BANDIT CORSE - André SPADA (Ajaccio 1897 - Bastia 1935) - Co - Lot 160

BANDIT CORSE - André SPADA (Ajaccio 1897 - Bastia 1935) - Considered Corsica's greatest bandit - A brawl at a ball in 1922 saw an Italian sailor killed, the gendarmes arrived and Dominique Rutili was fingered as the killer. Spada stepped in to defend his friend and killed a gendarme; This was the beginning of Spada's greatest run in the Corsican maquis, which lasted more than 10 years, punctuated by crimes, revenge, attacks on postal vans, ransoming of travelers - Spada became a kind of Corsican bandit legend, fascinated by his chases with the gendarmes, his conquests of women (who often lead to his whereabouts being traced), his punitive expeditions to defend the bandits' honor, he becomes a bloodthirsty Corsican "Robin Hood" - a "maquis hero", He became so famous that in 1931 Pathé-Journal managed to film and interview him for a large sum of money, and after his death the journalists published his "Memoirs", But this life of stalking, murder and alcohol abuse weakened him mentally, as he saw his fellow bandits arrested or killed, took himself to be the bandits' avenger, lost his mind, became engulfed in destructive mysticism, and was eventually caught: on May 29, 1933, Spada was arrested in his parents' house, exhausted, with a large wooden crucifix around his neck; his mental state forced him to be committed to a psychiatric hospital in Marseille; on his return to Bastia in January 1935, he was tried in March, sentenced to death and executed in June 1935 by the executioner Deibler / EXCEPTIONAL AUTOGRAPHIC LETTER SIGNED 4 p large in-4 (chipping on the sides, a little missing at the bottom corner), from Ajaccio, April 22, 1932, addressed to Henri Omessa, director of the newspaper "L'Eveil d'Ajaccio" (spelling has been corrected in the transcription for better understanding): "Have the goodness to reserve me a column on your esteemed newspaper for the following project" - "To the representatives of civil and military justice and all who are part of it" - "In the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, I Spada André, this is the third time I appeal for the peace of everyone, and especially for the innocent who pay for the wrongdoers. In December 1931, I wrote to the brother-in-law of the examining magistrate Poggi of the Ajaccio public prosecutor's office; I threatened him with death, telling him that if the innocent were not set free within twenty-four hours, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, I would have avenged their tears, because if the good Lord forgave the leaders of the Bandits volontaires, he would have doubly forgiven me, being a bandit by force to avenge the innocent. I also wrote to Monsieur Faggennelli, General Council of the Cinarca canton, for the same reasons. And after that, there's a man of those who claim to see clearly, and answered me on a newspaper in the name of the government, and told me that if I wasn't happy it was the same thing" (Spada becomes very confused, his spelling deteriorates, we understand that he was answered that even if he commits 10 to 12 crimes for his threats, he will in turn be caught and that it's the law) "According to this Monsieur the government comes before the good Lord", "So if I Spada didn't kill, it wasn't for fear of his word or his justice or the name of the government, it was quite simply for the merciful love of the good Lord, for universal peace" - "On April 2nd of this month, I appealed to the Holy Church, to Monseigneur Rodié, Bishop of Ajaccio, for the same reason, for the sake of the innocent, for the merciful love of the good Lord. But I firmly believe that the good Lord takes second place to the will of men. As for the superiors of said justice, they sincerely wish me to come into contact with his gendarmes. So I want to give them this pleasure. Up to now, I've avoided the occasion. But as I've never been in the habit of doing things as a traitor or a coward, from today I declare war on injustice and on all those I feel can help him in his work. In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, be ready, for my weapon is ready wherever I meet them, armed or unarmed, their blood will flow over the earth like the tears of the innocents in prison. If the gendarme defends earthly law, they're damned! I defend Divine law and the Holy Cross, André, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Try to defend yourselves, but if you don't call on the good Lord's help in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, you'll be cursed!