The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-08-27


family, was in prison for = debt of fifty |
Tires. Zioba sent for him and told him |
that the Jew who had loaned him the |
money had confessed to him that he had
only been thrown into prison for the pur-
pose of giving an enemy Of Zioba's an op.
portunity to have him safely assassinated.
The Jew had at first readily consented
to set Zioba this trap by loaning him the
fifty lires-having been bribed by the
rich enemy Of the youthful painter-but
in moment of weakness he told Zioba of
the plot. and said he could escape if he
only paid the fifty lires. Zioba, after
telling this astounding story, implored
Cantarini to loan him fifty Tires, in order
that he might escape the dagger of the
assassin, who, no doubt, was already hired
by his enemy, and the witness gave him
the money. This was all he knew.
The Council began to be more hopeful.
At last a motive for the deed had been
ascertained. Zioba had been in fear Of
assassination, consequently he had mo.
tive of revenge. Was it possible that
Toldo, who had bribed tho jew to set the
trap for young Zioba!
1t was at once thought to be the most
important to find the Jew, so as to ascer.
tain who Zioba's rich enemy was. After
much. difficulty he was found. He tasti.
fed that it was Toldo, the rich jeweler,
who wanted to have Zioba assassinated,
and thought that it would be done while
the latter was in prison. Hence he in.
duced the Jew to loan the money to Z,oba'
to suddenly demand the payment of the
debt, and to throw him into prison.
Thus the motive had been found. Toll
do was proven to have been Z,oba enemy.
But why did he want the young, hand.
some painter assassinated? What was
Zioba's offense? The drawing pointed to
q possible criminal intimacy between Zioba
and Toldo's bewitching wife, but the lat
ter declared that she had seen him until
she was confronted with him before the
Council. As nothing further could be as
certained, and Zioba would not make a
confession, the Inquisitors made all the
necessary preparations to put him on
the rack. But before the terrible instru.
ment of tortue Zioba weakened. and declar'
cd that he was the murderer, and that
he was willing to confess.
This confession was substantially as fol-
lows: One day Norma Lucrezia Tolde
came to his studio while he was painting a
Venus. Like many other ladies she came
to look at his pictures. She admired his
Venus greatly, and he calamity said:
81 had beautiful model for this Venus,
but if you had been my model, think
she would be Still more beautiful - unless
indeed, your splendid costume hides any
imperfections.'
This nettlcd her vanity, and so pleased
was she with the young artist that she
determined to sit to him. The drawings
found in Zioba's room were then made. A
criminal intimacy followed. Lucrezia
gave Zioba key to her house.door, and
once, while he was at her house, To!do
returned unexpectedly, and, in effecting
his escape, Zioba ran over his little daught'
c.. A few days afterwards Zloba was
taking promenade, when he suddenly en-.
countered Antonio and his little daughter.
The latter shrieked, and pointed at him
as the man who had come out of her
mothers room. This circumstance re-
vealed to Antonio his wife's guilt, and
what made matters even worse, was that
a comrade of Zioba, who had accidentally
seen the drawings in his room, had sent
word to Toldo of his strange discovery
Toldo then determined upon Zioba'
death, and hired Jew to throw the pain:
er into prison. When Zioba rcgained his
freedom it became evident that in orde,
to live in safety he must kill Antonio Tol
do. Hence he wrote him note in dis
guised handwriting, saying that a strang
, er had found certain drawings of Toldo's
wife which he would return to him if h.
met him at certain place land there Zio
ba did his murderous work quick|,
enough to return in few minutes to hi!
f-olicking comrades in neighboring cafe
! The excitement in Venice when this as
, founding confession was made public knew
no bounds Thousands we're present t,
witness Zioba's execution, and the jeweler'
guilty widow only escaped the revenge o
the murdered mar S friends by taking tn
veil. and passing the remainder Of he
/ days within the gloomy walls of cloister