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24 August 1904 — Maraga | |
Wednesday. 24th [August 1904]. Though it was a fine morning we again put off going to Pieve & I took a long walk with Cassis almost to Cugnach & home by the lanes on the top of the hill by Graniosa & Mier. It was quite lovely. There was much snow on the hills round. We drove over to tea with the Edens who were surprised to see me still here. Met Mme Wiel who is also going into Cadore tomorrow so half promised to join her if the Cassis give up going. After leaving the Edens we went back to Maraga & took the little Cassis boy out & drove to the Ponte della Alpi. The weather still threatening & it rained in the evening. The Villa Maraga is curiously built—only fit for fine weather for to get to the drawing room from the rest of the house it is necessary to cross an open yard. In the evening Cassis showed me his “brigand album”—containing the photos of brigands dead & alive wh he had taken 6 years ago when he was Prefect of Sardinia. He recounted how he had made a coup de main & in one night had imprisoned some 400 people all in league with these malefactors. He said that in the Island there was only 2 parties & at Elections it was not a question of Liberals & Conservatives, but of the 2 different bands of brigands. In order to safeguard themselves, proprietors, municipalities, villagers all espoused one side or another & protected them. Cassis therefore began by seizing & imprisoning all the chief supporters of the two bands—& then explained that as soon as they had induced the brigands to give themselves up to the law they would be put at liberty. Little by little the brigands all came in & submitted– To some he allowed 4 days to go back & put their affairs in order to one even a month was allowed—but all came in except 4—these had to be tracked & were driven up to an apparently inaccessible rock where they were finally shot by the gendármes. Since then brigandage in Sardinia has quite ceased. There were different rewards set on the head of each brigand—one as high as 8000 lire. As they had been taken in the way described the money was not claimed but Cassis used a great deal of it, in sums given to support the families of the brigands as they would otherwise have been starving. Part of his plan was to seize their cattle & he employed 2 battalions of troops put at his orders to drive in 4000 head of cattle. The troops were not used otherwise & he never had to have recourse to illegal means. Two of the richest wood merchants in the island were coming under the dominion of one [of] these brigands & they induced him to give himself up. When the brigand came & the proprietors went out free they took a touching farewell of the scoundrel & before the gendarmes embraced him on parting! There were 2 photos of women who were the mistresses of 2 brigands & who had supreme power in some parts of the Island. They are strong cruel looking persons—but of fine physique & not ugly. The men were mostly horrid looking creatures with wild eyes & narrow illshaped heads—brutalized by wickedness & cunning. | |
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