Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-23
Neapotitap Horrors Unprece edented Cruel
ilAh and Tnrfnrta LIN alnilN. IL


The London Tines, in "a leading article,
gives the following illustrations Of the cruel
ties to which the Sicilians have been sub.
iected under Neapolitan rule: 'oei a+'r
This island is, or was, till the breaking out
Of the insurrection, under the power Of a
certain Maniscalco Director Of Police The
police is entirely independent Of the regular
judicial administration, 30 that IL tItnay be
that man Is "the prisoner Of the police, and
not of justice"-a phrase not meant at all TO
be satirical, but OF most serious import, as
many unhappy wretches have found, since
an Imprisonment IN this case can not be in
terfered with by any constituted authority,
except Maniscalco and his myrmidons. Mon
reale, near Palermo is the headquarters of
this tyrant and hunger. darkness and tor
ture, chiefly by hogging are used TO extract
avowals of completely In political plots.
Recently, an old man and his daughter, far
gone in pregnancy, perished under the lash.
In January Of this year, certain Giovanni
Vienna, of Messina, wds arrested for carrying
q letter in cipher. As he could not or would
not state 10 whom IL was addressed
he wis placed in boat belonging to
the police and conveyed to the desert shore
Of Cape Zafferna. There his hands and feet
were tied, he was put into a sack, plunged
into the water, and held until he moved no
to confess but, as he had nothing TO tell, he
was put again for a time in the water, and
when taken back to Palermo was nearly a
lifeless body. He is supposed to have since
died. In ls4e, 1t is said that the people,
making themselves masters of the police
buildings, found rooms which bore traces of
the enormities there perpetrated. The use of
applied to the head, which makes the eyes
start forth and almost drop, is attested by
many witnesses: If the following histories
are correct, as we have no reason to doubt,
the diabolical instruments must be brought
| into rather frequent use. One Casimir Arsi-
mano was accused of liberal principles. He
took flight, and his wife, sons and daughters
were arrested as hostages, and subjected to
the torture. iH
Pontillo, lieutenant Of Maniscalco, has
invented an armchair, in which the victim
is seated on sort of gridiron, under which
is a pan Of Goals. Bruno, another officer of
| police, ties the head of the victim between
his legs, and leaves him in that position until
he states what is desired Of him. Louis
Manscalco namesake of the Director, has
invented what is called, in the slang of the
sbirri, the "angelic instrum ant" in which,
by turning a screw, the limbs Of the
victims are crushed. On one occasion
aman was suspended in the air, his
arms being tied to one wall and his legs tc
another, and in that position an officer Of the
police jumped upon his body and beat him
The suspected persons are turned out of theil
houses on the smallest pretext fines, confs-
cations and pillage ruin all who fall under
the anger of the Director of Police. The
wonder is not that the Sicilians rebel but
that they have borne such horrors SO long. Il
is equally wonderful that the Bourbons, hav.
Il ing so fine country with so obedient peo-
II ple should not have known how to govern
4 1t, but should have endangered their crown
ll so that no one would give three years pur-
chase for it. These poor 6icilians the 1eas
A political and revolutionary of mankind, have
been driven into rebellion by sheer despera.
ton. They wanted only peace and .just
government--agentso of police have converted
them into theorizers and republicans. o.