, 1874-09-14
A REMARKABLE PARDON.
Tho Case OF Gi.acO1no SOnniilO,

Trans'ai,t iron, he German ,}dr dpp!tlons' 3outna
-. .Fof'impopo!i 10 bniall town III tho rapAl
Htatos, to which IL attachol tho history Of par-
'o Tho %i hspo 4 1as s aayo oSSys s bfs soe eo
ifacomo 6onnino by namo. .Giacono waH one
OF tlioso goninl. courteous robbers OF whom w0
road occasionally In ROMANCE; ono OF thOse do.
lightfml fellows who loyiod their tsxea wit a
practicos 1,lensure rntlor than 1t, inflictlon.
lilo san, moreover, ono of thuHo olovor individ.
hala who nso ubiquitous OF nowhere, js,Et aB gutta
themselves. His land wan OIL oyury rich Man'a
1mrso. yet, somehow or ,ot1Ior. ho could ncyor
Bprnal; ho deserved it.
ForliGnopoli lind frequently heard OF him.
Ibri1mropoh lonBod to bohOld him II, PIortia
Ye.soss. Nor!in'l>opolis wish was to bc grati-
1ic.. Ono evening WIS presented IN For|imrop-
Oils 1ltto thontro. q lrayic dramn. whoso ltoro,
4UIgoiino, waihs aud nloaus mort rltoonsly from
tho opening Of tho picco to tho tng. At tho bo-
ginning Of tho accond net llo III discovered IN d
slnngDbn. 10 is 'hupp0Bod to no on short h1iow-
n.,co, 's, Which acoounta fot l,ia introducing =
l'anei pano!f e. Drea1 breadl"} The play
had oftentiuaos been glyon before, and waH
therefore we'll known TO tho habitnca Of tho tho
htfo. Tho hoart-rcnding rofrain. :" Pane !
a onaa sd pS a S't ross E sgE sar t 5 oso aSsG T.
sttiko portion Of Tho public he toing itre-
siatibly comicaI. 30 thoy 1nercifnlly dcter-
1ninoa to respond 10 tho i1lcoaaatlt de-
n,nud Tor brcal with appropriate nction. On tho
NYoning IN Question, Uyol4io hid scarcely gottesA
tho words, "Ia"e pa'e J." Out OF lis mouth,
whon suddenly loaves Of broad,. Of all gizoB
aud shapes, wnro a!towor9d upon him frath oycry
part Of tho auditorium or course tho impress
a'onable public enjoyed tho thing hugely.
The oyoningie entertainment dad boon tzsherod
In with diversion most oxhilaraliug. II was
doomed 10 q solenn fnale.
Tho tlrthin had onco more hidden tho discon-
eolato UgoHno from tho gngo Of tho audience.
when suddenly it roso again and disclosed Wow
lnatoad Of Uyolano there stood, IN Tho ooiltro Of
tho stage, tho redoubsel- bandit, aiaconao Bon-
Nino surrounded by 4 Hc0re OF his forco follow
cra, I'LL armed to tho tceth. The band, who
protty vol tlllcd tho stage. brought their car
bincs to IN order that, made tic, floor falrly
groan, 9hcreupon son,ino delivered htnnolf Of
tcrso Ind comprehensive npoech, during which
tho houso wah so quiot that tho dropping Of 4
boakin cvnla hnvo been oasiiy heard. iio OK
planned that ha aolopnrlouo In making his debut
slight tributo from its inhabitants. 10 Ind
como obtontatioub1y and quietly, mud wonll
depart In thu hnno mhnner, provided his wfH1los
wero compiled with. II NOT, he would have to
guccumb to Tho diHagreeablo peeesBity OF making
light Of tho: four corners 81 Forlimpoopooli.
Above oil, lot no ono conceive tho notion OF do
parting without 1cayo. At ovc1y point o1 exit
wero posted coufeaorates. who vonid 11nfe-
sorvodly fire upon any ono venturing TO quit the
theatre.
At tho close of this eloquent ua1utatory, Son.
nilso unrolled nj gnifcunt-looklng ahoos Of
rapor. From thin he Eall7 read OIL d number
Of names, tho bearers whereof wero NJ that mo-
ment present in tho tleatro. mud belonged TO tho
most ut]luont families III tho town. From evcry
individual mentioned ho demanded certain eum
Of money which was to bo Immediately handed
oyor. Each Of tho aAsosaed pArticH WAS to 10
furnished with AL ar1nod ckcort to accompany
lirl to AiH place OF residence, there receive tho
stipulated tax, and return with him to tho
thoatlo. About ltteon OF Sonn!no's aHaoclAtea
horonpon lett the stage md sought out tho per
Aohs apoclfied, who aroao and followed their
guides without tho loaBt hesitation. Honnin0
aud half dozen men remained on tho platform.
