The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-02-11
#istellanv.
rnE sIcxoRA CRozzA DI MoRfo.

|
and accomplishment. She plays or
the piano-forte like De Meyer, sings
like Mademoiselle Delcy, and dances
like Mademoiselle Augusta. Her for'
tune, moreover, is 100000 year-an
excellent heart, and spotless tame
But as fatal ill-chance would have II
-(such was the story which speedily
spread through Palermo on the arrival
of the fair and eccentic stranger, who
was the only daughter of wealthy Rus
I sian parents, though born in Francej
her mother about twenty years ago
saw display of the Phantasmagoria,
and was so strongly struck with one
horrible spectre in particular, that after
months she was delivered of child
who would have been beautiful as an
angel, if she had not been born with
the strange but horrible deformity of q
skeleton hand and q face like that of q
| skull!
The sensation awakened by SO extra
| ordinary a person, among the lively
Sicilians, may be imagined. The lady
| was known to be the perfection of love
illness i'm every respect but these two
fatal particulars. She was reputed,
also to be of wayward and very orig
inal character, very fearless and indie.
pendent. and now the sole mistress OF
her own liberty, and of her enormous
| fortune. She wore her face covered
with a mask and veil, and the fearful
| skeleton hand carefully glOved.
1t was not long before, i'm spite Of
these rumored but unseen defOrmities,
her wealth, singularity, and othel
charms, attracted many suitor to hel
mysterious but golden shrine, especial
Iy gentlemen of small fortune and high
nobility, whom the 100000 a yeal
could have reconciled to the embraces
| of the eldest daughter of Eucifer him.
self; but they had all a fearful trial to
undergo before the coveted prize was to
he won. The Venus with the face of a
skulJ-the CrOzza di MortO-receives
at home all her lovers, her face
covered with the perpetual mask and
veil. She sings, dances, enchants,
transports, and when ecstacy is at Its
height, she suddenly lays aside hel
glove, and reveals first the spectacle Ol
the sacrificed hand, the hand of a skcl-
eton, Some fashionable lovers have
been known to endure this horrible
spectacle with an unfiinching courage
but when this wonderful creature, who
| aepeared sometimes almost to derive
strange qualification from the exercise
of this dreadful power to appal and re-
pulse, went a step farther and raised
| her veil and took off her mask, no one
had vet been found with nerves equal
to the fearful trial. Fortune, genius,
wit. grace, goodness, loveliness of form,
mind and heart, were all hastily and
shudderingly resigned, rather than en-
counter the hideOus fate oi life-uniOn
with the hand and head of Death In.
trenid soldiers who had dared the dread
King Of Terrors many time When
appearing in his own grimmest form
shrank back appalled,, as well they
might, from his sickenlng features,
when thus revealed in mOnstrous COM
bination with all the other possible
charms of maiden youth and lowell
ness.
At last the lady met a lover whose
passion she herself could, and did re-
turn: a lover who would have been
worthy indeed of her, even had not the
| perfection of her graces, of both mind
and person, been marred by the fatal
defects | have described. Generous,
noble, accomplished, and intellectual,
after visiting her from the curiosity
with which all Palermo was possessed
the mysterious interest attaching tG
her-cOmpassion for so unhappy q
curse, resting on the unOfiending head
of one so matchless in every othei
lcharm-and delight i'm the singular
powers of mind and the admirable
Qualities of heart she displayed, soo1
converted the slight degree of curiosity
with which he came, into a true, fer
vent and exalted passion. For the firs
fime. the lady felt herself loved as SHE
would be, for the first time reciprocatet
it with a still more lavish wealth OF ar
fection, and for the first time dreaded
herself the effect of the fatal ordeal t
which the attachment of those writ
sought her hand was to he subjected
Nevertheless, she did not attempt t.
soften the picture of the spectacle whicl
she told him he would have to behold
even while she confessed herow dreat
of the effect it would produce upon hi
affection. But he answered that IN
loved her heart, and not her person
and that no reality could exceed wha
he had already pictured to himself, ant
to which his heart had already fully re
conciled his imagination. Fully salts
fled at last, of the sincerity and devo
, ton of his love-a love the more highl,
to be priced from the nature of tn
qualities upon which it was bestowed
she consented to the bridal, though sh
said that she would not endanger it
completion by revealing to him the ia
tai secret of her face until after he shOul,
become irrevocably her husband. HI
: might then see all, even though n
should Oh the instant fly from her il
horror and disgust. She would, at least
, have once been his wife; and should
at least, have acquired the title, both t
the happiness of bearing his name, ant
to that of bestowing upon him a larg
, share of that wealth, the fatal posses
sion of which has attracted so man,
: suitors, unworthy of it and her. In
5 word the marriage contract was signed
, the lady insisted on bestowing upOl
her reluctant husband half of her enor
nous estates.
, Whenever you will no longer suffe
me,r she said, "to be your wife, shal
, have, in the death to which that sen
: tence will doom me, the comfort G
5 having made happy with riches tn
only man / have loved, or could love
and he will, at least, repay me with
l few tears to my memory"
The nuptial day at last arrives. Thi
1 singular ceremony is completed, i'm tn
= midst of an extraordinary magnificenc
and splendor. The fatal veil whic
:, hid the mysterious face of the Crozzd @
o Moro, giistens with diamonds. Th
8 parties return from the church, and til
l. husband kneels before his wife, to Ell
:, counter that dread ordeal which non
: have before encountered and prove
!, equal to endure. She raises her han
IS to unclasp the fastening of her masl
l. What an instant for the trembling hu:
q band, whose heart almost ceases [
l. beat, and whose countenance become
q stamped with deadly paleness, as
already in reflection of that which Il
,r is about to behold, The mask at La.
Is falls-and one instantaneous glanC
% suffices to reveal to him the whole my
n terry of the CrOzzd di MOrto. Throug
In tears of happiness, it is face of almO
Is angelic beauty that is smiling upo
5, him!
1 The truth was, that this singular ar
ri eccentric creature had carried out Il
caprice of wearing ttcO masks, the ul
der one representing indeed skull
=, her object being to protect herself fro
to the arts cf those unworthy suitoI
ID whose attraction would be her enc
it NOUS wealth alone, and to make choi
ID of one who should love her as s.
in would be beloved, for her mind al
ed heart alone. She had also had made
glove for one hand, curionsly fashion