The Book of Pirates and Highwaymen (19 page)

From Chagre the most satisfactory information was received. Every thing was quiet, and in the best order. The garrison had succeeded in taking a Spanish ship, which had unsuspectingly passed near the fort. She came from Carthagena, and there were found on board some chests full of emeralds. In consequence of this circumstance, Morgan determined to prolong his residence at Panama for some time: for he was not yet undeceived. He still flattered himself with the hope of ultimately meeting with this galleon, the object of general desire, and towards which his attention and his prayers were incessantly directed. In the mean time his men pursued their researches into the ruins of the consumed houses; within which treasure was most certainly concealed. In fact, some of the pirates did discover treasure in the wells and cellars, where it had been secreted by the Spaniards; while others were employed in burning the rich stuffs, in order to obtain the gold and silver with which they were embroidered.

Every apprehension of any attack from the Spaniards being thus removed, the free-booters settled themselves in such of the houses as were spared by the flames, and lived in perfect tranquillity, relying on the active vigilance of their strong patrols, who scoured the environs, and continually brought back booty and prisoners. In a short time they had seized upwards of one hundred mules richly laden, and more than two hundred persons of both sexes, who were tortured in the most barbarous manner, in order to compel them to disclose the places where they had concealed their precious effects. Many of them actually expired amidst these tortures; but their death affected their executioners so much the less, as it released them from several useless mouths, and a scarcity of provisions began to prevail. A few women of noble rank, who were gifted with external advantages, were treated with a degree of respect, which they could not expect from these ferocious men; but this was only when they yielded to their brutal desires. Those, on the contrary, who would not submit, experienced the most horrible treatment. Morgan himself set an example to his comrades. The following tale, which delineated that impetuous man in all his colours, deserves to be related.

Among those that were brought in, was a young and most lovely woman, of a mild and modest mien, but who possessed an elevated soul. She was the wife of an opulent merchant, who was then on a journey to Peru, whither his affairs called him. She was flying with her parents when she was detained by the free-booters. The moment Morgan beheld her, he destined her for his pleasures. At first she was treated with respect and separated from the rest of the prisoners; although she with tears besought him to spare her this distinction, more formidable than flattering. He gave her an apartment in his dwelling, together with negroes to attend, and supped with her from his own table. He even permitted the captive Spanish women to visit her. She was astonished at this treatment; as the free-booters had been represented to her, as well as to her country women, as a kind of monsters, equally hideous in their forms as their character was odious. It is related by these, who have transmitted to us the particulars of this event, that a Spanish woman exclaimed with surprise, who beheld them for the first time, – ‘O Holy Mary! These robbers are in every respect like our Spaniards!’

At first the heroine of this little romance did not suspect that her charms were the cause of such a delicate and unexpected reception. She shortly, however, learnt the real design of this treatment. Morgan gave her three days to consider whether she would voluntarily yield to the passion she had inspired. He laid at her feet whatever was most valuable of his booty, either in gold, pearls, or diamonds. But she rejected all his presents; and, after steadfastly refusing the most pressing entreaties, she told him with the greatest firmness, ‘My life is in your hands; but you shall exercise no dominion over my body until my soul is separated from it.’ As she uttered these words, she drew forth a dagger, which she had concealed, but which was instantly taken from her. The ferocious Morgan, incapable of any sentiment of generosity, a stranger to every kind of virtue, caused her clothes to be torn off, and cast her naked into a dark and fetid cellar, where she was supplied with only the grossest food, and in such small quantities as were scarcely sufficient to prolong her melancholy days.

… Morgan began now to think seriously of returning [home]. After three weeks’ residence at Panama, the freebooters abandoned that city, or rather the situation at which it had formerly occupied. The booty, which consisted principally of gold, silver, and jewels (for no other articles were portable), was laden upon one hundred and seventy-five beasts of burden, by the side of which upwards of six hundred prisoners, men, women, and children, inhabitants as well as slaves, were compelled to walk on foot. Ignorant of the place of their destination, and exhausted by hunger and fatigue, these unfortunate persons abandoned themselves to lamentations, which would have excited compassion in the breasts of every one but their ferocious conductors, whom they conjured upon their knees to grant them the favour of returning to the pile of ashes which had been their country. Morgan replied that he would grant them permission, provided they would produce money for their ransom. Such a condition was equivalent to a refusal. The captives, however, waited four days, for the return of some ecclesiastics, whom they had dispatched for the purpose of collecting, if it were possible, the sum required by the insatiable Morgan.

As they did not return, the pirates resumed their march, violently goading and beating, even to death, such as did not walk with sufficient speed. In this group of unfortunates were mothers, carrying infants at their breasts; and who, being themselves destitute of sustenance, could not yield a single drop of milk to support their offspring; and among them was the lovely woman already noticed, for whose liberty Morgan required a ransom of thirty thousand piasters. To raise that sum, she had sent two monks to a particular spot, whence they returned with the money she had expected. But, instead of employing it in her deliverance, they appropriated it to the redeeming of some other prisoners who were their friends. This atrocious treachery soon became known, and increased the interest which the free-booters took in the fate of the victim. Morgan himself could not suppress an emotion of pity; he interrogated the other monastics whom he was dragging along, respecting the transaction; which being fully proved, he at length released his beauteous captive, but detained all the monks by way of retaliation, in order to atone for the perfidy of their brethren. They also succeeded in procuring their ransom; and, during their march, many other prisoners had the same good fortune; but the majority, not being able to obtain the sum exacted for their ransom, were obliged to continue their route.

