The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-12 00:00:00

TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION OF A
MONK FOR MURDER.

On Saturday, the 2t!th ult., there took place in Lome
an event, the natural and legal sequence of the over-
throw of the Pope's temporal dominion, and of that
common civil status by which all Italians, with the
single exception of the Pope himself, have become
amenable to the laws. ,f the kingdom, and must he tritsl
by a jury of their countrymen when charged with the
c4aumissionof a crime (writes the Special I •orresismdent
the Du 1 y Nuts). But though only a natural and legal
consequence, it was not the less of the highest in-
terest and importance, for it wins the first trial of a
monk before an ordinary criminal court, and etinse-
quently the first practical illustration given to the
inhabitants •of Rome of that aladition of separate and
exclusive law courts and law fonns in the case of the
clergy, and of their being now reduced to a footing of
perfect equality with thew lay follow citizens.
•• - .

•
The trMI, which on Saturday filled to overflowing
the criminal court Ronpe established in the Convent
of San Filippo Neri, was that of the Franciscan monk
Luigi Santini, of the Convent of Civitella, in Subiaeo,
who on the tgnil of last September stabbed thrice in
the breast the lay brother Vincenzo Niccolini, so that
the latter died of his wounds on the following day.
This Luigi Santini, liefore becoming a monk, had
been a mason, and when exercising that trade had
already undergone three criminal trials - one for defa-
mation, another for threatening language, the third
for wounding. With this preparation for a religious
life he entered the Franciscan Monastery in Istifl,
and manage,' so completely to worm himself into
the good opinion of the Superior, that in a very
short time he was appointed treasurer 14 the esta-
blishment. From tune to time, however, his fierce
sanguinary character revealed itself, and the other
monks were very careful of giving him offence, from a
vague undefined suspicion that he was capable of any
act of violence. He appeared, indeed, to have largely
developed the organ of destructiveness, for the other
monks who appeared in the witness-box deposed that
he had more than once declared that before throwing
off his gown he intended to kill manebody. This in-
tention appears to have assmnol a still more positive
form a few days before the murder ; for Santini,
who hail been ordered to sharpen the knives
previous to the fete day, the 22nd September,
was heard to exclaim, whilst engaged in the work,
" How famously these knives will now rip up some
holy." Thu fete day arrived, an,l for a monk of
such homicidal tastes the "somebody' was sure
not to be wanting. He was found in the person
of the unfortunate lay brother, Vincenzo Niecolini,
between whom and Santini a slight altercation
arose at the moment the former was carrying a
handful if rolls-- an altercation speedily brought
to a close by the three plunges of the knife which
on the following day led to the victim's death.
When questioned as to the cause, immediately
after the murder, the assassin refused to furnish any
explanation, and only replied tip the Father Superior
and the other monks in these words, `"Che job is
done ; you may now take off my gown, mul I'll make
may way to the Catribaldians or the brigands." How-
ever, neither the Garibablians nor the brigands were to
be honoured by this addition to their ranks, because
the monks kept firm hold lif Luigi Santini until the
arrival of the t 'arbineers, to %Oven they at once handed
him over.

The trial presented many points both of social and
legal interest. It raised a curious legal oluestion.
The crime was committel on the 22nd of September,
The Royal troops had only occupied Rome two days
before, and the Royal decrees assimilating the legal
condition of the Papal State to that of the rest of
Italy were not promulgated, and, consequently,
could not have legal force for come time later.
The crime was so clearly proved by the testimony
the other monks placed in the witnessebox, that no
doubt could for a moment exist as to the character of
the verdict, lint the counsel for the prisoner de-
manded from thel %nut a mitigation of the penalty in
the terms of the Papal law in force when the crime was
committed ,by which law,ne mks when sentenced for mur-
der were eiltitled to claim a mitigated form of punish-
ment as comparid with that inflicted on laymen. But
the public prosecutor, the lavaliere Muniechi, by a
long train of reasoning, bawd exclusively on the pro-
visions of the canon law, showed that this claim could
not be regarded as valid, and the accused was SCR-
tunced to twenty years' imprisonment with hard
labour.

