| Show I c Th A i CrudI Of Her Low f I And Now the Pretty Italian Peasant Who t 1 Was Driven to a Desperate Career of Crime o oI I r by a Disappointed Suitors Suitor's f f 1 1 r t A L Villainies Is Doomed 4 sJ to the Prison t i Her Luckless Lover L ERs Killed himself I fl F ii j c d 1 Armida the Italian girl bandit who for 4 two years terrorized the countryside around Ca- Ca Caserta Ca serta with her bold robberies and who has such an amazing explanation to give of her reasons for forI 4 becoming a desperate criminal I ROME HEN Armida the des des- desperate WHEN 8 Aerate girl ban bandit bandit it was captured the other day after a hard fought battle sh she hurled her her empty pistol l at the head of the officer com corn commanding commanding manding the soldiers soldiers who had for we weeks ks been pursuing her through the moun mountains t ins and scream screamed d a shrill laugh of derision You You have caught me she cried but butI I 1 have had my revenge You took my mylo lo lover er from me and flung him into prison for something another had done but you have had to pay for it all of you and I 1 am happy N Now w you can do with me what you please This frenzied defiance of the law was enough but still more amazing was what Armida had to authorities authorities ties ies after she was lodged lodged in in jai jail grown a little more calm The explanation explanation tion she gave them of the circumstances that that made bir her a fugitive from Justice and a highway robber who terrorized a whole countryside for two years is astory story a 8 story of f love and revenge more thrilling than the plot of any Italian opera opera If it is all true as as seems verY very likely it is remarkable a instance of the way the law can be made to to aid a 8 jealous scoundrel in doing a 8 cruel wrong to a 8 pair of innocent nd d devoted voted lovers Armida was a trus trusted d servant in the household of Giovanni rich richland richland richland land owner in the foothills ls above Ca- Ca Caserta Caserta Ca serta She was wasa wasa 8 happy youn young creature in rough and gay as a lark and pretty a rustic sort of way way She way She had bad a lover Pietro Dalvini who was employed as as- as asa a forestry guard on one of the neighboring estates It was wasa wasa a great love that bound the two children of tie the mountains free as the air above them and their clandestine meetings in inthe inthe inthe the upper regions of the woodland were never discovered by the good villagers of Caserta The happiness they tasted in the mountain fa fastnesses away from all human habitations was something they did not have to account for to any any- anybody anybody anybody nd end the village body they thought to priest and the maire least of all But there w was s one who knew one who was waiting for his chance chance to do them theman theman an m evil turn lie was a wit half-wit named Bosso so EO called because of o his bis hump Bosso was always had a 8 sin sin- sinis sin sinister is later ister r look in his bis eyes when he met young And when Pietro Pietro the lover of Armida be looked at Armida his eyes glowed with mad desire Bosso did little odd jobs around the farm of Giovanni but passed his time mostly upon the high roads knocking off the heads beads of flowers with his stick tick or favoring the travelers be met with a toothless grin Often ho he would would disappear for days Nobody could tell where he was Only the two lovers Pietro and Armida could have baye have told per per- perhaps per perhaps haps if it they had not been so absorbed in each other away up in those dark pine forests above the thc foothills that hid the village village fro from view Had they looked around a bit they might have discovered a pair of burning eyes glaring at them from behind a 8 at arock arock t rock or over a tr tree tree e stump Bosso was watching them And had they seen the tho look of hatred in those spying eyes the careless lovers would not have been so tranquil i iA A year ear passed after Bosso first d discovered i s c 0 v ere d Pietro Pietro and Armida in th their ir love Jove retreat retreat But a year meant nothing to him him who waited for win his chance to an en enemy my and win the girl he coveted Every Evry fima he watched them exchanging exchanging-caresse exchanging cares s his hatred for Pietro and his love for mida forAr Xi Ar mida gre grew mor more intense One evening Bosso set a trap f for r Armida As she came running down the hillside she she tripped over ver some logs logs and fell headlong into the arms of Bosso Bosso The hunchback clasped the struggling gir girl in a vice-like vice grip and covered her with kisses I love you you you- Armida cara mia he panted and I 1 will ve bl have you if I 1 have haye to kill Pietro The threat against her lover give Armida Armid the strength of a tigress She freed one hand band a and d smashed Bosso a terrific blow on the h head ad with with a rock The blow took the love out out of of Bosso long enough to give the girl a chance t escape She told her ber empl employer yer about Bossos Bosso's attack but the arni laughed r a arid and said she had punished him enough But Pietro the Mover did not take bike it so o lightly He had a private chat with Bosso in one of the cow barns from which Bosso emerged with a bleeding nose nose and a