Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-06-28

and where those dungeons in which human beings e
we're said to be buried alive? We searched III
vain The holy fathers assured us that they had
been beed; that we had seen all, and was pre- b
pared to give up the search convinced that this IN
QUESTION WAS different from others of which had S
heard. 20
But Col De Lille was not ready as myself TO '
give up the search and said to me, "Colohel' you
are commander to-day, and as yoh say, 50 ~ i'ust
be- but if YOU will be advised by me, let this mar
bic floor be examined more. Let some water be
brought in and poured upon it, and we will watch
and see if there is any place through which 1t
passes more freely than others" replied to HIM
edo as YOU please, Colonel" and ordered water
to be brought accordingly. Inc slabs OF marine
were large and beautifully polished When the
water had been poured over the floor much to the
dissatisfaction of the inqusitors a careful eXam-
nation made of every seem in the tioor, to see
if the water would pass through. Presently Col.
De Lille exclaimed, that he had found it. BY the
side of one of these marble slabs the waters pass
ed through fast, as though there was an opening
beneath All hands were now at work, for fur
Their discovery; the officers with their swords, and
the soldiers with their bayonets, seeking to clear
out the seam and pry up the slab. Others, with
the butts Of their muskets striking the slab with
all their might to break it, while the priests re-
monsraed against desecrating their holy and
beautiful house. While thus engaged soldier
who was striking with the hutt of his musket,
struck spring and the marble slab flew up
Then the faces Of the inqusltors grew pale, ana
as BeIshazzar, when the hand writing appeared on
the wall, 50 did these men of Bellal shake and
quake in every bone, joint, and sneW. we look
ed beneath the marble slab, now partly up, and
we saw a staircase. | stepped to the table and
took from the candestick one Of the candles, four
feet in length which was burning, that might eX-
plore what was before us; as | was dong TINS, |
was arrested by one Of the inqulstors who LAID
his hand gently on my arm, and with very de-
mure and holy look, said, "My Eon, you must not
take that with your proane and bloody hand; 1t Is
holy" "Well, WE'LL said, 81 want something
that is holy. to see if it will not she'd light on mi
IQuity; will bear the responsibility" took the
candle and proceeded down the staircase. now
discovered why the water revealed to us this pas
sage. Under the floor tig ht ceiling except
at the trap door, which could not be rendered
close; hence the success of Col. De Lilies eXpe-
riment. AS we reached the foot of the stairs, we
entered large room which was called the Hall
of Judgment. In the centre of it was a large
block, and chain fastened On this they had
been accustomed to place the accused, chained to
his seat. On side of the room was one eleYa-
ted seat, called the Throne of Judgment. This
the nquistOr general occupied: and on either side
were seats less elevated, for the holy fathers when
engaged in the solemn business of the holy inqui-
siton. From this room we proceeded to the right
and obtained access to small cells, extending the
entire length of the edifce; and here what sight
met our eyes How has the benevolent religion
of Jesus been abused by its professed friends.
|. These cells were places of solitary conlne ment
where the wretched objects of inquisitorial hate
l. were confined year after year, till death released
7, them Of their suferngs, and there their bodies
,, were suffered to remain until they were entirely
&c decayed, and the had become fit for others
to occupy. To prevent this practice being often
t. sve to those who occupied the inquiston, there
l. were fues tubes extending to the open air, sut
y fcently capacous to carry off the odor from those
l. decaying bodies. In these cells found the re-
d mains of some who had paid the debt OF nature
= some of them had been dead apparently but a
Re short time, while of Others nothing remained bu
their bones still chained to the floor OF their dun
l. geon. In others we found the living sufferer Of
d every age and of both sexes, from the young man
= and maiden to those Of threeScore and ten years
o all as naked as when they were born into the
is world. Our soldiers Immediately applied them
W selves to releasing these capyes Of their chains
$ sript themselves in part of their clothing to cover
= these wreched beings, and were exceedingly anX
h ious to bring them up to the light of day. But a
e ware of the DANGER insisted on their wants be-
l. ing supplied, and being gradually brought to The
W light as they could bear 1t.
At When we had explored these cells, and opened
ID the prison doors of those who yet survived, we
l. proceeded to explore another room on the left
D. Here found the instruments OF torture, OF ev
J. cry kind, which the ingenuity of men or devils
J. could invent. At the sight Of them the fury o
N our soldiers refused any longer to be restrained
4. They declared that every inqulsitor, monk ant
y soldier of the establishment deserved to be put tt
lie the torture. We did not attempt any longer to re
strain them. They commenced at once the wOrl
T. of torture with the holy fathers. remained til
ID saw four different kinds of torture applied, ant
l. then retired from the awful scene, which terminal
y ted not while one individual remained of the for
I'd mer guilty inmates of this ante-chamber of hell
If Oh whom they could wreak revenge. As soon Il
the poor sufferers from the cells of the nquisitlol
ID could with safety be brought out OF their prison
e. to the light of day. (news having been spread ia
1t and near, that numbers had been rescued from thu
"a nqusition) all who had been deprived Of friend
III by the holy Office came to inquire if theirs wer
lg among the number.
d o, what meeting was there about hundred
l. who had been buried alive Tor many years, wer
tn now restored to the active world, and many o
IS them found here son and there daughter, h err
he a sister and there a brother, and some alas cOu
I'd recognize no friends. The scene was such tina
IL no tongue can describe. When this work of re
n cognition was over, to complete the business il
re which had engaged, | went to Madrid and oh
u tanned large quantity of gunpowder which pla
A. ced underneath the edfce, and in its vaults, AM
r as we applied the slow match, there was Joyful
We sight to thousands of admring eyes 0! it wo al
IL have done your heart good to see it, the walls an
ms massive turretS of that proud edifce raiSeC
IN towards the heavens, and the lnqusition of Mad
to rid was no more.
s. LYNN.
nr Professor Ingraham, in his last work, " Th