The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-02-20
She M1uantlet gioncer.
From "The World at Home''
THE IRON. .SHROUD.


THE IRON. SHROUD.
The castle Of the prince of Tolfi
was built on the summit of the tow
ering and precipitous rock Of Scy)la,
and commanded magnificent view
of Sicily in all its grandeur. Here
during the wars of the middle ages,
when the fertile plains Of Italy were
by hostile factions, those
prisoners were confined, for whose
ransom costly price was demand
ed. Here, too, in dungeon, eNca-
waited deep in the solid rock, the
victim was immured,
whom revenge pursued,--the dark,
fierce and implying revenge Of an
italian heart. ~.;. s.; 80 -..-......-....
Fivenzio-the noble and the gen
erous, the fearless in battle, and the
pride of Naples in her sunny hours
ofpeace, the young, the brave, the
proud Viyenzio fell beneath this
subtitle and remorseless spirit, He
was the prisoner Of 'Tolfi, and he
il. that rock k-encircled
dungeon, which stood alone, and
whose portals never opened twice
on a living captive. It had the
semblance Of a vast cage, for the
roof, and floor, and sides. were of
iron, solidly- wrought and spacious
ly constructed. High above there
ran range of seven grated win
dows, guarded with massive bars of
the same metal, which admitted
light and air. Save these, and the
tall folding doors beneath them,
which occupied hecentre, no chink.
or chasm, or protection broke the
smooth black surface Of the walls
An iron bedstead, Uttered with
straw, stood in one corner; and be-
side it, vessel filled with water, and
o coarse dish filled with coarser
food. 4'9.F't5ia '-'7lAi5i'<st ssot'i G
Even the intrepid soul of Viven-
zio shrunk with dismay as he en-
tered this abode, and heard the pon
derous doors triple locked by the
silent rutfians who conducted him
to it. Their silence seemed pro-
phetie of his fate, of the living
grave that had been prepared fol
him. His menaces and his entreat-
les, his Indignant appeals for justice
and his impatient questioning o1
their intentions, were alike vain
They listened, but spoke not. FIJI
ministers Of a crime that had nc
tonguet
How dismal was the sound OF
their steps! And, as their faint
echoes died along the winding pas
sages, a fearful presage grew within
him, that never more the face, OF
voice, or tread. of man, would greet
his senses He had seen human
beings for the last time! And ht
had looked his last upon the brigh
sky, and upon the smiling earth
and upon beautiful world beloved
and whose minion he had been
Here he was to end his life, a life he
had just begun to revel in! And
by what means? By secret poison
or by murderous assault? No
for then it had been needless tt
bring him thither. Famine, per
haps-a thousand deaths in one
It was terrible to think of it, but i
was. yet more terrible to picture
long, long years of captivity, in
solitude so appalling, a loneliness
so dreary, that thought for want o.
ellowship would lose itself in mad
ness, or stagnate into idioey. '.1
He could not hope to escape, un
less he had the power, with hi
bare hands, Of 1ending asunder. th'
solid iron walls Of his prison. HI
could, not hope for liberty from tn,
relentless .mercies Of his enemy
His instant death under any form
of refined cruelty, was not the OBJ
ject ofTolfi, for he might have in
fiicted it, and he had not. 1t wa
too evident, therefore, he was re
served for somepremeditated schem
Of subtle vengeance: and what ven
geance could transcend in fendisl
malice, either the slow death o
famine, or the still slower one o
solitary incarceration, till the las
lingering spark of life. expired, 0
till reason filed, and nothing shoul
remain to perish but the brute func
tions of the body? e7sd sa 9et-
It was evening when Vivenzie
entered his dungeon, and the ap
preaching shades Of night wrappe,
| it in total darkness, as he paced u
and down, revolving in his m III
these horrible forebodings. N
tolling bell from the castle, or frer
any neighboring church or convent
struck upon his ear to tell how tn
hours passed Frequently he woul
stop and listen for some sound ths
mi ight betoken the vicinity Of man
but the solitude of the desert, tn
silence of the tomb, are not sti
and deep as tke oppressive desola
ton by which he was encompasset
His heart sunk within him, and b
threw himself dejectedly upon hi
couch of straw. Here sleep gradt
ally obliterated the consciousness {
misery, and bland dreams waite
his delighted spirit to scenes whic
were once glowing realities for hin
in whose ravishing Illusions
soon lost the remembrance that
was Tolfi's prisoner. =. sLs,....5.
/ When he awoke, it was daylight
but how long he had slept he kne
not. 1t might be early morning, c
it might be sultry noon. for b
could measure time by no otht
note ofits progress than light an
darkness. He gazed around wit
an air of doubt and amazement, an
took up handful of the straw upo
,rb,ob ho low oo ba,,cbl ha ryo ri