes unless the murderer be very unpopular. un-popular. True, he is termed a "bandit" and has to take refuge in tiie macqui, as the natural bush is called that clothes the mountain sides. Well informed Cor-sicans Cor-sicans tell one that there are at this moment mo-ment in the island over one thousand in hiding. But please understand the bandit is no brigand. Should you, defenseless, happen hap-pen to fall in with him, he will not take your purse, but, on the contrary ; offer you food, if he lias it, and shelter in his cave, and most probably refuse any payment pay-ment for his hospitality. It only his foe's family against whicli he wages war, and of course in Belf defense with the gendarmes. These latter ho will shoot with as much unconcern as a woodcock. And yet, though the Corsican will not rob you, it is not because he does not love money. For a very fow francs, both Corsican gentlemen and English residents resi-dents aver, you can find a man who will do your killing for you and rid you of your enemy with knife or bullet. And while this utter contempt for human life prevails there can lie no hopo of the extinction of the vendetta. An English gentleman, Capt. G., who has now lived for some ten or fifteen years in Corsica, on his own property, told me the following story: "It seems that one of tho employes of the former proprietor, fancying he had some grudge against the new owner, made himself objectionable by breaking down fences, driving goats and sheep Into the gardens 'and annoying Capt. 0. in other ways. Capt. G. happened to mention the fact of the man's enmity, and deplored it as unreasonable both to a Corsican gentleman, gentle-man, a neighboring proprietor, and also to a shepherd with whom ho was on friondly terms. "Let me know if it continues," said the gentleman, "and I will havo the man taken over to yonder rocks and you won't hear of him again." "I will arrange for a little coup de fusil whenever you like to give me 'the office,' " said the berger. This wns fifteen years ago, but even now it is said there is in Ajaccio alone at least one murder a week, though these outrages are so hushed up by the authorities author-ities that it is diflicult to get any reliable statistics. I never, for instance, saw the account of any murder in the little local French paper Le Raillement, tho only ono, I think, in Ajaccio, but this proves nothing, for there was undoubtedly one atrocious crime committed in the village of Bocognano, about twenty miles off, while we were at Ajaccio, for particulars of whicli I vainly studied the columns of Le Raillement. -New York Times. |