The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-03-07


coli, and His Subsequent Adventures.
During the early part of the reign o
the Empress Maria Theresa, OF Austria
the Chevalier Littro Verena di Buscoli
a young man of twenty-four, was al
atttache of the Venetian Embassy a
Vienna.
The chavalier was remarkably hand
some man, and soon after his arrival il
the Austrian capital he became notorious
for the recklessness with which he EN-
barked in love affairs with young womer
in all stations in life. He made no secre
of his scandalous liasons, and would fire.
uuently boast Of the number of innocent
girls he had seduCed and had then aban'
doned for fresh victims Of his libidinouf
passions.
Asa natural consequence ofhis conduct
as a rake, he was involved in numerous
difficulties.
He was challenged to fight several duelt
but, being dead shot, and q splendid
Bwordsman, he never received as much
as a scratch on the so-Called field of hon
or, but, on the contrary, inflicted invari'
ably severe punishment upon his antag'
onists.
On several occasions, too, exasperated
lovers, whose inamoratas the gay and un'
scrupulous chevalier had decoyed from
the path of virtue, attacked him with
clubs and canes but he was powerful
man, and here, too, managed to avoid de-
served punishment.
One day, 1854, he made disgraCeful
proposition to the beautiful young wife
of Prince Kaunitz at Court masquerade
in Schoenbruu. The insulted lady i'm
mediately hastened to the Empress Maria
Theresa, and informed her of what had
occurred.
The Empress, very impulsive wo-
man, sent for the Chevalier Buscoli,
and, with eyes flashing with rage, said to
him:
"Cowardly villain, leave my territory
this very night or l will have you shut
up in the Spelberg."
The Spielberg contained the terrible
Bubterranean dungeons in which, in for
mer times, the monarChs of Austria con-
fined those who were unfortunate enough
to incur their anger.
Nothing remained for the Chevalier
Buscoli but to comply at once with the
Imperial order but before he left Vienna
he went to the Cercle des Etrangers, and
there, in the presence of few fast young
men belonging to the foreign Legations,
said scornfully;
MADAME Maria Theresa has shown
her bad manners toward me for asking
the Princess Kaunitz to let me kiss her
shoulder. Now, gentlemen, remember
the oath l will take now. Before many
days will return to Vienna and
KISS THE EMPRESS
Herself until she howls for mercy"
An hour afterward he departed for We.
nice. Next day the audaCious words he
had uttered at the Cercle des Etrangers
were repeated to the Empress. The in
dignation of Maria Theresa knew no
bounds, She sent for the ambassador
of Venice, and said to him in tone of
intense indignation
"Tell your Government that | will re-
sent this infamous affront, which one
of its representatives has inflicted upon
me-"
The ambassador Immediately dispatch
ed mounted messenger to Venice TO lay
the matter before his Government. The
messenger reached that place even before
the Chevalier BusColi arrived.
The neWs which he conveyed was In
the highest degree disagreeable to the
Venetian authorities, for at that very
time they were most anxious to secure
the friendship of the Empress of Austria
and 30 they resolved at once to inttlct
signal punishment upon the Chevalier
Buscoli, 1t was then the custom of the
Venetian Government to subject danger.
our State prisoners to unheard-of moral
tortures, compelling the unfortunate man
to ask for a speedy execution as the best
means of escaping from fate worse than
a painful death.
In midsum mer prisoners thus doomed
by this infamous and cruel Government
which practiced its barbarlties until Ma
poleon l. overthrow it in 1897, were con-
fined in the so-Called
LEAD CHAMBERS,
That is to say, small, low cells under the
lead d.covered roof of st. Marks Palace.
When the southern sun shone upon these
'lead chambers" the heat in them be-
came absolutely intolerable, there being
no ventilation whatever, and the tortur-
ed victims became delirious, and in many
instances went mad
During the winter, prisoners, whose
death had been resolved upon, were
placed in large and well.lighted Cells,but
one of whose side walls was movable.
The iailers would push this wall every
night few inches forward. The prison.
er would soon discover that the space in
which he was confined was steadily mar
rowing.
The terror and anguish of the poor
devils may be imagined. Only once
day would they see through an aperture
in the iron Cell.door the keeper who
brought them their scanty meals.
The keeper would converse with them
readily, as soon as he had reason to be-
lieve that the prisoners had fully realiz'
ed the awful position in which they were
placed. He would tell the doomed men
that they could not escape death, and
that the most painless was by the cord"
But the "cord'' would only be granted
them by the honorable Grand Council of
the Republic as special favor, and only
at their own written request. Would
they like to see the Honorable SeCretaire
for that purposeP
It is matter of record that not a few
of the wretches, maddened and despair
ing as they were, followed the keepers
advice, and sent for the SecretaiIe, who
drew up for them a petition, in which
they assured the Grand Council that they
deserved death for their
HIGH CRIMES,
And penitently solicited their own spec.
dy execution. This petition they signed
:. I L, n faup boura affarward thew were