Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-09-29
The CarbOnari-

Some account of this secret political
society, which became so notorious and
whose influence was so widely extended
in Italy, France and elsewhere some
sixty years ago, may not be uninterest-
ing. The name is from the Italian word
earbo5adjO-literally. a charcoal burner.
About the year 1910, when the Neapo-
Titan Republicans, alike opposed to the
usurpation of Murat and the rule OF
Ferdinand, took refuge in the Abruzzi
Mountains, they organized under the
leadership of Capobianco, carbonarl
society, adopting charcoal as symbol
ofpurificatiOn, with the motto Revenge
uDon the wolves who deyour the lambs.
In 1914 the little Neapolitan town of
LancianO numbered as many as two
thousand carbonari, and all over the
AbruzZi new societies were formed,
whose political influence became so
marked that Prince Moliterni was dis
patched 10 them by Ferdinand, with a
view Of securing their cooperation
against the French.
But the carbonari, although their
unwillingness to bear any foreign yoke
had originally given rise to their asso-
citation, leaned more and more toward
republicanism, and especially when the
expelled dynasty was reinstated upon
the throne of Naples they assumed an
attitude of uneomprOmising hostility
against the monarchy. From thirty
thousand members the number of car
bonari all over Italy had been swelled,
i'm one month March, 1920, to the
enormous figure of seven hundred
thousand, including many persons OF
education and good family. The place
where they assembled was called the
Bdrdccd, or collier's hut; the surround
ing country was designated forest:
the interior of the baracca was called the
reRdita, from the sale of Goals which col
liers are supposed 10 carry on in theil
huts. Each province contained larg,
number of such barrache, or huts, anC
the union of the different provincial
huts constituted "a Republic" The
growing influence of the order alarmed
the Conservative Governments OF
Europe, especially the BoIrbons, a
since 1919 the carbonari had allied hem
selves with French Republicans.
The trial of the COrsican Gaerenc, win,
in accordance with the decree of tn,
alta reRdid had stabbed a fellow mem
ber for having betrayed the secrets o.
the Society added to the excitement. 4
fresh impulse was given to the French
fraternity, and many Republicans o.
mark, among others Lafay yette, JOINED
the movement which adopted the ritua
+ of the Abruzzi Carbonari with sligh
modification. The statutes o. the Frencl
Carbonari were most stringent: th'
faintest whisper of the secrets of th'
and was punishable with death. n,
written communications were permitted
In 1919 there were about twenty thous
and carbonari in Paris. From Septem
ber 1870 TO March 1921, a separate com
mittee sat in Paris on military affairs
as the army contained a large number
of carbonari.
In 1921 the Government was officially
informed that the Society existed il
twenty-five of the eighty-siX depart
ments of France, and the ''Nationa
Congress- of the Carbonari, which haC
its headquarters at Paris, seemed for ;
time omnipotent. All the insurrectiOn
airy movements, from 1919 to 1922, wer'
attributed to them. One of the cardina
points of the French carbonari was t.
make Paris the political focus of til,
world. After the July revolution of 1S3I
many carbonari gave in their allegiance
TO Louis Philippe; but at that time ;
new society of the order, more radica
in its character, was foundedby Buona
rOtti upon the theories of Babeuf, whicl
Testa, who was 4 prominent member
expounded in his project dune Repub
licaine." The carbonari are not known
to exist il Paris at present, at least no
under that name.