The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-09-14

Accounts of the clemency of the Pope to
political offenders appear frequently in the
Catholic papers. The following article from
the Orinione -Nctiomaie does not give very
attractive view of this Christian grace in the
Pope:
I'VE receive from Rome numerous letters.
which ali agree in contradicting the news cir
culated by srvera! Journals that all the poit-
zeal prisoners belonging to the Romagnas
have been released. The fact is, that they
all. without single exception. remain in
irons. Some few prisoners tthe Opinioae
gives their names) were set at liberty on
jane y, but none of them were from the
Romasnas. Of these very few, almost all
had but very few weeks or days TO remain
In prison before the term of their sentences
would expne. and the majority returned to
their families afflicted with incurable diseases
contracted during their confinement. What
matters , SAID the priest, we have done our
best to save tErr souls " 4 favorite device
4 of the Roman government when it wishes 20
gain cr"dl, :or clemency is to remit an illuso-
~ portion Of heavy sentence particularly
in cases where the recipient of the favor has
already suffered so much that he is not likely
to ike TO enjoy ii. For example, four years
have been struck off the sentence Of hard la
Dor TO which young Mezzopreti of Tocli, was
cardemncd. Bat he is now nothing but
living skeleton stretched upon bed of suf-
terlng. lie Was onee rich merchant. Since
; lis imprisonment he mas learnt the death of
his father twhn died of grief of his two
SONS. ant. the utter ruin of his house. His
Young and beautiful wife has been obliged 10
go out 20 service 10 provide for the susie
nance OF his on Y remaining child. In most
countries when criminal is thought 10 de-
serve more than twenty years imprisonment
he is scntei.vec fer life, or sometimes, which
is more humane. TO death. But here fcity
wears Of the gai!eys is quite common thing
But tins IS not all; political vengeance i'll
tiictS sentence o. fifteen or twenty wears in
irons even after death. In these cases the
>kCie,0n OF the prisoner, when he dies, IS
kept unburi.d ard in irons. When the Pope
thinks II desirable to show mercy. :he num-
her of Years Of Imprisonment remitted is Ge-
duced. in the first instance, from those to be
suffered after death. So that MANY whose
names are paraded as instances of his Holi-
ness cenency have no hope but to die in
the Salirys. and have no other ground for re-
l"icing than this-,hat the fetters will he re-
moved from their bones, while their rotten
nessis .e>s advanced than they were originally
led 10 anticipate. There Is no country IN the
world but l;cme where these reiinements of
cruelty are INDUCED in. To conclude with
an individual ca>e-GiOvanri Lucent. Ko-
man. now lies in prison, working out SEN
tence Of thirtysix Years in irons. He was a
prosperous tradcSman. and the father of
large family, whom he brought up in the en-
jnyment OF ease and comfort. The Pope
mas jast granted him remission of twenty
five months out of his thirly-six years -
What mcckcry Lucenti since he has
been in prison. has lost leg and an eye, has
hecome deaf III one ear, has tumor In his
liser, chronic disease of the chest, and a
>quamose affection of the epigastrium. Is
not this killing by slow torture -