The Outlaw of Calabria

One of the most celebrated leaders of the bands of brigands which infested Calabria and the Abruzzi, in 1817, was the priest of Ciro Annichiarico, who, though born of respectable parents, and bred to the ecclesiastical profession, abandoned himself to crime at an early period of his life. He began his infamous career by killing a young man of the Motolesi family, in a fit of jealousy. His insatiable hatred pursued every member of the family, and exterminated them one after the other, with the exception of a single individual who succeeded in evading his search, and who lived shut up in his house for several years, without ever daring to go out. This unfortunate being thought that a snare was laid for him, when people came to tell him of the imprisonment, and shortly after the death of his enemy; and it was with difficulty that he was induced to quit his retreat.

Ciro, condemned for the murder of Motolesi to fifteen years of chains or exile, by the tribunal of Lecce, remained there in prison for four years, when he made his escape. It was then that he began to lead a vagabond life, which was stained by the most atrocious crimes. At Eartano, he penetrated with his accomplices into one of the first houses of the place, massacred the mistress and all her attendants, and carried off ninety-six thousand ducats. He became in correspondence with all the hired brigands; and whoever wished to get rid of an enemy had only to address himself to Ciro. On being asked by captain Montori, reporter of the commission which condemned him, how many persons he had killed with his own hand, he carelessly answered, ‘Who can remember? they will be between sixty and seventy.’ One of his companions, Occhiolupo, confessed to seventeen; the two brothers, Francesco and Vito Serio, to twenty-three; so that these four ruffians alone had assassinated upwards of a hundred!

The activity of Ciro was as astonishing as his artifice and intrepidity. He handled his musket and managed his horse to perfection; and as he was always extremely well mounted, he found concealment and support, either through fear or inclination, every where. He succeeded in escaping from the hands of the soldiers by forced marches of thirty or forty miles, even when confidential spies had discovered his place of concealment but a few hours before. The singular good fortune of his being able to extricate himself from the most imminent dangers, acquired for him the reputation of a necromancer, upon whom ordinary means of attack had no power among the people, and he neglected nothing that could confirm this idea, and increase the sort of spell it produced on the peasants. They dared not execrate or even blame him in his absence, so firmly were they persuaded that his demons would inform him of it.

Ciro put himself at the head of two associations of most desperate character, the Patrioti Europei, and the Decisi. The institution of the Decisi, or decided, was of the most horrible nature. They kept a register of the victims they immolated; and had what they called a director of funeral ceremonies, for they slaughtered with method and solemnity. As soon as the detachments employed in this service, found it convenient to effect their purpose, at the first blast of the trumpet they unsheathed their poignards; at the second blast, they aimed them at their victim; at the third, they gradually brought their weapons towards his breast; and at the forth signal, plunged them into their bodies.

In 1817, these associations had become so formidable, that General Church was sent with an army to exterminate them; but with men linked by such ties, a person of Ciro’s determined character was not to be put down easily. He therefore made the most desperate efforts to defend himself. At length, worn out by fatigue, Ciro and three companions, Vito de Cesare, Giovanni Palmieri, and Michele Cuppoli, had taken refuge in Scaserba, to repose themselves for a few hours. He had previously provided this, and all the farm-houses of the district, with ammunition and some provisions. When he saw the militia of S. Marzano marching against him, he appeared very little alarmed, and thought he could very easily cut through their ranks. He shot the first man dead who came within range of his musket. This delay cost him dear; the militia sent information to Lieutenant Fonsmore, stationed at the Castelli, a strong position between Crottaglie and Francavilla. This officer hastened to the spot with forty men.

On seeing him approach, Ciro perceived that a vigorous attack was to be made. He shut up the people of the Masseria in the straw magazine, and put the key in his pocket. He took away the ladder from the tower, and loaded, with the aid of his companions, all the guns, of which he had a good number.

Next morning, Major Bianchi proceeded in person to Scaserba, and besieged Ciro, with one hundred and thirty soldiers, while a body of the militia were placed at some distance. He attempted to escape in the night, but the neighing of a horse made him suspect that some cavalry had arrived, whose pursuit it would be impossible to elude. He retired, after having killed, with a pistol shot, a Voltigeur, stationed under the wall which he attempted to scale. He again shut himself up in his tower, and employed himself till morning in making cartridges. At day-break, the besiegers tried to burst open the wooden gate of the outer wall; Ciro and his men repulsed the assailants by a well-directed fire; they killed five and wounded fourteen men.

A barrel of oil was brought, in order to burn the door. The first man who set fire to it was shot through the heart. A four-pounder, which had been conveyed to the place, was pointed against the roof of the tower. Several of this calibre had been contrived to be easily dismounted from their carriages, and transported on mules. This little piece produced great effect, and the tiles and brick which fell, forced Ciro to descend from the second to the first floor. After some deliberations with his companions, he demanded to speak with General Church, who he believed was in the neighbourhood; then to the Duke of Jasi, who was also absent; at last, he resolved to capitulate with Major Bianchi. He addressed the besiegers, and threw some bread. Major Bianchi promised that he should not be maltreated by the soldiers. He descended the ladder, opened the door of the tower, and presented himself with these words, ‘Here I am, Don Ciro!’