The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-17
RELIGIOUS TROUBLES IN ITALY.


Details Of the Massacre OF PrOtestants
I'm Barletta--Six Persons KILLED and
about Twenty WOunded-Fury of the
MOb-soveraI Priests. Monks, and
FrtaFS. .nnder Arrest, Etc.
Florence March 29l Cor yspondence London Times.
The Barletta massacre turns out to be very little
inferior in atrocity extent TO the worst OF the
trst accounts that reached us, and the Dr1no
cafed that priest at the nead OF an ignorant and
brutal people, had renewed in little Baretta the
savage scenes OF the nleht Of st. Bartholomew in
France" The instincts of fanatica priests seem the
same IN all ages and countries; otherwise one might
well wonder at the preparation Of such atrocous
grimes IN the name OF religion in the year 1886, ana
in country that claims TO rank with the most
n vilized.
II Is notorious however that the Terra di BariTs
BY no means one OF the most enlightened districts OF
this peninsula, and what has just occurred there may
serve as lesson TO those Italians who cannot bear
TO be told OF the yce' l0norance, and fanatcism of
large portions Of their countrymen The papers have
been requested make the best of che matter, but
not all Of them obey Official hints Of this kind, and
abundant details. Blame is cast upon the subpre-
ect OF Baretta, who was warned OF the coming out
+ took precautions. With a few honorable exoep-
tons the local authorities and the National Guards
seem to have disgraced themselves
A letter OF the oath of March, from Barletta, pub
( Bshed in the Corriere deLte Aarche, says:-
'Hf Three houses burned an six persons killed. l
listed the RUNS this morning, and the iamll1es OF
e ONE of the victims. Iwill not dwell on the painful
+ Impression produced by the blackened, walls and
.valls and pavement and the of weeping
\ mans; will INIT myse to facts 1t appears that
Ahe Lent preachers instead OF exciting the faithful
/ No repentance reguary preached hatred to the
Frotestants. representing their destruction as
becessary work. good and agreeable IN the sight OF
God oflove. No wonder if such bad seed pro-
uced abomnable fruit But it appears that poll
les and reaction were combined with rehgious
ii am assured that one hundred and fifteen houses
doomed TO sack and fire, and that list them
f. hs in the hands OF justice Be that as It may,
donday the 10th instant horde of fanatics entered
~ he in which the Evangelical meetings are
held, killed in cold blood two brothers no fell into
their hands, smashed everything IN the house, and
baped ever the root and am happy to ay that the
after found shelter IN the house OF the Canon Ca
briel Rizz The conduct OF the National Guard
cannOt be too severely banned The meeting house
not more than thirty metres from their post, and
fhe butchery took place literally before their eyes,
without their stirring q finger to prevent it. For
two hours the mob of fanatics did what it pleased
and during that time 1t burnt three houses and killed
I've persons. A sixth died yesterday OF his wounds
he number OF wounded great but the list is not
ret complete Besides the priest RuGgeri Postg-
f. lone, two oher priests, monk and more than two
hundred persons already incarcerated and fresh
rrests are being constantly made"
A letter from Trani, in the Naples PuRgste, says
hat the cerlcal reaction had been planned on
arge scale, ana to have ITS ecuo IN other towns,
+. put the movement failed or at least only par
al. A letter in the Naples PdtriG says that tor
Pme tune past number of persons living at Bar
lcal form OF worship, and that 1t was lately dis
pVered that a minister of that faith lived in the
~ buse OF the brothers Petrucci The meetings which
BOX place there amounted, according to the PGtria,
W four hundred or five hundred persons but this IS
erhaps an exag0eration OF mistake for in another
etter, in the COTriere dele Pugte, find the fol-
"Seyeral months ago one Gaetano Giannini, of
florence, took up his abode at Barletta with the in
ention OF making ploseytes TO his religious doc
F1nes and belief To that end he held secret confer
noes in q private house. and had succeeded IN sur
bunding hlrselI with about forty followers. This
act became known among the people of the place
he( which, endowed with tervld imagination, and
afurally not yet educated to civilized liberation, to
tuai respect of conscences, to liberty of rel giOus
ation But perhaps these Feelings would never nave
Exhibited themselves in disorderly and rebellious
cts ii the Lenten preachers, Postglion and Tren.