swollen eye e From th that t day dayon dayon dayon on onI I i the hatred of Bosso for Pietro be- be becam became be became came cam came deadly One evening he peered through the window into the room room room of Giovanni Pe Pe- Pe Pe the farmer W What at he saw saw th there re gave him his idea for revenge Giovanni was standing in in front front of an anold anold anold old oaken chest chest contemplating a ring which he had taken from a small silver case It was a large amethyst which had been in the family for generations and which was said to have bave belonged to one of th the powerful doges of Venice Tho The farmer often said he would rather rather give up half of of his land than that Collectors frequently had made himrich him rich offers for it but he be had steadfastly refused to part with his jewel jewel Only a few days after Bosso had looked in through the window the ame ame- amethyst ame- ame amethyst amethyst was gone The old oaken chest chest had been broken into during the night and the ring stolen stolen Giovanni at once sent a man down on horseback to notify the carabi i iri ri The neighborhood of the farm and the forest be beyond ond were scoured for bandits but no trace was found of of any any evildoers The thief had gained admix adm admission s sion to the room through a window the soft ground of the flower flowerbed bed under und r the window had bad been carefully g gone over with a rake and no footprints could be detected that might have given the police a clew In scanning the ground however one of the found a button button It was one of those round green ireen green bullet like bullet like buttons such as the forest guards of estate estate the n neighboring estate wore wore on on their short tunics Pietro had noticed the absence of just such a button from his coat the day after his encounter with x T I IT vy T I L I I You You have caught me cried the girl bandit but Ive I've had my revenge You took my lover from Irom me and threw him into prison for lor something another had done but you have had to pay for lor it all of 01 you and Iam fam I f I am happy Now you can do with you me what please e She ended this Iren frenzied ed defiance of 01 the law taw witha with a screaming derision and flung her empty pistol at the head of 01 the officer commanding ding the soldiers who had been trailing her mountains for lor weeks week and at last had overpowered her herin herIn in a hard fought battle Bosso in the the co cow shed but he had paid further no further further attention to it it On the day day after the discovery of the then theft on the he farm Pietr Pietro was cleaning his when th three ee ent entered red and ordered him to to stand Ip in a a corner r while they hey looked through his belongings They took his tunic from a nail on the wall and n no- no noticed no noticed the absence of the button What What yo do with Giovanni Pe- Pe Pe os o's ring the officers of the tle law asked Pietro The young young forest guard swore n a sacred ath that he be k knew ew nothing of the ring but but the did not believe him They They searched the place and the ri ring g hidden under some shuts b in ina a cl closet set Young Pietro Metro was like like one petrified Only one of the officers officers put put his hand on his his shoulder shoulder and placed him bim under an arrest t he c come come me to his senses senses the H Ile shook off oft olf the theman man man and showed fight I r am innocent innocent he cried and you youcan can cant can't t arrest arrest ir st me But the overpowered him after a short struggle during which one of them theIl was WIlS was severely wounded in the thene ne neck k from a n knife thrust st The trial of Pietro Dalvini was was was the sensation of Caserta Front From From the cage ja which which d dangerous Italian n prisoners are held held during co court rt proceedings dins pi Pietro tro shouted shouted to his his sweetheart art Armida Armida that he was innocent I 1 did not do it it Armida mi mia mia he cried over and over oyer over again and nd I 1 dont don't care w what at t the the e u ed s to t nie me le if only you ou I 1 believe believe you Pietro mio the answered d in nn at a firm voice lut But the the jury sentenced Pietro to to ten ten years hi in prison As he was led struggling struggling gling and fighting out of the courtroom a Armida st stood d don on ona a bench and shouted I I 1 shall s shall you Pi Pietro tro I 1 swear it it B Before for the the office officers s could arrest arrest her hershe hershe hershe The she was out of t edoor The judge told t the e to to leave t the e girl alone alone that she bad had no not meant meant to insult the theco co court rt but pr probably babli h had d acted in I a fit of f comprehensible hy hysteria terla So Armida went home unmolested She resumed returned her work on the farm farm but 10 b she was a n different Armida from the gay and happy girl been The months passed slowly and miserably for the sor- sor sorrowing sorrowing sor sorrowing rowing girl Then one night came the news that that Piero Pietro had killed himself in his cell The young man had been broken broken- brokenhearted hearted broken hearted ever ver since sentence was pr pro pro- pronounced pro pronounced on him The more he brooded over his separation from Armida and the loss of his