Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-08-07
A Description of the Horrible Dungeons In
Naples-The Terrible Barbarities Prac-

Description of the Horrible Dungeons In
Naples-The Terrible Barbarities Prac-
ticed There. tH
correspondent of the London Times, writ
ing from Naples, under date Of July I4l
gives the following description of some of the
horrible dungeons of that city, made accessi-
BILE by the political revolution: ...
But a word on these underground cham
bers, which are now to be closed. have
often written of them, believing in the state
ments of honorable men, and yet at times
almost increduous of the horrors painted
yesterday saw some of them. Several men,
bers of the commission appointed to close
them-themselves once prisoners here-ac-
companied me. A grated door led down to
an dntieamera which was lighted only through
these bars. Stone walls, stone hoors-stone
everywhere except the ground, which was
covered over with burned fragments of books,
that had been taken in domiciliary visits and
destroyed here. "Here one breathes," said
pardoned prisoner; "but bring a light" he
said to iailor, and we descended from this
twilight room into another which received
the reflection Of the twilight through hole
in the door. II was small and of stone-snd
on the right observed stone bed, three feet
high from the ground, with an elevation of
stone called pillow. A door is opened and
leads into another room, where no twilight,
no reflected twilight, nor a ray of light or
breath Of air can penetrate. ."
~ was imprisoned here" said one of my
conductors. i looked at him as if expecting
| to find that he was turned into a brute beast,
for it was den for a wild animal, not a
chamber for a Christian man, in country
teeming with Christ's ministers, and where
| the Holy Apostolic Catholic religion is the
| only one permitted to be professed. l send
Won a section of the room as thus Won will
| perceive that in some parts a man could not
| stand upright, so that there he lay in Stygian
darkness, without any change of air, "and on
the bare ground" said my friend, unless he
| could afford to pay an extortionate price for
a mattress to a licensed spy and denouncer,
who drove good trade in human misery"
"For Gods sake let us leave this den" l said,
and so we groped back into the chamber
where the reflection Of twilight penetrated.
"Take care" cries the jailer, as stumbled
over mountain Of rotten books and papers,
| and now once more we are in the dnticdnerd,
which appeared purgatory as went down,
| and now wore the appearance of paradise.
On the opposite side was another erimiHaLC
| about eleven by five palms, where five or six
persons were at times confined. High above
the door was window opening into the
gloomy antcamero, and through this alone
light and air were received. All was stale
and dark; the smell of the prison was rem
dered yet more insufferable by the stencil
which proceeded from large white vase just
| visible by the candlelight in the corner OF the
room 1t was removed once day. Now
uark, who were the men confined in these
places not fit for beasts? Not condemned
criminals; mol but men arrested on suspicion
and waiting for an orderf for their committal--
men of rank and education, accustomed tc
the comforts of home