Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-01
NUMBER 142.
Frem the Correspondence Of the London Christi n
Times.
Imprisonment OF DomeDic0 Cecchetti for
Reading the Bible.

imprisonment OF DomeDico Cecchetti for
Reading the Bible.
FLORENCE, March 80, 1865.
Another Tuscan Protestant has been made to
feel the vengeance Of the Popish priests. Domen-
leo Cecchetti was seized last Sunday morning at
half past four hurried away from his childre to
the prison Of the Bargello, condemned without any
trial, without any witnesses, by the Council of Pre-
lecture, TO years confinement In the Penitentary
OF Imbrogiano, near Monte Lupo whittier he was
conveyed in chains on the following morning.; the
crimes for which he was consigned TO dungeon
being the possession OF one Bible and two Testa.
ments, and the avowal, when examined by the
Chancellor Of the Delegation of Santa Maria Nc.
vea, that he considered Jesus Christ the cole head
of the church.
The circumstances which led to this arrest arc
so characteristic Of the spy system now prevalent
throughout Tuscany, and so honorable to the man
against whom II was directed, that / make no
apology for communicating them with much
fulness Of detail rs your columns will allow.
Domenico Cecchetti Is workman employed in
the tobacco mandatory NM. Emanuel Fenzi &
Co., the we'lknown bankers, who have for years
farmed this monopoly. He was one of the best
worhmen in the establishment earning five pauls
day, and enjoyed the esteem and confidence Of
his employers in the highest possible degree. His
age is about forty-three, and, as he is widower
with four boys, of whom the eldest is sixteen and
only the task Of maintaining his family, but of dis.
charging all those domestic duties which are a
mothers peculiar province. And these duties he
has discharged soiwelk that his four boys are pat
terms Of good coHdnct, and the whole neighbor.
hood is wont to speak of Cecchettis children as
models Of what children ought to be. The two
eldest were areadyehployed in the tobacco man.
ufactory, where they, too, earned, on an average
a Ira day each. = H, nla
Cecchetti lived on the first floor of n house In
the Via Taddea, close to the tobacco manuhctory
In another small apartment on the same floor
lodged ayoung man, the apprentice of yntner
in Borgo La Noce. He was struck by the good
conduct Of the young Cecchettis, and by the ex-
cellent and kind bearing of the father, and in the
course Of conversation and familiar intercourse at
length learned that the father was in the habit Of
reading with his children and his friends the Bible
And In casual chat with his own master he re-
peated this circumstance to him, expressing his
belief that the Bible could not be such very bad
book after all, when il produced such happy fruits
A few days afterwards the vintner went to con-
fesson at San Lorenzo, and there mentioned to the
confessor that his apprentice had been talking to
him about Diodatrs Bible, which he thought not
so bad as had been represented. The priest i'm.
mediately interrupted the confession, and refused
him absouton. Next day hemet Priest Buratti, the
first curate of San Lorenzo and one of the fiercct
and most relentless prosecutors of the Tuscan
Protestants. "Why, what is the matter with YOU"
said Curate Buratti, you seem so dull Y" "Ah,
Curate, no wonder, yesterday was refused abso-
luton" "Refused absoution r. rejoined the Gu
rate impossible; refuse absoution to so good
Catholic as you There must be some mistake
come 10 my house and confess to me- and hope
il viii prove nothing"
The vintner made his confession TO Curate Burat.
IT, and received absolution, all snug and comforta.
BILE and Curate Buratt lost no time Ia denouncing
nnr ,battt IN. tha
Of the crime of Protestant propagandism, and re-
quiring them TO watch over his proceedings, and,
If possible, 10 seize him IN The act
Accordingly some three months ago four gem
darmes suddenly entered Cecchetti's house, about
nine o'clock in the evening. They expected 20
reading the Scriptures; they found only another
fellow-lodger named Ciolli, who had come TO repay
Cecchetti the sum Of Eve pauls, which be had Dor.
rowed on the previous day. But they seized and
carried off in triumph one copy Of Diodatis Bible,
and two copies Of the New Testanieqt.
cecchctd heard nothing more Of the matter for
nearly ten weeks On the morning Of Wednesday,
the l4th instant, he received an order TO appear
before the delegate of Santa Maria Rovela, in tho
afternoon Of the same day. Then and thore he was
examined by the Chancellor Of the delegation, and
required TO declare why three copies Of Diodatis
Bible and Testament were found In his possession.
" Indeed, Signor Delegate was the answer, 81
only wish there had been hye instead of three, for
there are five Of us my four boys and myself and
we require Bible apiece"
The Chancelere successfully Intercepted him
as TO his opinion regarding mass, confession, the
authority Of tho Pope all which points he stated
his opinions without reserve. He replied that
Jesus Christ had been offered up once as a sacrifice
for the sins Of mankind that no future sacrifice
was or could be wanted. s
He said, "As to toconfession, when have snncd,
II Is my duty to confess my sin, first to Almighty
God and implore his pardon then to my brother,
i'll have acted wrongly against my brother-to
YOU sgnor Chanceliere, for example, if l have Of
Tended you. As TO the Pope being the head of the
church, ! know, he said, no headship save that Of
Jesus Christ The Pope isa constituted authority,
like you, Signor Chanceere.r
But, respecting certain matters he neither heard
nor learned anything from Domenico Cecchetti,
though again and again he returned 10 the charge
Neither wheedling bullying could induce him 10
reveal the name ofone ofthe Christian brethren with
whom he read and discoursed on the Scriptures.
His answer Invariably was "On all points re.
garding myself will answer you without the slight.
est reserve; but questions likely 70 commit nv
friends cannot and viii not reply to- The Chan
ceiere, finding the attempt hopeless then read
| over the minutes Of the examination. Cecchetd
himself pcrused H. and returned the same; and
so, for the time, the affair terminated with tho
dismissal Of the accused.
The paper thus Obtain was submitted to tho
Council Of Prefecture, which, on the avowals II
contained, sentenced Domenco Cecchetti TO a
years imprisonment in the penitentiary OF Imbro-
giana. Imbrogiana was formerly villa Of the
Grand Dukes Of Tuscany, in which they solaced
themselves after the cares Of State with rural plea
sures, and is now dungeon for the Protestant
subjects Of Leopold ii, and in that character,
doubtless affords him as much pleasure as he is
| capable Of receiving.
on the morning Of Sunday, the 25th the gend.
srmes were charged with the execution OF the
| sentence. They entered the house Of Domcnico
Ceccheti at halfpast four, and told him they had
been sent to convey him TO Bargello, from whence
| he was not likely soon TO return. Hastily kissing
his four boys, he bade them farewell leaving them
! in the care Of Him, "wth whom strength is wis.
dom, and whose are both the deceived and the de-
ceiver.n On the following morning he was met at
quarter to seven, guarded by two gendarmcs
heavily ironed, pale but calm, on bis way to the
terminus of the Leghorn railway, by which he was
TO 70 TO Monte Lupo.
On the preceding facts, shall offer but QUE
Il r. IL. 4