Daily American telegraph., 1852-02-02
From Dickens's Household Words.
NEApOLITAN STATE PRISONERS.
NAPLES, October 8, 1851.


Seeking health here in Naples and meddling
not at all with European politics, yet find it
impossible to walk with an impassve mind
among the scenes that arc presented daily to
my notice.
Once, when was looking down upon the
Bay, enjoying the tranquility of sunset, a party
of condemned prisoners went by; it included
men condemned for moral offences, various in
hue and men condemned for political opinions
The wrists of all were bound with cords, so
tightly that on many hands the flesh was
swollen and soldiers behind beat, with the
butt-end of their muskets those who Jagged
These :'condannati" were tried men, sentenced
to banishmcnt of six or ten years
The kingdom of the Two Siciles not having
any colonies, can of course Danish its prisoners
only to different districts in the Neapoltan do
the islands of the coast The prisoners are Of
two classes: those who have been tried and
condemned, the condannati, and those who.
having been tried and acquitted, are retained
in prison; or those who are imprisoned before
trial, in charge of the police, "ald dispoSizione
della PoliSid." The condemned have the relief
of knowing the exact term of their imprison-
ment. The accused, although by the law of
Naples theoretically innocent have not the
benefit of knowing in how many years they
may be tried, and how they may be sentenced;
so that imprisonment to them is of indefinite
duration. Imprisonment on suspicion is an
everyday occurrence, and takes place at the
instigation of gentlemen belonging to a licensed
body of the most infamous men in Europe
whose trade is in human suffering; who are
petted, patronized, and, what is more to their
purpose, who are paid by the authorities.
saw a party of the condannati arrived at
their place Of exile, and presented, by the sbirro,
with the formal papers to the local judge.
Their names having been called over, they
were dismissed to find for themselves food and
lodging; such prisoners are allowed fourpence
day to provide for themselves subsistence
These men will spend their time according to
their habits and their inclinations; but it very
frequently indeed occurs that one of the harder
criminals, who does not care at all who suffers,
so that he effects his own escape intimates
that he can make revelations. He is at once
released, and sent to Naples. Some of the
better-disposed prisoners, uniting for the con-
ISOLATION of a more congenal society, have been
observed to meet together. The rascal is
thanked for his news and set at liberty Sol
dicrs and ammunition arc sent down TO break
up the secret societies of the conspirators.
The prisons around Naples contain num-
bers of men belonging to all ranks, who are i'm
prisoned, untried, on political suspicion. What
ever rufiian wishes to remove an obstacle to
lust or avarice, or ambition, has only to send
tale to the authorities. in which his victim
figures as "a liberal philosopher Justice
here is very glutton after garbage; and
hint at dangerous opinions, from the lips of n
rogue, will drag an honest man out of his bed
A poor ignorant man, who had thus unexpect-
edly been torn from home, and caught in the
confusion but n whisper Of his crime-Opinions
!" Opinoni to me- lately Sir, am
punished for Pirioni, when don't so much as
know what Pirioni means"
How many men, swept away thus untried,
to the prisons, lie forgotten there, or whether
any die away, forgotten and untried, do not
know. | know, however, that new Judge,
appointed lately to small provincial town,
finding in gaol some prisoners whose case Inc
did not understand, considered it matter of
course to write to the Government, describing
them, and ask whether they might not be men
who had been imprisoned on accusation, and
forgotten The question was suggestive
Among the political prisoners are class
called the croctdti, people who went to Lom-
hardy with crosses on their breasts to repel
the Austrians accompanied with the applause
of their fellow citizens, and their sovereign's
consent Venice fell and, with passports the
Crocidti were sent to Pescara but neither there
nor at Ancona did they find rest for their feet
An Austrian brig finally escorted them to Ma
pies, where they were distributed among the
various places of detention. Numbers of these
crociatt went out in the heat and enthusiasm of
the grcencst youth, and would have revered a
Government which had restored them gently
to their relatives. have stood by the death
bed of one of these conspirators who must
have been about fourteen when he took the
cross, and died political prisoner, crying for
his mother. The child's companions dubbed
a trifie from their miserable allowance, to pro-
cure him decent hnrial. and this nct was sti O.