Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-10-27
TIE MURDER OF THE CESCi.

uH M mDADLR NE lhE GENOls .
B In Rome, in the middle of the
sixteenth century, a wealthy rufian,
francesca Cencia, after having
committed every species of crime
and debauchery, consummated his
vilIainy by the ruin of his own
daughter, Beatrice, a lovely girl, too
young TO know the nature of her
sin. His second wife, Lucretia Pc
troni, hearing his enormity, con-
suited with Beatrice and her broth
ers to take their father's.life. The
young men entered into her plot
and secured for the females the scr-
vices Of two assassins. On the
appointed evening Lucretia drug
ged her husbands cup and sent the
murderers to execute their purpose,
but they, being seized with remorse,
returned, when Beatrice loftily an
nounced her intention of perform
ing the deed herself. The murder.
erS, rebuked, followed her to the
chamber, and, while she keptwatch
drove two nails into Francesco's
body, one through his temples and
the other through his neck.
They then received their prom
ised reward, and the two women
alone dragged the nails from the
body, wraT ped it in a sheet, carried
it to the terrace and threw it over
the wall into the grove below, where
it was found the next morning. No
suspicion of his real fate occurred
at the time; it was supposed he
had fallen over the terrace, and his
body was inferred. Suspicion was
first aroused, We are told, by the
evidence Of a washerwoman, who
deposed that Beatrice had given her
a bloody sheet. As many of the
parties presumed TO be implicated
were taken as could be found, and
all were put to the torture. Mario,
one OF the murderers, confessed to
some such facts as we have given
above, and then, says his narrative,
he was confronted with Beatrice,
Lucretia and two Of the murdered
mans sons, who steadiastly denied
all knowledge Of the assassin. Eea-
trice in particular demanded to be
FIRST confronted with the witness,
and then denounced, with so much
calmness and dignity the falsehood
of his evidence, that he, feeling her
to be more dear to him than ever,
resolved, if he could not live for
her. at least to save her by his death.
lie therefore rccanted, asserted
Chat what he had before stated was
untrue, for which he sought par
don of God and Beatrice. Neither
threats nor tortures were hence
forth available, and he died reso-
lutte in his denial under the most
frightful tortures. The Roman
tribunals bad but one mode Of OBJ
tanning evidence or confession, and
that was now employed against the
accused. Three kinds Of torture
were at that time in vogue, The
mildest was the amounting the soles
of the feet with oil, and then plac.
ing them before . large fire until
they we're roasted. The next was
the total deprivation of sleep by
placing the victim erect in a frame,
aud continually exciting his senses.
This torture few were ever known
ultimately to resist The last and
most agonizing form was the rope
and pulley. The sufferer was sns
pended in the air by a strong core
attached to his wrists, and after re-
naming some time thus, was sud
denly let Gall with Q jerk to withir
short distance of the ground, tht
hight Of the fall being regulated b,
the intensity Of the torture intend
ed to be inflicted. 70 increase tht
pain heavy weights were sometime
suspended to the victims feet.
This process, we are informed
was rarely or never known to fail
that isto say, the excruciatingagon
drew from the sufferers some &C
acknowledgement which the exam
iners considered satisfactory. L.
this last kind of torture Beatric
aud her two brothers, with Lucre
tia, were subjected. The last three