Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-03
Neapolitan Rarbarity.
A correspondent of the London Times,
writing from Naples, July 10th, says:

! A correspondent Of the London Times,
writing from Naples, July 10th, says:
Among the many cases of brutal and ille-
| gal imprisonment which have been brought
/ before the public during the last ten days,
/ none has been worse than that OF Francisco
/ Casanova, calling himself an American
| He was confined in San Francisco, and some
young men who had formerly been placed in
| the same prison, though not in the same
| room, remembering his case, went, on the
amnesty being proclaimed, TO deliver him !;
but he was all but naked, and he could not
] leave until an advocate, called Arene, who
| has acted with great benevolence, sent him
/ some clothes, and has since received him in
! his house and fed him. Last night l went
| to see him, and l cannot tell you whether in
! diguation against the most Christian Gov
| ernment or compassion for the victim was
the strongest feeling. "When he entered my
] house." said Arene, che was supported by
] two persons, for he was unable TO walk. He
/ looked like a ghost" "Where am I?'' he
! exclaimed, as he looked confusediy around
1 and we'll he might, after six years and a half
/ confinement from all intercourse from man.
! But l give you his own description of his
| sufferings as nearly as possible in his own
/ words, promising merely that there were wit
! nesses if all that l relate, in Arene himself,
/ Neapolitan friend and foreign consul.
"I landed in Genoa from Boston some time
in 1853, and wishing to see the south Of Italy,
| Travelled till came near to Viterbo, when l
was cautioned not to 60 to Rome; but l still
| persevered in my intention of doing so,
/ when l was arrested as not having q passport,
I and carried to the Esernal City, where l was
/ placed in the Carcere NuOva. Not sat
| isGed with the report I gave Of myself,
was tortured for three months as follows
/ Ny hands and arms were bound together,
and then, by ropes tied round the upper
part OF the arms, they were drawn back
| till my breast protruded, and my
bones sounded Crick, crick." There
was another species Of torture prac-
tised upon me, which was this =
At night while sleeping, the door was
| secretly opened and buckets Of water were
| thrown over my body How l survived it
tcannOt tell; the keepers were astonished
and said they never had such an instance;
but you will never get out alive, l was
told. Ireplied that 1 never expected to do so,
and prayed for the angel of death to come
The worst torture Of all, however, was the
prison itself-a room into which few rays
of light struggled from above, and the stencil
of which was as bad as death. For three
months l suffered thus, and then, without
any reason assigned, was taken from it and
placed always alone, in a room called 'Salon
del Preti," large airy room, and was well
fed and well treated for twenty-one months
more. was the prisoner of the Cardinal
Secretary Antoneil About the middle of
1855 again, without any reason being given,
1 was sent Off to Naples, was placed first in
| the Vicaria, and afterWard in San Francisco,
in a small close room, where l was detained
| for four years and a half l was questioned
on several occasions and at last refused to
answer, saying that my prosecutors already
knew what had to say, that was unjustly
and illegally confined, and nothing should
compel me to utter another word. On another
| occasion l was called before Bianchini the
! Director of Police, who Intercepted NE. l
! appealed against my sufferings, and all the
reply l received was ava bene, va bene,"
| from 8 Christian man to one suffering as |
! was. IhaYe been asked TO send a supplica-
ton for my liberation, but my invariable
answer was, will die first never will ask
anything ofthis government. When first !
arrived here had little money, which, for a
short time, produced me better food than
prison fare, aud then by degrees I sold my
clothes. At last l sold my black bread to
have little salt to sprinkle ovey my BEANS
and sometimes to procure some incense to re-
lieve the horrid stencil ofmy prison. As for
water for purpose of cleanliness, it was never
supplied me, and all that l could do was TO
dip one Of my own rags in ajng Of drinking
water and wash some portions Of my body
During the day could repose, but at night
| was covered with black beetles, feas, lice,
and every conceivable species Of vermin. l
expected death, and desired and prayed for it
as relief but it never came. My clothes
were at last so reduced that ! was all but
naked, and so l have passed four summers
and winters, pacing up and down my narrow
chamber
Twill show you my prison dress said he;
and going out be returned in few moments
He might have stood as a model for Lazarus
risen from the tomb. The lower part of his
body was covered with thin pair of linen
drawers, nothing more. On his feet was a
pair of shoes, with soles and upper feathers
all in holes. He had no shirt, but over the
upper part of his body was thrown rag,
something like common kitchen towel, one
corner ofwhich be had placed on his head,
as the long Elfn locks which had not been
cut for many years hung down over his neck
and shoulders. he appeared more like a
brute beast than Christian man. "See
this rag, said be, how have botched It'll
This was my dress, and so clad marched
up and down my solitary den"
r