Washington telegraph., 1853-07-13
letter from, GaTazzf.

We make the following extracts from m
interesting letter, describing the attack Up.
on him at Quebec, written bv Gavazzi 10
the editor Of the New York Eco d'Ita.
In.
The appearance Of the assailants was
most despicable, for they came dirty, torn,
and in their shirt sleeves. the better to show
their origin. IL was their al ia ID secure nc
alive. in order to murder me without the
church but not having succeeded, they at
tempted to kill me within the church. Ma
ny were led to believe it, when they had by
repeated blows felled Paoli (Gavazzi's see
retary) to the ground for, believing him to
be me. they said one to another, this il the
very man.
#
Having rid myself Of my first assailant
by throwing him over the pulpit, | took of
cloak and braniishing the chair which had
served me as an orator, defended my post
a. q true Italian crusader. think that ma
ny Of this gang viii remember for some
time this passage Of the Italian missionary's
lecture. Having pulpit about twelve feet
wide. with the stairs exposed, facing the
church and compelled to defend it against
more than sixty sayages, was rather diff
cult task. An artillery sergeant-who now
enjoys the sympathy OF all parties-to the
great shame Of the policemen. (who were
standing BY a. idle SPECTATORS lcaped from
those stairs, and succeeded in defending with
me my citadel After the first attack, Pao-
Ii, who was at the church door, succeeded in
reaching the stairs; and having snatched a
stick from one Of the assailant's hands, used
it in every direction, and we were enabled
to retain the liberty Of our platform fur
more than twenty-five minutes.
But again a gang Of outward assailants,
to the number Of more than seven hundred,
rushed into the church This was owing to
another unpardonable mistake Of tie police;
the stairs and parapet were assaulted with
renewed violence. The artillery sergeant,
feeling his equilibrium fail, clung to Paoli,
who, amid the great throng " assailants,
could no longer nanGuyre his stick; meari-
while, two Of the savages had seized Paoli
to overthrow him from The stairs he cried
out to me, 'Gavazzi. help me- abandoned
the front Of the pulpit, and with desperate
blow Of the bench which held in my hands,
fell upon the head of one Of the two assas-
sins, which caused him to bound from the
stairs. | was returning the front, while
some other assassins, having gained the
ground | abandoned to save my friend, lift
ca me from my feet and prccipitatcd me
headlong Out of the pulpit, from height of
more than fifteen feet.
This was to have been the hour Of my
death, and could have been. The falling
with such violence might have sufiiced t.
crush my skull but God was there to pro-
tect his poor, but confident servant fell
Oh a floor Of enemies head and shoulders,
and it was afterwards said that as ! was Of
iron disposition, | weighed also as iron itself;
but | sustained 10 wound from my fall
The crowd then dispensing, found myself
stretched out Oh the ground, with legion
Of savages oyer me overjoyed, at being able to
slay me I then received kick on my chin,
which has produced slight wound, and a
confusion oil the jaw As the great crowd
prevented the use of sticks, they endeavored
70 supply it with their feet. ! perceived
that nothing but gigantic effort could save
me, and | employed il accordingly. ! rose
in spite Of them, and by blows opened a
passage to the staircase which leads to the
sahteiranean place where thaSSunday schools
are, and having met assassins on the stairs
overcome them the last. who from his
size impeded my passage as it were barri-
cade, and threatened me with his large stick,
calling me by the vilest names, L very cool
ly rolled down stairs, and jumping over him,
reached the entry of the Sunday school.
On examining our bodies. it was discov-
cred that poor Paoli had received eight
wounds from sticks, one Of which IS six inch
es long 7 was found to have wound on
my head from stone, and another on my
occput from the blow Of club. They,
however, gave me no pain, as L eontrived
to let them bleed as much Is possible
However, have suffered nothing. and am
as well now as on my setting ont from New
York.
But the sensation experienced from, this
brutal assault results now contrary Of what
the assailants had expected. There is nc
Catholic Canadian that does not dlsap-
prove of this outrage. 1t l. to be observed
that the assault had been organized-conse'
quently premediated murder. The most
aggravated circumstances are, Of having al
tackled a church, in which women and chill
dren were assembled, and to which the mer
had h1stened unarmed But who, then
could have conceived, organized, and led x
infamous scheme
ALESSANDRO GAFAZZI."