Washington telegraph., 1849-07-04

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We then proceeded to examine all the
rooms of the stately edifce. We passed
through room after room, found all per-
fectly in order, richly furnished, with al
tars and crucifxes, and wax candles III
abundance, but could discover no evlden-
ces of iniquity practised there, nothing OF
those peculiar features which we expected
to find in an inquisltion. We found splen-
did paintings, and a rich and extensive
library. Here was beauty and splellor,
~and the most perfect order on which my
eyes had ever rested. The architecture
the proportions were perfect. Lie
ceiling and floors of wood were secured
and highly polished. The marble floors
were arranged with strict regard to or
der There was everything to please the
eye and crafty a cultivated taste: but
where were those horrid instruments of
torture of which we had been told. and
where those dungeons in which human
beings We're said to be buried alive? We
searched in vain. The holy fathers as
sured US that they had been belied That
we had seen all, and l was prepared to
give up the search, convinced that this
inqusition was different from others of
which had heard.
But Col De Lille was not SO ready as
myself to give up the search, and said to
me, "Colonel, you are commander to-day,
and, as you say so it must be, but if you
will be advised by me, let this marble floor
be examined Let water be brought and
poured upon it, and we will watch and
see if there is any place through which it
passes more freely than Others" l re-
piled to him, edo as you please, Colonel"
and ordered water to be brought accord
inoly. The slabs of marble were large
and beautifully polished. When the wa
ter had been poured over the floor much
to the dissatisfaction Of the inquisitors, a
careful examination was made of every
seam in the floor to see if-the water pass
ed through. Presently Col. De Lille ex-
claimed that he had found il. By the
side of one of these marble slabs the wa
ter passed through fast, as though there
was an opening beneath. All hands
were now at work for further 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 demonstrated
against our desecrating their holy and
heautful house. While thus engaged, a
soldier who was striking with the butt of
his musket, struck spring and the MAI BILE
slab flew up. Then the faces of the in
l., alc lcb bon
the handwriting appeared on the wall;
they trem5led all over Beneath the
marble-slab, now partly up, there was a
stair-cause. l stepped to the altar and
took from the candlestick one of the can
dies four feet in length, which was burn
ing, that | might explore the room below.
As [ was doing this, | was arrested by
one of the inquisitors. who laid his hand
gently on my arm, and, with very de-
mure and holy look, said, "My son, you
must not take those lights with your
bloody hands; they are holy "Well, y
| said, 81 will take a holy thing to shed
light on iniquity: [ will bear the respon-
sibility!" | took the candle and proceed
ed down the staircase. As we reached
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square room, which was called the Hall
Of Judgement. La the centre of it was a
large block, and chain fastened to it,
On this they had been accustomed to
place the accused, chained to his seat
On one side of the room was one elevated
seat, called the Throne of Judgement
Ihis the inquisitor general occupied,
and on either side We're seats less elevated,
for the ungodly fathers when engaged in
the solemn business of the holy inquisi-
ton.
From this room we proceeded to the
right, and obtained access to small cells,
extending the entire length fthe edifce;
and here such sights were presented as
he hoped never to see again.
Those cells Were places of solitary Gen.
finement, where the wretched objects of
inauisitorial hate were confined year af-
ter year, till death released them from
their sufferings, and there their bodies
were suffered to remain until they were
entirely decayed, and the rooms had be-
come fit for others to occupy. To prevent
this being offensive to those who occn-
pied the inquisition, there were fues or
tubes extending to.the open air, sufficient
ly capacious to carry off the odor In
these cells we found the remains of some
who had paid the debt of nature; some
of them had been dead apparently but a
short time, while of others nothing re-
mained but their bones, still chained to
the floor Of the dungeon.
In other cells, we found living sufferers
of both seXes--and of every age, from
three-score years and ten down to four
teen or fifteen years-all naked as when
born into the world. and all in chains
Here were old men and aged women,
who had been shut up for many years.
Here too were the middle aged, and the