Continued Story

Fourteen years ago a young Brazilian, Virgilino Ferreira da Silva, persuaded the trusting Assembly of the State of Pernambuco to make him an honorary captain in its constabulary so that he might avenge his father who had been murdered in Pernambuco's hinterland. The Assembly made a mistake.

Virgilino turned outlaw. He wore a bright red sombrero, glittering hornrimmed spectacles, and a gold-&-silver-studded cartridge belt that held four rows of shells, and was so broad that he could not bend at the waist. He killed so many men and stuck their decapitated heads on sharpened stakes that he was nicknamed Lampeao, "the Lamp Post." Hair by hair he pulled out sheriffs' beards. Dusky Brazilian virgins blanched at his reputation for rape. He would cut out the tongue of a woman who told him a lie. But whenever he raided a village he distributed all the beer in town free.

Such are the facts of the Lamp Post's well known obituary. Four years ago, after troops had chased him fruitlessly for many months, he was shot not in battle but in a brawl, died of his wounds. Brazil rejoiced when the news was announced. Last January Brazil rejoiced again: it was discovered that the Lamp Post had just died of tuberculosis in the State of Sergipe. Last week Brazil was happier still. The Department of National Telegraphs was able to report the Lamp Post's third death: near the town of Villanova, 230 miles north of Sao Salvador, Bahia, the police of Alagoas State aided by a posse of civilians caught up with the bandit and in a desperate gun fight killed him, eleven confederates, his mistress.

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