The semi-weekly mountain Democrat., 1860-09-12
The Boy Martyr Of Tuscany.

and move with tenderness all who have
human hearts. The passage is only one
among many similar in the long record of
wrong done by the Austrian stranger to
Italy. The story Of the boy Attilio Froini
should be written and preserved among
those dark examples which teach us to
avoid and hate tyranny and the cruelty
which springs from abused power. am
glad to know that the history has already
been wOrthily written, and is now Just
published by the good priest Vincent Mar
raccini, who was the confessor Of the lad
and helped to hold up his courage in his
last and sad hour.
The disastrous reaction of 1949, which
followed the successful revolution of the
year previous, brought several European
sOverigns to their thrones. and to the re-
newed exercise Of authority which, in the
first moment Of threatening danger, they
had ignoDiniously renounced. Among
these unworthy rulers was the Grand
Duke Leopold Of Tuscany. With thirty
thousand Austrian soldiers at his bach,
he entered once more the beautiful city Of
Florence, Offering as a token of cOncilia-
ton to his humiliatcd subjects C0nstitu-
ton, which, calling Upon God to witness,
he solemnlv swore to maintain. After he
was firmly re-seated in power, initiating
the example of his brother dcspots Of Eu-
rope, he tore this same Constitution in
pcices and threw the fragments from the
windows of his palace upon the heads Of
his people. The popular cause became
hopeless for the time, and the people were
obliged to submit. The sovereign, with
his tens Of thousands of foreign troops,
was free TO do his will, and the chiefs Of
the military authority might practice, al.
most with impunity, their cruelties upon
the people they had enslave1. One of
the many examples Of this abuse Of pow
cr they by force acquired, is the case now
under notice.
Near the last day of June, in the year
lS49, at nine or ten o'clock in the even
ing, Attilio Frosini, lad just passed his
sixteenth year, was returning to his faith
er's house from reunion of some Of his
associates, from whom he had learned the
intelligence Of the day, which was that OF
the success of the Hungarian patriots At
that time the garrison Of the town of Pts
!
Austrian soldiers. The palace of the
Bishop was the place of residence of Fran
els De-Mayer, the Lieutenant Colonel in
command. Warm with patriotic love,
and flushed with the good news he had
heard, when the young man found himself
near the palace, he Salutcd the sentinel on
duty with, FirH hoSsutH !-deceived by
what he had heard, that the guards of the
palace were Hungarian soldiers, many OF
whom it is we'll known are in the Austrian
service. The sentinel responded, Vicd g!
and several other soldiers Of the Austrian
faction, coming up, encouraged the lad by
their cxclamations to him of Erira
6raro ! to repeat the cry. With affected
sympathy, they thus drew him into their
circle, and when they were able to put
their hands upon him, conducted him to
the guard-housc, telling him he was q
prisoner. The young Attilio, discovering
too late the deception, neither gave way
to tears nor entreatics, but instead protest
ed with energy against such an unjust
arrest; but, finding no pity in the hearts
Of these cruel Croats, he became excited
with Indignation, and broke out into in.
vectiveS against the soldiers, their COM
manders and their general, and threaten
cd to tear their banner, which was hang
ing over his head. The soldiers silcnced
him with pricks of their bayOnets, and
chains were fas med to his ankles and his
wrists. A report Of the case was made
by the corporal to the lieutenant colonel
in command, and, an hour after, the boy
was conveyed to the fortress Of the town.
The next day Attilio was allowed to
have a priest Of the church to prepare
him to hear sentence the most severe
which it was in their power to execute
a condemnation to death. The prcist was
the good Marraccini, who, with parental
tenderness and minute exactness, has
given US an account Of every act and word,
Of which he alone was called to be the
witness. In the evening Of the same day
came the sentence. Attiio was called
out and saw all the Austrian officers OF
the fortress standing around the table,
with a dozen soldiers behind. In the
heart of his native country, with no fcl-
low countryman, except the priest on
whose neck he hung, boy was told that
ne must die, because, faithful to the feel.
ing which he had imbibed with his moth.
er's milk, he had dared to say that he
loved his country. by foreign masters
the sentence was pronounced and cXecu-
ted. BY the light Of dim lantern, to
make the horror Of the youth more com.
plete, were read aloud, first in the Ger.
man, in which they we're written, and then
in Italian, the following words: "Attilic
Frosini, you have been found guilty ol
having tried to induce two of our soldiers
to desert. The penalty should be stran.
gulation, but not being able to use thai
mode of punishment, you Will be shot
Have you understood Gazing upon the
image of the Holy Mother, fountain OF
consolation, as his religion had taught
him, and with the symbol of the crucifix
ion pressed to his naked bosom, the youth
heard his fate. He clung to the priest, as
they moved on together, as to one who
in that dreadful hour, was to him even
more than father.
Followed by the dozen soldiers who
were to be the executioners, they reached
the green level near the summit of the cit
adcl. The boy knecled against the wal
with his hands crossed upon his breast
the priest withdrew few steps, and, with
hands raised towards the sky, said: "I II
the name Of the Divine Omnipotence and
Justice, give you absolution." There
was the beat Of drum, and the quick re
port of many nuskets, and the boy ant
the priest fell to the ground together-thC
| ono flead md the Othar in N Swoon