The New York herald., 1875-09-01
AN ITALIAN CRIME.
The Assassination Of Raphael
Soneogno.
SKETCH OF HIS CAREER.
Confession Of the Assassin and Implication
Of -Four Others.
ROME. August 1o, 1875

Raphael Sonsogno in the office Of his newspaper-the
Capitdle-had somewhat subsided the bier containing
the embalmed remains followed from Rome to Milan by
men Of every class and rank-Senators and deputies
and the people who recognized him as their champion
deposited in the family vault; the presumed assassin
direct the presumed nsgator OF the assassin and the
presumed gobetween assassin and nstgator arrested
and in the hands OF justice 1t seemed to that
mon humanity and the accepted maxim that every man
is innocent until proved guilty exacted absolute silence
touching all parties concerned while justice was taking
its and three least trial for their lives
But the Italian and foreign press have Wed with each
other in violating this decorum The enemies of
the murdered man have assailed his memory
with calumnies that they dared not have uttered
in his lifetime nor have the supposed murderers been
spared The Italian Journalist sells and boasts of hay-
ing sold to the French Figaro copy Of the act OF ac
cusation" and cynicaly depores that he did So on
the following day English paper offered him three
times the sum. Magistrates reveal the secrets that
they bound to maintain intact until the public
trial. the counsel for the defence appeals for the OBJ
servance Of the 'aws OF decency' vainly. 1t
Ia impossible to find twelve jurymen who now
enter on their dutieslwh unpreJudiced minds In this
state of things would be aecaton keep silence
longer, and the trial bids fair be of the most
memorable in the annals Of modern Italy, while alb
staining from syllable that affect the accused
shall sketch the biographies Of the persons concerned
In this sad Drama commencing with the victim who as
long as he lived was the terror of evil doers when
seated in high places.
OF RAPHAEL soNsoGNo
of four of the largest and most enterprs
ing publisher in Milan, and from his boyhood the book
his home and his delight Versed in several
languages author Of tales comedies and novels Sgnor
Menin proprietor of the Gasseaa O0ctae sought his
pen and Raphael undertook to write for the paper on
the express condition that he should have no part in
the political editorship In this paper Parini had writ
ten Giuseppe Rovan noted critic and patriot was
Of the constant contributors, and he alrms that
Sonsogno wrote literary articles artistic and theatrical
criticisms but never any Of the political articles Other
contributors the proprietor and printers confirm this
statement Menini also anirms that Sonsogno
of the writer's chosen by himself and oisted him
by the government moreover, that the Austrian
authorities refused him pension and post of professor
because he kept revolutionary writers who betrayed
the cause Of the government In fact the uness of
time approached, the Austrian official paper contained
scraps Of from foreign papers which the author
ties would willingly have concealed from their subjects
These were inserted by Sonsogno, whose duty II
was to translate from foreign journals The proprietor
was sorey perpexed; these scraps containing
earnestly sought after by the patriots Of Milan, doubled
the sale Of the paper On the other hand the
bustered he in constant fear that the paper would
be seized. He was compelled by the AUTHORITIES
avail himself OF the Havas teegraphc agency, instead
Of that of Sean and Sonsognos knowledge Of French
here stood him in good stead He commenced a cor
respondence with sgnor Havas, giving him all the news
that could benefit the Italian cause, and these were
transmitted to the entire French and English press
The Austrian government furious caused it to be
N let
from Milan but fabricated Paris Turin and the
time ordered the police to redoube its efforts
discover and the correspondent sonsogno also
succeeded in establishing secret communications be-
tween Milan and the Swiss frontier, and here are the
OSCILLATIONS sIGNoR HAvAs HIMSELF.
PARIS July Is, 1868
DEAR SIR-I have received your little book on Italy
and the which preceded the expulsion Of the
Austrians from Milan All that you say is perfectly
true; the extremely well written correspondence
which you at your risk and peril addressed TO me pos
yessed the great merit of being extremely interesting
without exceeding the limits of truth Those CORE
Spondences owing to the immense publicity which We
were able 70 give TO them In our papers, served ma
teriay enlghten public opinion that interesting
period OF Italian history. AL yours, A HAVAS
And later
PARIS Feb 2 1870
l. the undersigned testify that the political CORE
ypondences addressed to the Havas agency by Sig r
sonsogno. in 1859 were sent by him gratuito1sly
and that have never paid him anything for these cor
responsiveness am ready TO affirm this fact on my
oath AUG. HAVAS
On the 10th Of March, 1852 Raphael sonsogno was ar
rested the accusation Of corresponding with the
enemies of Austria and OF revealing the of
the Austrian troops which crime according Gyulas
proclamation, was, when proved to be punished by
death within twenty -four hours Conveyed TO Verona
Mantua, and finally to Josephstadt where he
fined with Aleardi the poet and other patriots there
is no doubt that the sentence would have been
ecuted but for the victories Of the allies and the subse
quent liberation Of the Italian prisoners This then is
the truth the whole truth nothing the truth Of
Sonsognos connection with the Austrian Official
settd In it he took political part Through IL and
by his consequent connection with Havas he materially
served the Italian the risk of his life and the
cost of his liberty Presenty-for we conceal
nothingwe shall record tho unpatriotc fact that
can be brought against him
On hs liberation, in Milan, freed by the allies, he be-
came editor and proprietor of the Gdsseta di 1ildno
now transformed into ultra-lbera paper, with
immense circulation In this Journal from the first,
he set himself reveal all the abuses that under
his notice. hence the fierce hatred that he excited the
deadly revenge vowed against him. In Milan he ac-
cused the Municipal Giunta OF peculaton q vast
scale; Of nepotsm and other sins. The parties
sailed brought action for libel Sonsogno compiled
and printed at his expense the story of the
pa administration The tribunal absoved the Gds.ed
aud condemned the Giunta 70 pay the expenses Of
the trial they appealed the Court OF Appeal confirmed
the sentence Of the Court Of Assizes again they ap-
pealed and the Court OF Cessation confirmed the
sentence Of the Court Of Appeal Thus he arrayed
against himself the magnates Of Milan. Al the po-
ltca elections the Gdzrettd liberal candidates
among others the great Carlo Cattaneo the
hero OF the FIVE days OF Milan, the philosopher
historian and political economist
In 1867 the famous tobacco jobbery business came to
light Major Lobbia who was supposed TO possess the
documents ncrimnating twelve Deputies was stabbed
by assassin. Judges and magistrates were removed,
instead OF arrestng the assassin Clearly indicated by
eye witnesses and public opinion, he was aided 70 es
cape, and Lobba was accused OF having stabbed him
self Five Witnesses perhaps the only ones who could
have revealed the truthScOtt, Corsale, Dant Facet
oil and Tron-have died volen gdeaths or course, Son
sogno took up the question with his usual zeal and II
owing 70 the GasSettd di Mldno and the Gdzsetind
Plata that the facts Of that "Borgno scandal" as Car
ibald calls IL were made known. The events occurred
In 1867, but only month before Sonsogno's murder
was Lobbia fully acquitted In 1865 Sonsogno
elected member OF Parliament Then his enemies
Aal