The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-07-12


A letter from Florence, in the London Athe.
naum, gives this account Of an Italian heroine.
who Joined her husband in following the for.
tunes Of Garibaldi:
One Of these long and picturesque torchlight
funerals, which are 90 striking to . strangers
eye, a. they wind up to the new extranural bu.
rial ground Of Florence, among the olives and
expresses Of the steep hill of San Miniato, 10.
sued from the Duomo, . few evenings ago, and
took it's way At the Ave Maria toward the Porta
San Nicola, followed BY great concourse of all
ranks Of persons. It Was the funeral of Tonina
Marinello, q young Venetian woman in the
bloom of life, who had fought bravely by her
husbands side, in the ranks of Garibsldi's gal.
liant Thousand" when they swept victoriously
through Sicily, from Marsha to Hessins, and
thence to Naples and Capua, earring all before
them.
The carrying home of the poor Garbaldina,
whose short life had ended sadly in Florence
amid the straits of pinching poverty, would at
any time have called forth manifestation of
public respect and sympathy. Nov,of course,
the crowded following of the procession was
swelled by those of the ultra red party. who
would fsin have given it the appearance Of
demonstration.
The little story of Tonina is q moving touch
of romance In real life, yet is simple and win.
ming, as we're her slender figure and fair pale
face, shaded With the golden brown hair which
80 often shines out from the canvass Of the old
Venetian painters. Nothing of assumption, no.
thing Of unfeminine or theatrical sternness con.
tributed to shape the attitude of her quiet cour.
fought the battle of ls4S WAS employed when
the war of 1850 broke out and the youth Of
Venice emigrated by hundreds into the neigh.
boring liberated provinces, in the dangerous
service of guide to these fugitives from Austrian
vengeance, across the desolate track of country
laid waste by the capricious inundations of the
Pc, which lies between them and the longed for
river bank, from which they steered across into
land of safety. The secret liberal committees
of the Venetian Territory had in their employ
many such trusty servants, ready to dare all
risks to convey the ardent young volunteers,
peuniless and friendless, across the perilous
| ground, and to pass them from one to another
under cover of night unscathed by Austrian
bullets, to the frontier. Aarinelo and his wife
were among the bravest and trustiest of these
guides, until, after many months exercise of
their dangerous profession, the suspicion of the
Austrian authorities fell on them, and they too
were forced to fly with their only child, little
girl of tender age, and take refuge at Modena.
! Garibaldis noble forl0rn hope was just then
setting forth for Sicily. Marinello Quilted his
temporary refuge and hurried to Join it, and his
wife, refusing to be separated from him, left her
little one to the care of q dear friend who
promised to adopt her as his own, and went to
Genoa, where, finding that the expedition had
already started, they set sail in the first fishing
boat that left the port for Marsha.
Once there, Marinello joined the Sacchi bri.
gade of volunteers, but though both he and bis
wife were we'll known for bravery and good
conduct to Colonel Farracini who commanded
it, the stringent orders issued from headquar-
tiers against the admission of women into the
ranks, rendered it matter of no small difficult
ty for Tonina to remain at her husbands side.
She did, however, at length prevail with the
Colonel, and her name was entered on the rolls
as that of Antonio Marinello, the boy brother
of her husband; nor did any individual of the
corps in which she served during the whole cam.
!, paign guess her sex, which was known only to
Coils Farracina and Bossi. Her slight figure and
Youthful appearance tailed well with that Of q
: number Of the striplngs who fought in the ranks
beside her; che wore the common Garribaldian
, uniform, and endured fatigue and hardship to
the full as we'll as her comrades, and the hard.
ships and fatigues of that campaign were neither
slight nor few.
Her commanding officers give high testimony
to the valor, the discipline and the unf1agging
SplEIt VI WIS uuosoutAb6 AsWS SSuSssou oSsoAASi
who was decorated by the Generate own hand
on the field of battle. They say she was ever
the first to volunteer for some dangerous duty,
and tho last to quit her post while that duty
was unful6lled; and all agree that she gained
the affection, respect and admiration Of her fel
] low soldiers, by her bravery in the field, and
her good humored helpfulness in camp life.
Tonina fought through he.campaign unscath.
ed, though her husband received several but not
severe wounds. When Cspua was taken, and
> the volunteer corps were disbanded, husband
and wife turned their steps again toward No.
, dena, and, finding their friend dead who had
given home to their child, brought her on with
, them to Florence, and there lived poorly on
from day to day, partly on their own small
earnings, and partly on the assistance given to
them BY the Committee for the Venitian emf
grafton. Il was not before the wife was far
, gone in wasting disease Of the lungs, that the
extreme distress of the poor household was fully
known to those who had means to relieve it,
Succor was Immediately and generously given;
the dying mother was placed under the best
medical care, and the delicate little girl sent "a
!, the seaside and admitted into the admirable Os
p;si; Marin;, or hospital for sickly children, d
Via Reggie. But the hslp go much needed came
too late for poor Tonins, though the same care
tvo or three months earlier might have saved