All the extenuating pleas put forward respecting the
deed itself completely broke down. It was proved
that the murdered man had not, as was pretended,
flung one of the rolls in the face of the munlerer. No
conclusive proof was furnished of another plea ad-
vanced in justification of the murder of one monk by
his Godly brother --that the two were rivals in
love. A third plea, that the murderer committed the
crime when intoxicated, was di3minied on the con-
current testimony of his ghnt..7 brethren that he was
only "hilarious."
Nothing could exceed the decn.-urc evinced from the
beginning to the end of this trial bj, all parties in the
court, with the single exception of the accused, whose
jaunty, reckless attitude, gestmes, and language after
sentence was passed, formed a marked contrast to the
hypocritical and submis.sive mien with which he entered
the court, and the humble postme of downcast head
and arms crossed over his breast, with which he ap-
peared to follow the proceedings. The maslc was torn
off and cast away only when it was no longer of any
use to wear it.

SOMETHING SayEn.—Tho now Archbishop of
Paris is to be succeeded at Tours by Mgr. Le Courtier,
Bishop of Montpellier. France may have lost the
Court, but she HU retains the Courtier,- -Punch.

THE MANUAL LABOUR CLASSES OF
ENGLAND, WALES, AND SCOTLAND.
The economic science (ma statistic section, at the sitting
of the British Association, on Satan*, at Edinburgh, see
one fon of interest. Lord Simms presided, and a paper was
read by air. w. Taylor on the manual labour classes of
England, wales, and scoiland.
Mr. Taylor stated that the return of the last census
showed that the population of the United Kingdom
now numbered 31,817,108, being an increase of more
than 2,400,000 over the census of 1861. Dividing the
manual labour classes into three sections, he pointed
out that the front or higher class of skilled labourers
umbered 1,178,000, their average weekly. earnings were
Don, 2los. to 35,, and the aggregate earnmge amounted
to 139,600,000 ; the second class, (or lower skilled
labourers, numbered 4,000,000, with average weekly
earnings from' 21.5. to 255., and a total aggregate
of £131,500,000 ; the third class which consisted of
agricultural and unskilleol labourers, numbered
2,917,4(00, with average earnings of 14s. to 20s. anol a
total aggregate of £93,500,000. The total of all three
classes amounted to £207,000,000 sterling.
Sir J. Bowring said the great value of Mr. Taylor's
paper was its suggestiveness. He thought the
, example of the municipality of Paris might be followed
with advantage in tins country, and steps be taken to
allow how the wages of the working classes were
expended. If we could get at facts with regard to the
expenditure, they would not only throw great light
upon the condition of the people, but would lead to
suggestions of the greatest value and importance. In
the Parisian returns the expenditure of the different
class,s of the community was given under various
heads. In one table was shown the amount spent in
instruction, and he thought it would be of consider-
able interest in this country to ascertain in a similar
manner what portion of the earnings of different classes
of the community was spent in the education of them-
selves and their wives and children. There was also
another matter to which sufficient attention was not de-
voted in this country, namely, the amusement of the
people. The peopleof the southernnations passed much
of their time out of doors, and the beauties of nature
were much more studied, enjoyed, anol utilised than
among on He would locution one single fact. In visit-
ing the manufactories of Lyons he was much struck by,
observing that attached to almost every. loom was a I
nosegay. The weaver had gone out early in the morn-
ing, had culled the beautiful flowers in the Botanic
Gardens, and had thembefore him, nothat he could study
their formsanol colours. He was assured by these persons
in charge of the works Olathe suggestions of these self-
instructed people were of the highest value. Another
question upon which it was important to obtain infor-
mation had reference to the food and clothing (of the
working classes. He would not refer to the incredible
amount od no oney wasted in drinking It:obits. But, after
all, the distribution of wealth, rather than the mode in
which it was acquired, was a principal which concerned
the general public. The labouring power of the work-
ing class very much depended upon what they ate, and
the application of the hood which God provided for them
in the region in which they lived. Of course, that which
recommended itself to a Caledonian would be that
whicli the Hibernian would prefer. He recollected
being asked by a native ,if India how much rice was
