Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-02-28
HURLED INTO "A GORGE.
The Crime and Execution OF Fe.
licita PaIIavicifaa.
Judicial Barbarfsm I'm the Oldest Repub
lie I'm Europe

lie I'm Europe
Onc Of the most shocking execution
which ever took place in modern times. ne,
laps, was that OF 4 handsome voung oi,
who was put to death in December last. j
sau Marino, Italy, for the murder Of her ne,
born babe.
San Marino. 1t is well known, is an anomo
ious little repablic in the midst Of tn,
mountain Businesses Of the Appenines: Tn
nardy Inhabitants, who live. as it were. III
natural fortress exceedingly difficult OF ac
cess, nave managed to. preserve their lntlt,
pendence for centuries past. When Ferrara
Padua and Bologna fell, and proud Venic,
was compelled to submit to monarchial rule
iittle San Marino proudly and defiantly KEEP
Tie Republican banner aaoat Even the all
grasping Napoleon the First had to respee
! their independence. and even The unifieatien
OF Italy under King Victor Emmanuel did
not bring about ckan.c in their political
condition.
With their independence the people of San
Harino have preserved their ancient instit,l-
tons. Their criminal laws are those of two
htin'lfed years ago. There is very little ap-
pilcation for them, the morals Of the peoplc
belng excellent. and crimes being of rare oc-
curencc. but those who commit offences
against the laws. are very severely and almost
barbarously punished. A tIiief. will have his
right hand cut off without mercy. and mur-
derer will be executed in IL manner which
can not but be considered inhunan and
shocking.
The MOLE of execution is as follows. The
culprit, after being convicted Of having ia
Ken human life, is bound h;,lld and foot.
and then carried to tile brink OF prccipice.
yawning gorge of great depth, and hurled
into it,
For nearly fifty years no murder had beer
committed in San Marin o. So much the
greater. then. was the horror. of the people
OF the little republic when, on the morning
OF the 10th OF November last, they learned
that the corpse of a child, which to all ap-
pearances was bnt week old, had been
found. covered with rubbish, in a ditch near
The court house, with its throat cut from ear.
gfIlscstfSdc Et,iJce fUOJ OY
the Presiding Elder Of the Republic-such is
his title-and in tn e course of a few hours it
was discovered that's young girl named Fell
cita Pallavacina had probably committed the
murder, and that the unfortunate and inno-
cent victim OF the fearful crime was her own
daughter.
Felicita was tall, dark-haired and dark
eyed beauty OF twenty-five years Her fea-
lures were as those of Raphaels Madonnas,
md, although her parents. both OF whom
had died while she was still child. were
very poor, her hands and feet were small as
hose of duchess. St ,lk.ssa
She had no relatives in San Marino, and at
in early age had been seut to an asylum in
lie neighboring city of Rimlni, where she
lad remained till her fourteenth year. She |
lad then gone to Rome. where. her extraordi-
lary beauty soon attracted general attention,
specially among the artists of the Eternal
.ity, who are always on the look out for fresh /
models. By sitting for distinguished sculp-
ors and painters during the next sevenyears |
Ind rigidly outstanding her resources, she
in accumulating 600 Ivres, which |
he laid by for a rainy day. Her conduct may
lot have been altogether irreproachable, for
sreat temptations beset the path which she
still those who knew her said she T
vas good girl, and no fault was found with
Ter.
In an evil hour she became acquainted with
Roman thief named Tito Gardinella, who
lot only seduced her and: took all her saving
rom her, but implicated her in a robbery,
or which he was seht to the galleys, aud the
'olice authorities, after keeping her in prison.
or several months, ordered her to leave
Iarino.
On arriving there in September last, she
vas already in an advanced state OF pregnan-
y. and the authorities were very unwilling
0 let her again take up her abode in their
midst. They could not help it however, and
deserted hovel was assigned her as a resid-
nee. There the poor woman lived on what
canty provisions few charitable souls gave
ar.
In the first days Of November, she gave
irth to handsome female child. What next
ccurred until the little corpse was found
as never become accurately known. Felici-
i was at once arrested, and The remains of +
he murdered child were shown to her. She
ppeared greatly detected, and said the child
ras hers, but refused to confess that she had
AIKEN its life. Vainly did the aged Elder OF
be Republic, who was also the presiding
ldge of San Marino, urge the wretched wo-
IAN to atone, at least in a small part, for the
sarful deed she had committed. But she
ent her head and refused to say anything
Lbsolute despair seemed to have seized her.
When she was formally tried for her offense
he appeared to be totally indifferent to what
fas going On.
The judge told her to stand up, and address
ed her as follows:
s.Felcita Pallavicina, You are cruel muir
eress. Not only have you been guilty Of the
lest of crimes, and heaped disgrace upon
ar native country, but you have taken q hui
ian life, and, moreover, that Of yoilr own
ffspring. Cruel, unnatural mother. you
aall suffer death for your murderous Geed.
repare for your doom. Your last hour has
Dme n
The last startling words aroused the pris-
ner from her torpor. She started upin dis Is
ay. as If thandarstruck BY what she had
card. Y