Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-11-29

horrors of Papsl misrule in Italy: 't
In 1859, the Austrians arrested, in the CITY
of Ferrara, about forty citizens. on charge
of political conspiracy. The town was
struck with horror, which soon increased by
news that came from within the prison. The
prisoners made it known that they were
often put upon bread and water, laden with
chains, heeten with sticks and with fists
subjected to the "benchn. aud other tortures
that, while one was undergoing this, his
companions were obliged to look on; that
they were daily threatened with death
threatened with having their mothers ar
rested; and that the things they were to saw
were continually suggested to them; and
they were forced by the extreme of pain to
confess, against themselves and others Of
fenses that had never occurred. After these
representations had reached q certain hight
they managed somehow to get communi-
cation sent to the Count Camille Trotti, the
Mayor of the place, who communicated
with the Papal Government, but it had moth
ing to say to the Austriaus but words of en-
enlargement. Representations to the same
effect were also sent to the general com
manding in chief of the French army at
Rome, and to Mr.. William M'Alister, the
British Consul at Ferrara. The collection
contains not only these documents, but a
large number of extracts from private notes
of the prisoners, in which the words ''basti-
made, 'frops, Y hunger "torture,n "beat-
ing,". "in chains for two days together" are
scattered up and down with fearful fire.
queney, and in which this sentence occurs:
'As for c., they have bastinaded him
two days together, and then read him a con-
fession of mine, which | baye never made.n
At last three men out of the number were
sentenced to death. Their names were
Succi, Malagutti and Parmeggiani. The
hli0 npiniOu Nuac hat Has Ill -.
nocent, even of the political offense alleged
against them.
d The Austrian General writes to the Ponti-
feal authorities the night before their exc
cntion; demands that they should send three
reserved and silent priests to be confessors
of the men. One of these priests, probably
as part Of his duty, drew up an account of
all that passed. This was left in the archives
Of his confraiernity (La Buona Nor e), and is
reproduced with the rest of the official docu-
ments. oa 1850 aa-ss4. go r'il
On the afternoon of the 18th of March, 1853
the three confessors were carried to the
prison, where they had to wait long time;
first, for the return of an officer from dinner,
and secondly, because the wife of Succi was
screaming dreadfllly, and would not BE- re-
moved from the cell Of her husband; and the
wife of Parmeggiani was taken with wild
commissions, and blasphemed horribly. These
pun hOlntn Adu VIC llJe vi lQelT NUS
bands from their own mouth. I
r The priests entered the chamber of Succ,
who was standing Uncovered and guarded
by four armed men, but not in chains They
told him that one of them had come to keep
him company, to weep with him, and to
reconcile him to God" and that he should
choose which. Succi said iHa high tone, /
accept all; but, as / am the oldest of the
three unfortunates, / shall choose for con-
faocnr he. ollauf ~ Il; ;oc
throwing his arms around his neck, and
kissing him on the forehead, said, at is IT,
"But," replied the sufferer, 81 wish first to
make a little will, and to say that. the con-
fession and the written dispositions which |
have made to the military commission, have
been extorted from me by violence, by the
bench, by the bastinading, and by chains;
and that they did not merely threaten me,
but beat me; and that unless meant to die
under the lash, there was / hing for j. but
that should say whst they wished
The priests passed to the cell of DR.. Mala-
gutti. He threw himself upon his knees,
weeping bitterly; he kissed the hands of all,
and then said, "Thank God that see clergy
man in this my agony, which has oppressed
me since eleven O'Clock in the morning"
He rose and said, 81 wish to confess all my
sins, and to tell you that have such conf
dence in the mercy of God that it appears to
be almost sin Of presumption. And let it
be known that in my examination have
been forced to say what they wished.
have suffered horrible tortures, which have
brought on hemorrhage You must all
stop with me- Hewas told that he must
choose one. s4'Fhen, bhe said let it by old
schoolfellow, Don Luigi Zaffis' IN
Then they went to Parmeggiani. He rose,
kept his hat on his head, and said, "You
have come to confess me-? | am innocent.
Iwish to confess in public, in the presence
of the commission, and to say that what l
have said and written has been extorted
from me by suggestive questions, by irons
leaving me an entire month in chains, day
and night, by the stick; in consequence of
which they were obliged to take me to the
Hospital of the Martyrs, where | was for
eighteen days" They told him that he must
choose one of the three. He looked in the
faces of them all, and, knowing one, he
burst out weeping, and said, "Father, you
have had ajwife and children; you canmore
easily pity an afflicted father, who is leaving
wife and two marriageable daughters in
poverty" Then seizng him forcibly by the
hand, he made him sit down on his bench.
Parmeggiani wept with strong convulsions.
He drank cold water and coffee all the night,
and was never silent. He continually spoke
of the unjust and iniquitous mode of seek
ing the truth with tortures under which
both the strong and the weak told lies"
He wrote q letter to his wife. He made his
will he confessed twice, and several times
asked for absolution. He went through
several acts of devotion. AT two o'clock in
the morning, he said, II should like to know
if my companions have confessed. Go and
ask and tell them that have confessed,
and that ask pardon from them if, in act
or word, have caused them any pain"
Succi said, 81 ought to have asked pardon
Of him; and, if we meet before the execu-
ton, / will ask him to give me the kiss of
forgiveness" Malagutti was sitting on his
bed with his confessoE smoking cigar, and
said he had pardoned all. AT seven o'clock
in the morning Parmeggiani and his con-
fessor went down, and found Malagutti
surrounded by soldiers. The confessor took
him by his left hand, holding his own suf-
ferer in the right. They kissed one another.
At that moment Sucei arrived; and then
they all three kissed, and said, "Adieu.p
They went into the church, repeating the
"Act of Faith" They kneeled at the foot
of the altar; they received the Holy Com
munion with the utmost devotion. AT the
reading of the last Gospel they stood up,
and Malagutti said aloud, "0h, how light
feel Lord grant that the years of life taken
away from me may be added to my mother
Parmeggiani repeated the prayer, and
added, FAnd to my daughters When
they arrived at the ground of execution,
Succi and Parmeggiani declined to be
bandaged; and the latter kneeled down,
lifting up his united hands with his eyeo
closed, repeating, Jesus," &e, A lieuten-
ant came and said he must be bandaRods ii