1Ie kept bis eaglo oye aternly ltxod upon slo au-
diouco. which did not trust itself to tnovo. When
NIL tho contributions had boon phid ill., sonnino
aud iliH crew went forth from tho theatro and
out Of tlIo town. No ono thought for q moment
OF placing any obstacle in tloir way Of depar-
ture.
forever. This Inst outrage was too defiant
chal!engk. Th6 Papai Govornuent dispatched q
battalion in pursuit Of Sonnino. For q long time
Tho crafty mud Audacious robber clleckmated tho
troops. lIo halassed them with uumboTlesa
folnts, marches, aud eountormarehee: nut they
ultimately thoy ps1shcd 10 close upon him thnt he
waB compelled to faco them. He engaged them
in several battlos, in tho lust Of which ho guf-
fored Il crushing dofeat.
Tho beat medical and surgical skill in tho rapal
domains WAS brought into roqnisition 10 heal
him OF his int turiea, for For11npopoIi was howl
Ing frauically for vengeance. The pnblic'e de-
1nn1l for the grateful spectacle Of polnpouB
execution had 10 be aatisllol 1T any psico. Som
uinos phybical eoundnoes waB eoon restored
Bonnino's trial prded, Of course, with his
conviction; and tho popo, to whom the DEATH
sentence wns presented for affirmation, did not
feel himself moved 10 opon his lips. "Non Ia
Iarldf0 +" "Ifo Inns not spoken! y eaid the
papaI Chamberlain to tho Minister Of Justice, az
llo returned tho deatll-warrant. According to
tho existing custom, criminal condemned to
death waa rrev0cably lost If tho ponsiT perusel
the s0nteuco aud judicial acts i'll Bllouce. Should
1lts holiness havo merely inquired into sono OF
cd his compassion only BY an involuntary ojacu-
1ation Of !" "Fopere diduoto," tho man WAS Bayotl.
At any rate, btu head again roBtod firmly on hiA
shoulders, mud thereafter lo Ind oaly tho dopsi-
yatiot OF his liberty to fcar for.
:, At that tinio Gregory XVI; sat in the chair Of
St. Potter, and Sonnino's lucky star crdnintd that
Gregory elIol,ll 'sshutlo OIL t4iH mortal coil"
just az the deatll-Wnrrant wna travelling tho tor
tu0ug road, no heavily cloggcd with todiuuH and
complicated fo11nalitios, from tho papa Cabinet
execution OF tho dcntl-sentenco.
= Now, it il nh aucent llHago that tho death OF a
Pope temporarily clsccks tho procedures in lu-
dicial cafes. or course, sh!B b often very op-
poltuno for condemned fclonB. Pending tho in
terregnutn no deatl,-penalty may bo eonsum-
mated. and, as a newly-clloaon PontiI rarely
fools inclined to naugttrato his rule with tho
confirmation Of doath-GentenceB, tho condemned
being Ii gonorally Aarcd. Ono Of tle first off,
ctal neth Of tho now Pope Is to cayne roports to
he mhdo to himsolf Of tho un1lniHlod judicial
cases and 'luoxecused judicial deoroea ot tho
previous regime, md to tako into consideration
tho pardon Of conylctH and condonlucd felo.ls.
TAus Sonnino'H case. among ottors carGo be-
foro tho Cabinet OF Plus TX. when tho tlara lld
been plhcod upon this prelRto'e brow.
Sonnino escaped death, for illus was not diH-
poaod to- mako any exception to tho rulo. al-
though tho hero OF Foflimpopoli hud boon
pointed TO him III b1acA an possible by the ai-
thoritioa. but ho Ind cscApol only tho extrcn,o
ponalty ct The law. and 1o was soon to discover
TINT tho Pontiical clemoncy waa not 30 good q
thing after all. rlo Mono in this caso brought
into application TINT peculiar clause In tho
lloa,an penal cot1o Which claBhoB 40 harHhly
aeainat tho 1awp Of cummon-Honso that ono can
only wonder in AhlaZo who on eattll tho follow
was that originated tho idoa. This remarkable
clause substitutos for capital punishment, in
casoa which cali for consideration, a double or
triple life-long imprisonment. According to orl-
,,aty conception, ono should think that orlna-
ilal would ljo adequately punished aud rendered