Byways in southern Tuscany . scape, becauseit was whispered a noble family had need of him for a timeto carry out a private vendetta. However this may be,within two years he was again in prison, and at the close ofhis trial was condemned to the galleys for eighteen this imprisonment he contrived to escape a littlelater, and then began that extraordinary career in which,with bravery, audacity, and a character of unusual force,he rose to the virtual control of a large extent of country inthe southern portion of Tuscany. He was tall and hand-some, with brilliant blue eyes, and though d
Byways in southern Tuscany . scape, becauseit was whispered a noble family had need of him for a timeto carry out a private vendetta. However this may be,within two years he was again in prison, and at the close ofhis trial was condemned to the galleys for eighteen this imprisonment he contrived to escape a littlelater, and then began that extraordinary career in which,with bravery, audacity, and a character of unusual force,he rose to the virtual control of a large extent of country inthe southern portion of Tuscany. He was tall and hand-some, with brilliant blue eyes, and though delicately built,of a prodigious physical strength. He became known asthe King of the Macchia. He gathered about him a bandof followers and with these under his orders, established asystem of hiding places, and of cached arms and pro-visions, which, together with a knowledge of the woods soexact and complete that he was easily able to evade cap-ture, equipped him for operating with a success that foryears never failed him. 54. BYWAYS IN SOUTHERN TUSCANY Among those who joined Tiburzi and agreed to his un-questioned leadership was Biagini, an expert shot and anaccompHshed bandit of the older generation. This man,together with Fioravanti, Tiburzis son-in-law, who leftthe mild occupation of cook in a training school for priests,for the more exciting life of the highway, were his trustedlieutenants. The size of his band, originally considerable,was gradually reduced through the slaying or capture of itsmembers; but with the course of years, Tiburzi brought histerritory under a system that had less need of and Ansuini, a pair belonging to the youngergeneration, were also ambitious to join his group, but herefused to enroll them, at the same time giving themclearly to understand that he considered their methodslacked refinement; the fact being that Menichetti and hisfriend Ansuini carried on their profession in the primitivemanner by the direct employment of assassi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjecttuscany, bookyear1919
