Description: A female brigand in Naples, Italy London Journal, 1865 This is an issue of The London Journal, dated Jan. 7, 1865. The Journals subheading describes it as The Weekly Record of Literature, Science and Art. It measures 9x12 inches in size and is 16 pages long. It is in very good condition, with some wear along its page edges (see photos). Unlike many surviving publications from the 1860sit was never enclosed in a bound volume, so it remains in its exact original format. The London Journal primarily featured serialized fiction, and such stories take up about 3/4ths of this issue. Among the news of the day, though, is an interesting piece on page 4, titled A FEMALE BRIGAND. It relates the dramatic story of Maria Oliviero (1841-1879), who led an outlaw band which was active in Naples, Italy, from 1862-64. The Italian version of Wikipedia has a lengthy entry for Oliviero, including a photo of her. A translation of part of that entry says: At the age of twenty, Maria Oliviero murdered her sister, hacking her 48 times with an axe for slander and joined the gang of her husband, Pietro Monaco. She was arrested in 1864 and went on trial in February, was charged with 32 crimes: kidnapping, violent robberies and thefts, fires, and murders. She confessed to the murder of his sister, but for the rest she claimed she was coerced into participating. The article in this London Journal goes into colorful detail saying, in its entirety: A Turin letter states that among the Neapolitan provinces which have to contend with the dreadful scourge of brigandage there is that of Cattanzaro, which possesses the advantage of having a band which is led by Maria Oliviero, an exceedingly handsome woman, not yet thirty years of age. Barbarity is her chief characteristic, and the sight of blood renders her as excited as a wild beast. She was the wife of a famous brigand, Moneco, of the Albanian village of Spezzano, who was killed in an encounter with the Italian troops near Rossano. In this very encounter Maria was also wounded, but she continued to discharge her musket, kneeling on the dead body of her husband, with a firmness and a courage which even commanded the admiration of her opponents. Having at last been struck in the right leg, she fell into the hands of the troops, was brought before a court-martial at Cattanzaro, and condemned to be shot. The sentence was, however, commuted to thirty years penal servitude. While she was expiating her crimes in the prison at Cattanzaro the gaoler fell desperately in love with her. The cunning woman pretended to feel an equal affection for him, and one day she told him that while she was with her husband she had concealed in at place near Rossano a large sum of money, which had been paid for the ransom of a rich farmer. The gaoler went quickly to the spot and found the money. This fact had naturally the effect of making his love for Maria still more ardent, so that she had no difficulty in convincing him that tender affections are better manifested in freedom than within the four walls of a dungeon. Before, however, making their escape Maria succeeded in sending word to her brothers, who are brigands, that on a certain evening she would be at an appointed spot, not far from Cattanzaro, attired in mans clothes, together with her deliverer. Maria was punctual at the rendezvous, and her brothers also. The unfaithful turnkey was killed out of hand, and the money he had found replaced in Marias pocket. Once free, this woman organised a band of brigands, and began her operations in that tract of mountains which lie between the river Crati and Cattanzaro. The barbarities since perpetrated by Maria are almost incredible. The villages of Spinelli, Cotzenei, and Belvedere have been literally sacked by the band she commands. The dread which the name of Maria Oliviero inspires among the rural population of Cattanzaro is so great that the Italian government have been obliged to send two battalions of the line to pursue the cruel fury. While the band led by this woman is desolating the country of Cattanzaro, we hear from Rionre that Bersaglieri have succeeded at last in capturing the famous brigand, Sacchitiello, together with the two still more famous mistresses of the brigands Crocco and Schiavone. The strangest thing about the capture of Sacchitiello, and the two women, is that they were taken in the house of the captain of the National Guard of the village, where they had been concealed since the month of July. This fact shows how difficult it is to get rid of the Neapolitan brigands, since, in certain cases, the commanders of the National Guard give them safe shelter in their very houses. _gsrx_vers_1680 (GS 9.8.3 (1680))
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