Mezzoni the Brigand — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 11 The demand of a very heavy ransom and its pay- ment to Mezzoni, through the hands of his agents, also a daring robbery of diamonds from a French traveling party, had together aroused the govern- ment to a state of great irritation, and the long- standing reward which had been offered for the brig- and leader was doubled by a formal proclamation, besides a free pardon being promised to any comrades who should betray him to the authorities. This offer was posted in all public places, upon the roads, upon the rocks of the mountain sides, upon the trees, and at all of the wayside inns. Indeed, every publicity possible was given to the great gov- ernment reward as doubled in its former amount, and to be freely paid for the person of Mezzoni, or failing that, for his head. Government was at last in earnest, and every possible resource was brought to bear in order to get possession of the famous out- law. The price set upon the robber’s head by this last increase now amounted to the extraordinary sum of fifty thousand dollars—a premium certainly large enough to command the best efforts to accomplish his arrest. Men of intelligence, who had never engaged in the detection of rogues as a business, were led to consider the matter, and Mezzoni found Hinnsele pur- - sued with a vigor and resolve transcending that of any previous period of his eventful career. Only a brief quiet was caused by this official activity, and ‘soon after the bravo was at work again as success- fully as ever. It was noticeable that no large band seemed to be operating together upon the roads or elsewhere, as most of the robberies which came to the knowledge of the authorities were committed by two or three comicbooks com