The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-05-30
THE AUSTRTAYS IN PIEDMONT.


"The horrors committed by the hordes of sava-
ges under the command of Gen. Gyuai are only to
be equalled in the accounts of the invasion by
Attlla At 81 in the morning, or thereabouts, a
numerous band OF Austrians, in dirty and torn at
tire, entered the City of Tortona and took up their
position in the castle. Other bodies followed so
that the town was soon overrun with these beings
more like wild beasts than men. Two superior of
hcers called upon the municipal functionaries to
demand food and forage to the amount of so 900
rations, but their conduct was not unbecominC; on
the contrary, they seemed toerably polite and even
the behavior of the soldiers at first gave no cause
to suspect that they secretly meditated pundering
the town. Whatever our first homes NAV have
been, they not destined to last long for very
shortly company of Houlans issued from the cas-
tie, and dividing, spread through the town. An
alarm spreading through the population, each shop
Keeper hastened to secure his goods; but before
they had even time to shut their shops and stores
bands OF eight and ten soldiers presented themselves
at different points in the city, some sezing upon
all the goods they could arrive at others prevent
ing the tradesmen from closing their doors by main
iorce AT the same time the sergeants and cOrpo-
rails entered the Shops and by threats forced the
owners to bring out all the best things they had
Tor the soldiers to carry off. The first goods plum
dered were those of Madame Scott, modiste and of
amerchant named Gallarati; after these came those
OF the sllversmiths then some provision stores and
taverns. The general bakehouse was plundered
aso and seven hundred sacks of fine flour and heat
besides sum of money, were carried off the stables
Cr0at with an OK or a horse which he was leading
OFT to the encampment, with cool impudence
which persuaded one that they never had followed
any other trade than that of theving. Meanwhile
a certain number of them wended their way to the
suburb of st. Barnardino, and entered the farm of
Signor Stassano, who gave them as much food and
drink as they wished for. In fact, the libations
were so copious and frequent that at nightthey all
returned in state of intoxication, bowling like
demons, interspersing their howls with the epthet
OF 'porca Piemontesa' as a welcome to any inha-
bitant they might meet firing their muskets into
the windows of the houses and occasioning a gene
raj belief that the town would inevitably be set on
fire. The citizens had no arms to resist, even had
they been so disposed, and now have no food, and
the place is cleaned out completely. The bishop
was assessed at 10000 francs some say So OOO for
his share of the contingent. In the suburbs of
the town the same horrors took place; every house
was sacked and pundered by these erocious brutes,
who are styled the defenders of public order sus-
tainers of our nationality and our religion Now
that this band of slvages has satisfied its appetite
1T is leaving us. An order of recall has arrived
from headquarters, and they are going off.
''We hear that at Castelnuova- Scrivia Viguzzolo
and Prossecurone, the same outrages were commit
ted, and by the threat of firing the town these ban
dts extorted whatever they wanted from the poor
terrified tradespeople."