Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-01
The Horrors Of the rapnl Prisons.

The Horrors Of the PapaI Prisons.
The Florence Malone presents us with the
summary OF little work entitled the prisons
OF Paliano." 1t is the record of the experience
Of several political prisoners, written in tie
pontitical dungeons of Paliano. These tombs
for the living are now, thanks to recent events,
empty. One prisoner writes -
In the fort OF Paano there are about two
hundred political prisoners, dressed like the
criminals condemned to the gacys, and, like
them, shaved. They are divided into five sec
tons. Those condemned Tor lite are shut up
i'll cells, about nine spans wide and about six
teen long, including the little table of brick
work Other cells, about three spans wider,
contain three prisoners and others, not much
larger, have seventeen, all huuded together.
In tile first OF these there is small grating
over and opposite the door, through which the
food is introduced. The other cells have one
window, and sometimes two, with all opening
OF about four spans in breadth and one in
height,and through this the prisoners are fired
upon ii it be necessary to keep them quiet
The food and hospital arrangements were vii
famous. The patients are neglected and ill
treated The medical attendants will hardly
ever send patient to the hospital, and when
they do send him they always keep him on
strict diet.
Perhaps they have secret understanding
with those VINO contract for the food. One
day, when some complaints were male ON ac.
count Of the bad soup in the hospital, the per-
SON who made the complaint was taken by
two keepers, and, by diut Of blows and kicks,
was torcibly thrust along into the darkest dun
geonS, and there detained many days by or
der OF the governor When some prisoner
at the point Of death refuses to re-
celvc a Gontessor, he is removed into
solitary cell, and there, after having heaped
Oh him thousand ouiragcs, orders are given
to one Of the lowest turkeys to kill linn by
suff0cation The fact is known from the
confession of the turnkey himself, WHO on
one occasion refused to be a party to this
barbarity. The corpse is inferred i'll the in
terror OF the fort, and the governor is present
at the funeral. Sometimes he gives kick
to the head Of the corpse, and commits similar
outrages.
The following is the testimony Of another
victim Of papal misruIe =
''Whilst | was an inmate of this den of hor-
rors wife with her little boy obtained per.
mission to see her husband. 1t was ten years
since the papal government had torn her
husband from her embrace the boy had
never known his father, for he was born after
the arrest. Neither the prayers OF tie afflicted
WY, "ot t"e 'e%'s VI inc teIiuer Ctu, nor inc
II - On" H''P'li Vi tHe uiin'pPy i"'iet
one embrace-to let them mugle their tears
together. 1t would be impossible to describe
the rlgors and the fortunes, always new and
increasing, which have been invented to aug
ment the sutferings Of the prisoners, after the
last fatal attempt at flight. In order to pre-
Et"t the PoI'l1a' prisoners from holdlig the
slightest communication with the outer world,
recourse was even had to the very strange
ana ABSURD eXPedIenI OF iorbiddlng the physl-
cIa'' lalthou6h an lhdlFldual completely SUD
stlFlcHt ~ the government from personally
WISHING 'he SICK IN prison lie was to treat
mem On me report OF creature who but a
snort ume before MAJ been IN Tie salieys' and
VINO was transferred thence to perform the
once ol an hoSpltal attendant
hls Hoet"teu Sailey sUaVe lelt the pulse,
Lnauc ms uiaShoslS' uIeW ms conclusions, ana
tne Pl! s'c''H 'lta"W''l'e ""i'cu III me room
ol ,he governor 'or lie report OF me attendant,
anu according TO me character OF thai report
PIG>c'loeu ie"heuIES ior inc patients Wiloln lie
llau never seeh' representation on representa-
ZION was necessary before the papal govern
Ilieut co"'o NC 'huu'eu 10 "oahdoh thiS slhSu
lar mode OF proceeding ana II was My after
some Hhle that Inc pm! STEFAN obtained prrmhS'
sion 10 approach Inc pea OF ms patients but
even theh ohiy IN company OF the turkeys,
VINO were placed as spies over his movements,
ms worus' ana me very expression OF pity
winch ms couhtenahce might Detray. One OF
me patch'S' a ce'aih M, OF Bologna, beg
seu 10 see tie governor 10 Ihplore IN the
iiaIl'e Vi hls companions, the PERMISSION TO
u"Fe 'ne PSrioo ior exercise extended To nan
d" "oui' ne oniy reply ne received was an
o'uel ',i''t nv e''ou'u nc pun III ci'alnS "elsh'
ing elSlly Pouhus' ana thrown lhto the lover.
ne lower situated Ill lile center OF the cita'
u'I' 10 'ne n'ost noiIioie VI Prlso"s1uanlp'
lsoia Gu WIFI an opening at the ROOF, leaving
the prisoner exposed to the lnclemency OF the
weather.
BE II summer or wInt r, the inmate OF the
tower mas no Ded but The bare ground-no COW
erlng save ms own apparel-no bed save br- ad
ana wafer Wien lett the fort to be convey
ed as an exile across the frontier, poor prs-
oner had Just died III consequence OF illness
caused ny the repetition OF this punishment,
from winch more than one prisoner had died
whom the government, perhaps, wished to
get out OF the way. certain P
OF AScoll, on returning from the chapel
TO his own cell, happened, when he reach
ed the court yard of the fortress to sa.
lutte condemned prisoner belonging to
another section, who was looking through the