grown in (lreat I iritain, and when he answered
"None," the remark he was met with was, 'Then
you 1111114 be among the accursed of God" There
were many other questions which bore upon the sub-
ject of 1111 al labour alld Wagell which might be
profitably discussed, namely, the improvement od the
dwellings for the working itassem, and the co dlection 14
taxes. The public mind upon the subject of taxes was
only beginning to be instructed, and Ise wanted people
to know that in many instances they were taxed more
than they knew of, or WM necessary-- for instance,
there were many cases in which the amount of the
receipts from customs did not pay one-half the cost of
collection.
Mr. Fellowes remarked that in the collection of taxes
in holia the percentage swollawed up in collection was
stated upon the tax paper.
Mr. Lamport advocated the importance of further
developing among the working class a spirit of self-
help. He found that no fewer than ten millions be-
longing to the maimod labour class were members if
friendly societies, and thus provided for the contin-
gencies of life instead of crying aloud tor Jupiter when
contingencies arose.
The tier. W. Caine (Manchester) spoke of the posi
tion of the labouring classes 14 Lancashire. He had
been much amongst them for the last 17 years, and he
knew they wished too help themselves. 'but were not
allowed to doo it. They were compelled to submit to
the existence of temptations placed in their midst by
magistrates and h the action if the loiw against their
will, and he knew that, with few exceptions,
they were earnestly an x ions Li. out riot if these
temptations. Tire cionolition of the lalsouring classes in
this country could never loe impro oved nootil, by some
such measure as the Permissive Bill temptations was
taken out oof their path. In the course of some further
remarks, Mr. Cahn: mentioned that in one if the Lan-
cashire gaols only IS out of I,ooopisoners were Scotch,
oore while m than one-third
werelrish,
Miss Lydia Becker said she thought that in statistics
of the nature of those brought forward by Mr. Taylor
there should be included not only domestics who were
pall wages, but also the larger class of adult woolen
who rendered domestic service for which they received
no payment in money. With reference to the influence
of marriage upon the condition of the working class
she regarded it as a very important object, which has
not yet received sufficient attention from statisticians
generally. In Lancashire it Nu:LS a very important not.
sioleration. She WM toll by the manager if a factory
there tliat he always preferred to engage his hands in
families and another millowner kindly- furnished her
with sts:tisties from which she was surprised to loam
that of the ti otal number of hands in his large establish-
ment, three-fourths were women, who received two-
thirds if the whole sum paid in wages. If the latter mill
might he taken as an example of others, it appeared that
the wealth of Lancashire was largely derived from the
lids our of women. No doubt a very lamentable state of
things prevailed upon social questions generally. A
woman in Manchester, speaking to her (pile casu-
ally, let fall the remark that it was quite a corn-.
mon thing for husbands who (11l not work themselves
togs to the mill and carry elf and spend in dissipation
the earnings of their wives and families. She thought
it eras, worthy of the consideration of the executive
whether this state of things she sold ma be altered by
act of Parliament or itlierwisn Speaking of her ex-
prience in co protection with the' Manchester School
Board, Miss Beck(or said she found it was not an un-
common thing for Inotels of families to be entirely sup-
ported by the earnings of their children.
At the chose of tie discussion.
Lord naves said he thought it was not right to
assume the working classes could not manage their
own affairs. It was a suggestion of the late Henry
Drummond that a society should be instituted amongst
the poor for ameliorating the condition of the rich
ilaughterd-anol that was perhaps just as logical a pro-
position as for the rich to interfere tOCI much in the
affairs of the poor.
Mr. B. Bailey Walker, 14 Manchester, read a paper
on " The Organisation 14 Societies Nationally and
Locally Considered." His object eras ti show the in-
effectiveness of the present system of separate socie-
tary organisation, and to suggest an elementary step
in the direction of further or inter-sthrietary organisa-
tion, and to show its national and local apolication, ti
contrast the economy of positive end the wastefulness
of negative work, and, therefore, to urge work of a
Positive character only as being consistent with a
right understanding of social economies.