Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-04
dQurtcstrr Daily spp.


Naples Correspondence Of the London Times
HOrrid Case of Torture in Roman and
NeapoliCan Prisons for Seven Years
AS soon as the constitution was framed and
the amnesty had opened the prison doors il
was nOised abroad that a man had been
shut up in secret was still confined in prison
OF San Francisco. He was taken thence bv
some yong man who had also been confined
there, and was benevolently received into his
own house by the advocate PasquaIe Arenare,
who has clothed and fed him ever since The
poor victim of oppression has created great
interest here and among others Mr. Elliot and
the Marchese Villamarina have been to visit
Ss<m have done the same, and the following
narrowing story have received from his own
hps, IN the presence Of Arenare, of Neapoli-
tan friend, and of a foreign consul:
81 landed in Genoa from Boston somewhere
In 1858, and, wishing to see the south of Italy,
Travelled till | came near Viterbo, where l was
cautioned not to go to Rome but | still perse-
Yered in my intention of doing So when | was
arrested as not having a passport and carried
to the Eternal City, where l was placed in the
COrcere NuovO. Not satisfied with the report
which gave of myself, | was tortured for
three months as follows My hands and arms
were bound together, and theu, by ropes tied
round the upper part of the arms, they were
drawn back till my breast protruded and nv
bones sounded 'Crick Crick ? There was
another species of torment practiced upon me
which was this At night, while sleeping the
door was secretly opened, and buckets of wa.
ter thrown over my body. How l survived it
L cannot tell the keepers were astonished
and said they never had had such an instance
but will never get out alive said the Capor-
ale RoSael. l replied that never expected so
to do, and prayed for the angel of death to
come. The worst torture of all, however was
hl nrIc an IA 4.
OF light struggled from above, and the stencil
OF which-for it had been used by the gaolers
as privy-was as bad as death. For three
months | suffered thus, and then, without any
reason assigned, was taken from it and placed
always alone-in room called the 'Salone
del Pret,' large airy room, and was well fed
and well treated for twenty-one months more.
] was the prisoner Of the Cardinal Secretary
AntOnelli.
About the middle of 1856, again, without
any reason being given l was sent off to
Naples; was placed first in the Vcaria and
afterwards in San Francisco, in a small close
room, where L have been detained for four and
half years. l was questioned on several
occasions, and at last refused to answer, saving
that my prosecutors already knew what had
to say that | was unjustly and illegally con
fined and nothing should compel me to utter
another word. On another occasion | was
called before Banchini, the director of police.
who INTERCEPTED me. appealed against my
suiterings, and all the reply | received was,
Va 6ene Va Jeae = from a Christian man to
one suffering as l was have been asked to
send SaPptica for my liberation, but my in
variable answer was, Il will die first; never
will ask anything Of this government
When first l arrived here ! had little
money, which for short time procured me
better food than the prison fare and then by
degrees sold my clothes. AT last | sold, at
times, my black bread to have a little salt to
sprinkle over my beans, and sometimes to
procure some incense to relieve the horrid
stencil OF my prison. AS for water for pur-
poses OF cleanliness, it was never supplied me-
and all that / could do was to dip one of my
own rags in jug of drinking water and wash
some portions of my body. During the day [
%ould repose, but at night was covered with
black beetles, fleas and lice, and every con
ceivabe species Of vermin. | expected death,
and desired and prayed for it as a relief, but
it never came. My clothes were at last SO
reduced that l was all but naked, and so |
have passed four summers and winters pacing
up and down my narrow chamber. 4 will
show my prison dress, said he, and going out
returned in few minutes.
1t might have stood as a model for Lazarus
risen from the tomb The lower part of his
drawers, nothing more; on his feet were a
pair of shoes with the soles and upper leather
all in holes. He had no shirt but over the
upper part of his body was thrown a rag,
something like a coarse kitchen towel one
corner Of which he had placed on his head,
and as the long eltn locks which had not been
cut for many years hung down far below his
shoulders, he appeared more like brute beast
than Christian man. See this rag" said
he chow l Lave botched it. This was my
dress, and so clad l paced up and down my
solitary dem"
When l heard of his state said the benevo-
lent Arenare-whose name should be known
and honored-I sent him some clothes other
wise he could not have LETT his prison and
when he entered my house | thought / had
never witnessed such sight He was sup
ported by two persons, for he could scorCey
walk, and stared about, exclaiming, where
am l. g lie was evidently lost He has some.
what recovered in appearance, but his eyes are
still half closed, as though unaccustomed to
the light, and the indications of suffering are
unmistakable. You were astonished by what
you have SEEM said friend who was with
me, and yet in the Vicaria l have seen hun.
dreds Of such sights"