Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-05-01
The InQuisitiOn.

A correspondent of the New York Journal of
Commerce, writing from Italy, gives the following
thrilling description of few of the horrors of the
Inquisition.
In Turin | met the American Consul of Rome,
who had passed through the entire revolution in
the Eternal City, and who was present when the
doors and dungeons of the inqusitions were OPEN
ed by the decree of the Triumvrs, its prisoners re-
leased, and the building converted into an asylum
for the poor. 1t was interesting to hear from the
lips of an intelligent eyewitness the most ample
confirmation of the published statements relative
to the condition and appearance of this iniqutous
establishment. The Holy Inquisition of Rome is
situated near the Porta Cavalliger and under the
very shadow of the sublime dome of Saint Peters
Cathedral, and capable, in case of emergency of
accommodating three thousand prisoners The
Consul was particularly struck with the imposing
dimensions of the chamber ofArchives, filled with
volumnous documents, records and papers. Here
were piled all the proceedings and decisions of the
holy office from the very birth of the inquisition
including the correspondence with its collateral
oyer a certain door, inscription to this effect
Speak to the first Inquisitor' Over nother-'No-
body enters this chamber, except on pain of excom
muncation.' They might as well have placed over
that door the well remembered inscription of Dante
over the gates of Tartarus-Abandon hope, all We
who enter here That chamber was the solemn Hall
of Judgement, or Doom room, where the fates Of
thousands have been sealed in death. Over door
directly opposite another inscription read, Speak
to the second Inquisitor." Upon opening the door
of that department trap door was exposed, from
which the condemned, after they left the Hall of
Judgment STEPPED from time into eternity.
The we'll or pit beneath had been built in the
ordinary cylindrical form and was at least 80 feet
deep, and so ngeniously provided with projecting
knives and cutlasses that the bodies of the victims
must have been dreadfuly mangled in the descent.
At the bottom of this abyss quantities of hair and
beds ofmoudering bones remained. Not only at
the bottom Of the pit but also in several of the
lower chambers of the building were found of hui
man bones In some places they appear to have
been mortered into the walls. The usual instiu-
ments of torture in such establishments were like
wise manifest. The consel presented me with
bone which he brought with him as memorial of
his visit. The pope fled from Rome on the Oath of
November, 1913. The Roman Republic was pro-
claimed on the 1lth of February, 1849 and imme-
diately after its installation the Assembly solemnly
declared the abolishment of the Holy Inquisition,
and by special decree charged the Triumvirate
with the duty of erecting lofty column to COM
memorate the overthrow of one of the greatest
evils that ever darkened the face of earthr. But
the scenes of this world change. On the 1st of
July, l849 the Roman Republic, after a brief ex-
istence of five months capitulated to the French
and in May, 1850, Plus TX, after an exile of one
year and six months, returned to his capital, pro-
scrbed the Triumvirate, and re-established the IN
QUESTION in all its former power