Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1851-09-13
= 8 kcttb.
THE DEVIL At PISA.

One Of those silly practical jokes which
occur so often and fatally to the actor, has
just occurred at Pisa; and as it occasions
great sensation here, in consequence of the
stain it attaches TO the iriars in one of the
converts of that city, / take leave TO give
you the particulars, partly as have heard
them recounted by others, and partly as |
find them in the local journals. At Pisa
there lived in latter years a "tast" young
man, whose morals were something like
the celebrated leaning tower, little in
cllned the wrong way, and who, among
other escapades, had caused great scan
dial in respectable family, and refused to
repair it by marriage, according TO the
prayers of the victim and the commands of
the church. The gentleman was in fact a
regular manris snjet fit subject for
French novel, and he went on from day
to day, strutting along the banks of the Ar
no, and perverting all the foolish wa,ds of
that not over religious vicinity, neither at
tending to the advice of his friends nor the
remonsrances of the clergy, till sickness
overlook him in the midst of his sins, and
death struck him with lis most mortal ar
row. Scapegrace as he was, he declined
the consultations of religion in bis last days,
and refused to confess or repent, like an
other Don Giovanni. In vain an excel
lent and pious priest spoke of his immortal
soul, and the penalties prepared in the otn-
er world for those who take leave of this
in final impenitence--in vain did the trl-
ars declare that the Devil would claim him
as his own the moment the last sigh was
drawn-and in vain did one of the rever-
end gentl' men recount how in vision he
saw his internal majesty maltreat harden
ed sinner on similar occasion. Don Gil
ovanni died game, as the greatest orimi-
nails often do, but before he gave up the
ghost he made one OF his friends, Corsi-
can resident at Pisa, promise that he would
watch over the body in Chapelle Mortua-
rie, and never leave it until it was consign-
ed TO its last home. The Corsican kept
his word, and alone, and in the dead Of the
night, he sat by the side of his departed
friend in the convent chapel, where corpsps
are exposed for twenty-iour hours before
burial, either in consecrated or unconSecra-
ted ground. But just as the clock struck
twelve, deep groan accompanied by the
rattling of chains, was heard, and the watch
rr, to his horror, saw figure enter, dres-
sed according to the most approved receipt
for fitting up the devil, with tremendous
horn, long tail, cham girt round his
body, and draped in red and black, as His
Satanic Majesty should be. The Corsican
had a bold heart, and he asked the Devil
what he wanted. The Devil replied by
an awful groan, the rafting of chains, and
the outspreading of his claws to seize his
| prey. The Corsican, still undaunted, de-
clared that he would not allow the body to
be touched, and he warned the Devil that
! if he did not leave the place he would send
him back TO bis internal regions faster than
he came from them. To this speech the
Devil replied by a scornful laugh, such as
Zamiel in Der FreiScbutz used, and with
another rattle of the chains advanced TO
the coliin-sde on which the friend produ-
ced loaded pistol, and taking sure aim,
shot the Devil through the heart, and drop
ped him at his feet dead, as they say at
Amsterdam, as herring, OF at BiIming-
ham, as doornail. The report o! the pis-
tol alarmed the police, and number of
those guardians OF the night having appear
ed, they saw TO their astonishment the
corpse lying in its proper place, the Corsi-
can sitting TRANQUILITY by its side, and a
bleeding mass covered with red and black,
with tremendous pair of horns, and the
well known tail. An explanation was
soon given, and when the Devil was strip
ped of his finery, he turned out TO be bell
man OF the convent, employed, no doubt,
by the irlars, whose religious assistance was
refused, for the purpose Of giving striking
proof OF the danger of dying without the
consolations Of the church, and ofthe fate
to which all impenitent sinners are expos,
ed. The Corsican was tried and acquitted,
as he showed that in the Tuscan code there
was no penalty attached 10 shooting the
Devil, and as he persisted in saying that