The Republican journal., 1873-03-06
Italian Executions. Two Women Be-
headed
Naples (Feb. y Correspondence of the New Yor

| Naples (Feb y Correspondence of the New Yor.
sun.
Neither on the gallows nor the gsllo-
| tine have Rose Porro and her trail aC-
compice eXpiated that appalling roll OF
| intanticides of which | recently wrote
you the necessary details. The old
| fashioned block, mysterious and dreadful,
with its dark medieval associations, and
draped with dusty black alpaca that may
have seen the balmy days of Venice and
| its merchant princes. was brought into
| requisition yesterday. Only once in the
memory of the living was this block re-
moved from Its gloomy resting place in
the Castle d'Nuovo, and then it was
ordered out by old King Bomba of in
| famous memory AT Salerno a stationary
| scaffold has been lately erected, and it
was generally believed that in the death
| sentence upon Rose Porro and Margarite
| Coradi. Salerno would be named As the
| place of execution. Contrary to expecta-
ton, the cortiie OF the Castle l'Nuovo,
| near the subterranean passage whore tra-
dition says the Neapolitan kings and
mobiles took refuge upon learning from
| the gendalmes of any murderous conspi-
| racy was selected as the fatal spot
| IIAsFY TRIAL.
! The trial of those most abandoned wo-
men was hasty and decisive when COM
| pared with the tardy processes of Il muir
| der case in our American tribunals. On
Saturday last the case opened. The rep
resentative of the Crown, whose duties
| correspond with those of our District At
| torney, first read the heart-quaking con
lesson OF Mrs. Porro, and the subsequent
| avowals of Margarite Coraldi, which We're
no less terrible. Coraldi goes even 50
| far as to state that it was she who con
ceived the tiendsh design of poisoning the
| infants or starving them to death, and
! despatchng the little corpses beneath the
| tiles Of the floors. the earth of the cellar,
or within the walIing of the very rooms
il which they sat, played music. sang, eat
and slept The removal of the papering
OF these walls has since revealed the
| CHASTITY truth. Black gowns and wells
had been provided for the prisoners by
| the Sisters of Charity ass gned to the
| spiritual charge of females imprisoned in
| the Projects Chamber, and the doomed
women sat together and alone in the dock.
| Margarite Coraldi looked boldly out at
| the ushers, and lawyers, her Jury and the
presiding Judge. Rose Porro'9 iace was
| buried in her handkerchief while the At
| torney-General read her affidavit and her
| despairing, heavy sObs frequently inter
rupted the dismal recitation The Sub
| Pretect, Lieut.. Cordehan, and the two
| policemen whom he had stationed AT Mrs.
| PorrO's house TO watch its surroundings,
| gave strong circumStantal evidence
| against the prisoners. The corpseS Of the
murdered innocens and the confessions
| of the unfortunate women did the rest
| The Court adjourned AT 3 in the afternoon,
| soon after Naples best criminal lawyer,
| the Count Massn di Giuglo. had con
! cluhed pathetic appeal 10 the Judges
| and Jury in behalf OF the prisoners He
| attributed the horrible crimes of bis clients
| to what he described rs IAN uncommon
| force of circumstances and an ignorant
| weakness which was only revealed in the
| glariag light of their guilt when it was
| discovered" The Count worked ably to
| raise a favorable point in his clients be-
half by urging that recent Legislation
which gave higher force to palpablc cir
| cumsantal evidence in murder cases,
and validity to the testimony of murder
! ers in their own eases, was not vet active
| or that if q doubt existed as to the new
amendments being in force the prisoners
| should receive the benefit OF the same
Owing to the strong pleading Of Count
Nassin di Giugio, the conclusion of this
trial, which would have terminated in a
day, was postponed until last Monday
| morning.
THE WOMEN DOOMED.
| With Monday morning came certain
| doom for Rose POrrO and Margarite Co
raldi. Spite the most eloquent efforts OF
| the Count and the influence of his As
sociates, the presiding Judge told the jury
that human society demanded the sacri-
flee OF these women's lives, that any other
| punishment named by the State would
| only place them Dn a level with men and
| women who We're not, and they should
presume We're not, capable of being guilty
of such atrocities confessed by the prison
| ers at the bar With this grave injunction
upon them the jury retired, and after
| twenty minutes the recording clerk, staff
! i'll hand, officially informed the Judge
| that the Jury had come to IL unanimous
! conclusion, whereupon his lordShip solemn
| ly ordered them to re-enter the room.
| All this while Mrs Porro had not removed
her handkerchief from her eyes; but Mar
| garite Coraldi's bold looks OF SATURDAY
last had changed into dull, fatigued,
| hopeless look. The latter's face, naturally
of healthy and high-colored complexion,
| had grown deadly pale and suspicious
dark spots under her eyes betrayed the fact
| that she had come to the court i'm tears.
| The jury brought in a verdict guilty upon
| hearing which Rose Porro sobbed hysteri-
cally and called aloud the name of the
| chaplain of the prison, who was at hand
and passed her little crucifix which she
kissed. She rose to her feet grasped the
ratings frantically, and screamed out
/ "Dio mio! datemi roccaSione I'll salra1nu
rani,na." My God give me chance
to save my soul. A local journal com
menting upon the doomed woman's wild
cry, called it numerically 1.-THE whoop of
a female possessed bv the devil" Coraldi
| grew still paler, her eyes fell to the floor
and when the presiding Judge was on the
| point OF passing
| THE SENTENCE OF DEATH
she wept, but strived to sutfoeate her sobs
with her handkerchief. When the SEN
tence was being pronounced, Rose Porro
knet in the dock, clasping her hands in
what seemed to be fervent prayer. Mar
| garite Coraldi followed her example, and
| the sympathy of the crowd seemed drawn
| to the Magdalens of the law rs they kuet,
solemn proceedings over, the prisoners
were led back to their cells, where they
were Joined by Sisters of Charity and the
prison clergy. Fairly yesterday morning,
when hardly soul was astir in the mar
row and bosterous thoroughiares of Ma
pies, an ominous looking vehicle stood in
front of the Projects ante chamber, near
the Chiaja. Several members OF the press
were seated in the Projects antl-chamber,
receiving instructions from Lieut.. Corde-
ban touching the hour and prelimnaries
of the execution. The Prefect by nature
"A very tender hearted man. appeared un-
usually perplexed and gloomy. Turning
to his Lieutenant once, he whispered; IL
wish you had let me sleep this morning,
Cordeban; anything for me but this or
deal" On the uppermost floor of the
prison is the chapel, where the condemned
women were attending mass-ther last