good name the more certain certain certain tain he be became ame that that l life e was was no longer worth living He fashioned a crude blade from a piece of metal and with wi h this gashed his throat and wrists so that he quickly bled to death Like a crazed woman woman Armida ran from the house into the forest There she met Bosso and when she told him him he laughed lIe laughed and tried to kiss her But she shook him off and slapped him The blow made Bosso turn into n a snarling beast beast He Ho threw his arms around the girl and hissed into her ear that it was he who had stolen the ring and placed it where where it was found He laughed and frothed at the mouth like a maniac and for a n brief moment lt ht go 0 his hold upon upon Armida And now you are goic to I Lo o mine whether you want to or not he shrieked But in that brief second the girl had had bad a chance to draw the knife knife she had carried her Sn-her stocking since since the conviction conviction tion of Pietro The Tho hunchback agal agai clasped her to him bim and tried d to force her to the ground but but in the next mo- mo moment mo moment ment ment h fell with a n yell yeU of pain When Armida lean leaned leaned d over hi him h is the light of the rising moon his convulsed face w was s write white as in d dath death ath She had kill killed d him him she thought He lie had con con- confessed con confessed his erime crime and she had punished Jim him for it it But who would believe here hert her Soon the would find his is body and take her to prison to the prison where her Pietro ro had had die die die- an in- in innocent innocent in innocent man No she w would uld n t be caught She m must st avenge her Pietro- Pietro Pietro she must bring suffering to those who had sent him to to death She must take take revenge on all men alike She Sho hated people now hated everybody witha with a for revenge revenge f o r- r k lir In Only half conscious of what hat she wanted wanted to do Armida stole ba back k to her of room in the stillness of the he night night- She made a bundle of some of her belong belong- belongings belongings belongings ings and then went down to the hall where her master kept his hi's his guns and and am am- am ammunition am ammunition n Ho Hours rs later Armida was walking along the highway that crosses the dan dan- dangerous mountain ten miles above Caserta On her back she she Was carrying a large bundle and and in a le lether leather ther belt s stuck uck two long b a r revolvers In one one hand she carried a h heavy avy satchel and in the other other s stick ic Thus she walked all the rest of the night finally collapsing to sleep sleep in a thicket beside the road It was late that thit afternoon when a two women drove into into Caserta In their aut automobile and stopped stopped in front of the inn They had been stopped on the highroad bya by a young woman they sa said d who had held two two guns at their heads and m made de them give up all their money and and jewels also j jewels a Basket asket of pro pro- pro pro- provisions provisions provisions visions and the two two women's coat coats About the same same tim time Bosso dragged h himself back to tie village bleeding from a knife wound iR inthe the side He lie told the people surrounding the auto he ho had been been attacked by Armida because he had no no money to give hero her lier The ar Armida from the farm where she had worked so long th the pair of r revolvers which her employer missed and the experience re- re related re related lat d by the the hunchback left no doubt doubt that she was the bandit who so held up the he tourists Immediately the police of all the sur surrounding rounding ding notified and search parties organized to locate the daring girl bandit bandit- But Bul no waa found of her her as if the big chasms along the high roads had swallowed her in In another week there was another Tw Two men reported to the police they had hd been attacked by a young woman who I made them throw all they had in their pockets over over a precipice rhey said the girl wore no no skirt but had her legs wrapped in ribbons ns at of cloth She had fired into fired into the ground before them to show that she meant business end they had quickly complied with her commands Again search carch earch forthe f bandit proved futile The holdups gr grew grew w bolder bold r more fre frequent quent On ono ono occasion occasion a man was shot because because- he hc he- he was was a little a little slow in emptying his pockets Police and soldiers sol sol- sol soldiers diers searched every y ry nook and crevice in the mountains and mountains hundreds of them were guarding the highways that ran into and out of Caserta But Armida could not be caught caught I 1 I I 11 5 tt t StI y r I Armidas Armida's dead dead sweetheart Pietro the Dalvini-the Dalvini the victim she declares of ofa a wicked pl plot t oth of the hunchback Bosso and sent to prison prison for a crime he never committed committed t This lon lone girl was s so so r remarkably successful suc- suc successful suc successful in eluding capture because she knew every inch of of that wild mountain country almost as as welI yell well as she knew her hern n name me As her pursuers eventually found out she had not one but Dut more than a dozen secure hiding places |
