Brazil's last 'cangaceiro' bandit dies aged 97

Rio de Janeiro: The last surviving member of legendary Brazilian bandits who roamed and robbed in the arid northeast in the early 20th century has died aged 97.

Jose Alves de Matos was known as "25" for the day he joined the nomadic "cangaceiros" gang led by its most famous member, Lampiao, who roamed the region from 1922 to 1938.

Alves de Matos' family said Wednesday that he died Sunday of respiratory complications in Maceio, in the northeastern state of Alagoas.

The last surviving member of Brazilian bandits who roamed and robbed in the early 20th century has died aged 97.

The cangaceiros were considered Robin Hood figures by impoverished peasants -- but cruel criminals by others -- as they traveled the vast region in search of loot and food.

They were known for their crescent-shaped hats, ammunition belts and leather outfits decorated with metal pieces that they wore to protect themselves from thorny dry bushes.

They emerged in the dry region in the late 19th century as a peasant revolt against powerful landowners known as "coronels."

Alves de Matos was involved in several battles against the authorities, according to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

He became Lampiao's right-hand man, tasked with protecting the gang leader's girlfriend, Maria Bonita (Pretty Maria).

Alves de Matos escaped near-certain death when Lampiao ordered him to look for weapons when 11 of his comrades, including Lampiao and Maria Bonita, were killed in a police ambush on July 28, 1938.

The police displayed the decapitated heads of the cangaceiros in a public square.

Alves de Matos went into hiding but eventually turned himself in to police. He learned to read and write in prison and became a municipal officer after his release.

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