Rgue II forget the name OF a third had not from rhe
ulI it repeatedly stirred up the popular fury and
hcts the citizens 10 revenge Christ ana the Catho-
rehgion upon the unfortunate Evangelical minis
pr ana his followers. From day to day, therefore,
he anger of the people, which is superstitious be-
buse 1t is lgLorant and most intolerant because
OF yet npe for real liberty, became hercer and
In the minds of these benighted fanatics there ap.
II ears TO have been strange confusion as to the
asons OF their violence, Judging at least from the
u hies they are reported to have uttered. They eX.
aimed in one breadth-Victor Emmanuel, the
t allan nation, the Catholic religion, Garlbaldi and
hedley CRIES of "Down with the Protestants death
them" The priest most compromised is SAID to
q Capuchin friar named Vito Maria da Noia, who
o.9sp aged extraordinary zeal and fury in bounding
36|1I the mob to its murderous work From private
purce l have been informed that as many as
Io venty persons were wounded; but this may be an
kaRgeration, and perhaps the true number will
over be positively known
1t would be mistake however, on the part of the
bthorties 10 CLOAK the truth instead of boldly pro-
tanning il, ano rgo ously Furnishing the offenders
The ministerial prints seem to have become very
iarded in speaking OF he affair. On the other
md, the DiTStt0 eXonerates the Minister OF the In
rlor from SuDpreSSiO Ueri (when questioned the
her day in the Chamber concerning the Barletta
aesacres), only by carirR him worse Informed
can would be any private person who had an inte-
1T in ascerianlng the facts OF the While stat
the killed at three persons, and presenting the
flair IN the mdest light, Signor ChaYes assured the
hamLer that politics had nothing to do witn these
plorabe events; but, If this be true of the igno-
Int rabbe who did the bidding of their clerical lead
Is, 1t IS exceedingly hard to believe that politics
ID share in ltinP the savage zeal Of the latter
o principal Papal organ, the Unitd Cdtt0licG dare;
u openly defend the assassins ana lncendiar1es OF
rletta but 1t casts the entire responsibility of the
Oodshed, snd of the other eXcesses committed
on the ll-advlsed Ministers OF the Crown, and
(on the audacious heretcs who dared to Intrude
= emselves among the mee< and pious Christians Of
. Terra dl Bari. 1t argues that when the Consti
ion was promulgated bv Charles Albert, in 1S4S
ony non-Catholcs in the kingdom thu
+ ~ udois and The Jews and that, therefore, to then
0uld be limited the liberation whicn that ConstI
ton while procaiming the Catho ic, Apostolic
d Roman creed the religion OF the State, guarsn
IS to OJher forms of worship. "But the ministry
Rmpling upon the law, allows al heretics to cOm'
o Itay 10 raise pestllentia pulpit, and to busl
emselyes in every way to drag her sons from tn
som Of the Catholic Church" IL 1t be true tina
Protestant congregation at Barletta ls as large a
OF the letters thence state we need not wonde
the irritation manifested by the papal journal II
lone article which il heads, "The Religious Wa
the Kingdom of Italy"
letter OF the 26th, from Bari gives the followin
..|.....S count of the town OF BarleUta =
f. ut has abouC twenty five thousand inhabitants
which at least Ihreetourths belong TO the class c
fOnL or agricultural laborers, who do not live i
". rages scattered the cOun ry, or collected 4
lagos as in other countries, but are here agglomt
ed in wretched streets of the town, filthy an
hiking, and in certain habtations, which Shout
w bIe properly be called stables the more so as me
n Ofnnu dNyali fbprQ ma nfrytt