Talk:Gennaro Rubino

Point of view

This article is written almost entirely on the basis of official police statements as reported by the New York Times and the Scotsman. Some anarchist publications had very different theories about Rubino's relationship with the police and the motives and circumstances surrounding the assasination attempt. Without more research it's hard to tell if any of these theories are plausable. Kaldari 06:52, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Name

Rubino's first name was reported in the media as Gennaro or Genarro. Gennaro appears to be the correct spelling. His last name was reported as Rubino, Rubini, or Rubin. Rubino appears to be correct. I have set up redirects for some of the other spellings. Kaldari 03:03, 30 July 2005 (UTC)

Birthplace

According to early reports, Rubino was born in Binardo (near Naples). Later accounts reported he was born in Bitonto. I'm going to go with the later reports as they are probably more accurate. Kaldari 02:00, 30 July 2005 (UTC)

Article from the Nashville Banner

Here is an article published about the incident (which I copied from a Microfilm archive). As this was an early report, there are likely many inaccuracies:
Three Shots Fired at King of the Belgians.
Brussels, November 15.–Three shots were fired ot (sic) the King of Belgium this morning as he was proceeding to the Cathedral to attend a te deum in memory of the late Queen Henrietta. No one was hurt. The man who fired the shots is an Italian. He stood in front of the Bank of Brussels on the Rue Royale. The other chambers in the revolver proved to be blank, so it is presumed that those fired were equally harmless. The man was immediately arrested and the police had some difficulty in rescuing him from the hands of the crowd. He gave the name of Robini (sic).
The royal cortege consisted of several carriages, besides that of the King, containing the Count and Countess of Flanders, Prince and Princess Albert of Flanders, the Princess Clementine and the aides-de-camp and ladies of honor.
When examined by the police, Robino (sic) confessed that he intended to shoot King Leopold, and said he held Anarchist beliefs.
Rubino is a bookkeeper. He was born at Rinardo, near Naples, in 1859, and has lately lived in Brussels.
Fired Ball Cartridge.
A fuller investigation satisfied the police that Rubino really fired a ball cartidge, the bullet of which smashed the window of Comte D'Eoultremont's carriage and grazed the Grand Marshal's face.
When rescued from the mob Rubino was placed in a cab, and infuriated crowds immediately surrounded it and attacked the vehicle with knives and sticks. The police had great difficulty in forcing a way to the police station through the crowd, which shouted alternately "Kill him" and "Long live the King." The cab was badly hacked with knives. A search of the prisoner revealed a package af (sic) ball cartidges. It is reported that Rubino had been heard to express anarchistic opinions, and it was also said that he came to Brussels from London expressly to kill King Leopold, and went to the Cathedral to-day for this purpose, but refrained from shooting at the King for fear of killing soldiers who stood between him and His Majesty.
Rubino is also reported to have said he was employed in the Italian secret service in London and that he came to Brussels a fortnight ago with the intention of assassinating King Leopold.
News Spread.
The news of the outrage spread rapidly throughout the city and the greatest excitement prevailed. The people thronged the streets, eagerly discussing the attempt on the life of the King, and large crowds gathered in front of the various bulletin boards. The newspapers issued frequent editions and these were eagerly bought. General abhorrence was expressed by the people at the apparent deliberate attempt to assassinate the sovereign.
King Leopold appeared to be quite unmoved by the attempt of Rubino to kill him. After luncheon at the palace, His Majesty entered a motor car and proceeded to the railroad station, where he boarded a train bound for Groenendael.
- Nashville Banner, Vol. 27, No. 186 (Nov. 15, 1902), p. 1.

Some of the differences between this account and later reports include the following:

• Rubino's birthplace
• Whether Leopold was traveling to or from the funeral
• Whether the Grand Marshall's face was grazed by a bullet or simply hit with bloken glass from the window

Kaldari 21:54, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Death

• When where how did he die ?Hektor 02:10, 28 August 2005 (UTC)
  • March 14, 1918 in Louvain prison in Belgium according to the Milillo article. Kaldari (talk) 23:18, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Additional research

Surveillance of Rubino by the London Metropolitan Police Special Branch is discussed briefly in the book The Origins of the Vigilant State: The London Metropolitan Police Special Branch Before the First World War. Kaldari (talk) 23:17, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

A book was published in Belgium in 2006 about Rubino: Rubino, l'anarchiste italien qui tenta d'assassiner Léopold II. It was written by Anne Morelli. Kaldari (talk) 00:40, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Descendants in England

Rubino has descendants in England, although no verifiable information is known about his family there. Kaldari (talk) 23:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Apparently his wife in London was named Emily Alderton. He also had a previous wife in Italy named Maria Teresa Fatelli. Kaldari (talk) 00:37, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

New references

@Carolus: Would it be possible to add the article names to the new references you added from La Meuse and Journal De Charleroi? That will make it easier for other people to find them. Kaldari (talk) 19:48, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

No; they just have to open it, the papers are full of this attack on the King, easy look on Belgica KBR. --Carolus (talk) 10:43, 5 November 2016 (UTC)