Zé do Telhado
José Teixeira Silva was a real Portuguese Robin Hood, self titled “Public Distributor”.
People called him Zé do Telhado,this translates to something like Rooftop Joe, because his most spectacular robberies were made entering big manors coming down from the roof.
This XIX century popular hero was a leader of road robbers gangs, taking money from the rich, giving his loots to the poor, forcing the rich to treat their poor underlings well, acting as a judge over disputes among poor people.
Legend has it that among his doings he robbed a priest. The full story being that the priest had refused to baptize a child because the child’s mother was too poor to pay for the “expenses”, Zé do Telhado not only forced the priest to perform the baptism but he also ordered him to open the alms box and to give some of the money in there to the poor woman.
Born in 1818, this man is said to have served in the army as a sergeant on a cavalry regiment, he is also said to have been in the revolution of Maria da Fonte (probably a future post).
He was an expert with firearms as well as with the war ax. Later his road robbers were almost like a small army.
In spite of his “social works” he acted outside the law and eventually he was caught. His doings are remembered in many written works, including in the writings of Camilo Castelo Branco (a famous Portuguese writer who has been in jail for different reasons), who was actually is cell mate and became his friend and who paid for his lawyer when he was prosecuted.
This robber hero ended his days in Angola, at the time one of the Portuguese colonies in Africa, poor and almost forgotten by most.
He tried to use his strength and charisma to change the world into his own utopia and failed, but in mainland Portugal he has always lived as the “Public Distributor” in the hopes of the poorest and humblest among the people.
Tags:Portugal
People called him Zé do Telhado,this translates to something like Rooftop Joe, because his most spectacular robberies were made entering big manors coming down from the roof.
This XIX century popular hero was a leader of road robbers gangs, taking money from the rich, giving his loots to the poor, forcing the rich to treat their poor underlings well, acting as a judge over disputes among poor people.
Legend has it that among his doings he robbed a priest. The full story being that the priest had refused to baptize a child because the child’s mother was too poor to pay for the “expenses”, Zé do Telhado not only forced the priest to perform the baptism but he also ordered him to open the alms box and to give some of the money in there to the poor woman.
Born in 1818, this man is said to have served in the army as a sergeant on a cavalry regiment, he is also said to have been in the revolution of Maria da Fonte (probably a future post).
He was an expert with firearms as well as with the war ax. Later his road robbers were almost like a small army.
In spite of his “social works” he acted outside the law and eventually he was caught. His doings are remembered in many written works, including in the writings of Camilo Castelo Branco (a famous Portuguese writer who has been in jail for different reasons), who was actually is cell mate and became his friend and who paid for his lawyer when he was prosecuted.
This robber hero ended his days in Angola, at the time one of the Portuguese colonies in Africa, poor and almost forgotten by most.
He tried to use his strength and charisma to change the world into his own utopia and failed, but in mainland Portugal he has always lived as the “Public Distributor” in the hopes of the poorest and humblest among the people.
Tags:Portugal
posted by DCveR at 9:15 AM
9 Comments:
My grandpa who worked hard and saved, and gave VERY generously to the poor, did not appreciate robbers said, "Robin Hood was nothing but a vagabond and a rogue."
I used to think these "Robin Hood" types were good guys. But I think Confucious said something like "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life." So these days I agree with GG's grandpa.
GG & viking: without trying to excuse a robber, any robber, it seems there is always one such figure in every culture, be it Robin Hood, Jesse James, Lampião or Zé do Telhado and even if we don't like the idea there seem to be a lot of people who are ready to make them heros, maybe this is also way some crooked politicians get elected - people secretly idolize thiefs.
so it's like mission impossible of the 19th century. the noble somehow always die poor and anonymous.
Hahaha, that made me laugh, 'people secretly idolise thieves'.
Cadiz, I think of him as 'ignoble'. Darn thief.
It's true, there's something about thieves that tickles the amygdala... That doesn't make it right though.
love that story! Had a friend of my own btw who went into a corporate grossery store and filled his bags, when asked for pay-way he stated; this belongs to the poor and hungry!, it does not belong to greedy moneyearnigdickheads!!! He got committed for sanity care about five years... Whats wrong with him? and whats wrong withthe system that proclaims everybody is taken care of? Which one is the insane here?
Hi Dcver
Thanks for the story: I only knew bits of it :) .
isa, isae: Sorry mate, but the end of property is not something I would really be confortable with. Fair pay is one thing, but being forced to share with those who won't work just because they don't feel like it ever no way.
ariadne: If you can hold the excessive drama "Memórias do Cárcere" has most of his story according to Camilo (although historians say a lot of it is romanced).
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