Trilogy about Graziano Mesina – Part 1 ‘The Outlaw’
The rugged mountainous region in the heart of Sardinia has resisted all conquerors since ancient times. The Phoenicians, Romans, Spanish and all those who wanted to impose their own civilisation on the shepherds of Barbagia* had to learn this the hard way. The Sardinians here steadfastly adhered to their own customs, rules and laws. Anyone who does not know this cannot understand that Barbagia still has an ancient code of honour that condones actions that, according to our understanding, should be condemned.
For example, that of Graziano Mesina, the most famous bandit of the last century, whose brother bakes the bread in Budoni that I have been eating with growing enthusiasm for years. Grazianeddu, as the Sardinians affectionately christened him, started out as a Robin Hood figure around 50 years ago and went on to have a career that was eventually even made into a film.
They can be divided into three stages.
- The outlaw
- The hero
- The end
The Outlaw
At the tender age of 16, it began with a simple theft: three pigs. Not, as one might assume, to throw a suckling pig party with his mates, but to help three needy shepherds in Robin Hood fashion. That could still be passed off as an act of Christian charity. Two years later, however, he was arrested for the first time for shooting gas lanterns with a pistol in his home village. That, too, could be passed off as a silly boyish prank. But the authorities considered it hooliganism and sentenced him to three months in prison.
While he was serving his sentence, the family suffered a bitter blow: the body of a previously kidnapped landowner was found on the family's land. Naturally, suspicion immediately fell on the Mesinas. Two of Graziano's brothers were arrested, even though the family insisted they had nothing to do with it. (The Mesinas had many children: 10 siblings, Graziano being the second youngest.) The police were unable to produce any real evidence because the Orgolesen family did not lift a finger to help with the investigation. Yet there would have been enough witnesses who could have cleared everything up.
But anyone familiar with southern Europe, especially Sardinia and Sicily, knows that historically rooted mistrust of the authorities precludes any cooperation with their enforcement agencies. Too often, or in the opinion of the people, always, the police had proven that they could only cause disorder, discord and injustice. In the eyes of the family and many Orgolesen, the present case was further proof of this.
Logically, justice can only be obtained by one's own hand, and there are rules for this that date back to ancient times. Blood must be avenged with blood. For Graziano, there was no doubt about where to find the murderers. Following the applicable laws of the faida (vendetta), Graziano entered the bar frequented by his enemies in broad daylight and shot a member of their family in public. This was murder, albeit one sanctioned by the laws of Barbagia. He was arrested but managed to escape. This marked the beginning of his career as an outlaw. He evaded the police and anti-Mafia commandos who were searching for him and hid in the mountains of Supramonte.
At times in 1967, over 3,000 Carabinieri and Mafia special units were out searching for him. At least once a week, they combed through every house in Orgosolo. Helicopters were used to monitor the area. He was surrounded by the police several times, but escaped by fighting his way out unscrupulously, even using real weapons of war such as hand grenades. His wanted poster was everywhere in Sardinia. Nevertheless, he had the chutzpah to walk past the Carabinieri barracks in Nuoro in broad daylight, shop publicly in Cagliari, show up at football matches, visit his fiancée in Orgosolo and his lawyer in Nuoro. All this was possible because he had the full sympathy and support of the population: ‘No one here would refuse him a piece of bread. Everyone here knows that Grazianeddu is a good boy who became a bandit through no fault of his own.’
Meanwhile, his two brothers spent two years in prison, despite being innocent. When they were released, two brothers from the rival clan were charged instead. That could have been the end of the story. But no sooner had Graziano's brothers been released from prison than his brother Antonio was kidnapped. A few days later, he was found dead with his tongue torn out! Apparently, the other family suspected him of cooperating with the police. Graziano's reaction was predictable. As he had done the first time, he, the wanted man, killed a member of the rival clan in front of everyone in the bar, this time with a burst of machine-gun fire. ‘That's how you kill mangy dogs,’ he is said to have shouted to those present in the bar.
He was arrested again, and again he escaped. This was repeated several times, even from supposedly escape-proof prisons. The police were constantly after him. There were several shootouts in which seven police officers and his best friend were killed. Mesina commemorated him by placing seven red roses on his grave at the funeral and swore to take revenge on the police officers. In a letter to the editor of ‘Nuova Sardegna’, however, he made it clear that he would ‘never touch tourists. They can come to Orgosolo without fear. I only take revenge on those who have done me harm.’
In doing so, he proved himself to be a loyal son of his homeland. They rewarded him for this, and he enjoyed a successful career. More on this in the chapter ‘The Hero’.
With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.
Joachim Waßmann
Notes
Barbagia refers to the mountain range in the heart of Sardinia. The word itself comes from Roman and means something like ‘barbarian land’. This expresses the fact that the Romans were unable to gain a foothold here. It is significant that this name has remained alive to this day.
Continue to Part 2