Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-03-21

grain to the best advantage; and that the
people might suffer hunger even to the
extent OF devouring the very beds of their
cattle" Others, such as the Attorney
General Cesare Cappa, were made away
with to avenge the insults put upon the
sect in having imprisoned and long held
captive several of its brotherhood;" while
others, like the brothers Sassinari (them-
selves of this very society, ain order to
fOrestall any indiscretions on their part,
which their drunken habits might we'll
render them capable Of" etc. -.
These knights of the blade-some of
them, at least-are far from being the
lowest Of mankind; they have hearts, pas
sionate love of their country, and, while
some of their number took part in non
sine gloria, in the Tyrolean campaign of
1866, others, like Cavalcoli Giovanni, flew
to arms at the war-cry of Garibaldi in
1867, to fall gloriously at the taking of
Monte Rotondo. 'ss 81
Another characteristic feature of this
ring Of malefactors is sort of publicity
which it gives to its deeds. Not content
to immediate its victims in the full glare of
day, and in presence of many witnesses,
this society has, SO to speak, the delicate
attention of giving them notice, by anony-
nous letters, when indeed it does not
affix such placards as the following at
their door-posts, "Rooms to let at an early
date" Moreover, many people besides
the victims have recognized the assassins
on numerous occasions; but, whenever it
has CHANGED that any of these latter have
been included among the raids made by
the police and have appeared before the
judges, not mouth would open to iden-
tify them. On the contrary, kind friends
were never wanting to establish an abb,
so intense was the terror with which they
inspired the whole population.
If we have gone so much into detail, it
is for the sake of our foreign readers, in
order that out of Italy some adequate idea
may be come at of the vast difficulties
which beset the new government in its
endeavors to establish some show of pub
| lie order; and also because such facts as
those, brought to light by the prosecution
in this trial of the stabbers, are matters of
almost every day occurrence in spite of
the recent laws upon lammonisons and IL
domicilio coatto.
This almost incredible state of things
is referable to sundry causes, but first and
foremost to the ignorance and idleness
which has so long prevailed in this part
of the peninsula. 1t is also in some meas
ure due-as was lately said by the Ro-
magnolcse-to the old revolutionary Or
ganization of the Romagnas, in which the
secret political societies had given rise to
other societies none the less secret, com
posed of malefactors; nor was it always
possible to define where the one ended
and the other began.
These secret political societies, in whose
eyes the end amply justities the means,
had oftentimes to pass sentt nee of death,
though they did not always number among
their ranks any hands of sufficient steadi
ness to carry out their own edicts; and
thus they were forced to apply, for this
branch of the business, to set of des-
peradoes, who stuck at nothing, who
lived, as it were, in their very shadow, and
who have now survived them, and carry
on the trade on their own account. -
Translated for Appleton's Journal.