The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-04-22

only in brigh Roman scudi for outrageous
conduct
Money answered well enough till Sixtus
was really in the Vatican and then the sat
anic count, for satanic he really was, explat-
ed few OF his crimes in dirty prison.
The new Pope was man bent on bust
ness, especially when it concerned the set
Ting with such men as Count Cenci, the
millionaire. Many of the mobiles of Rome
in his day, and, perhaps, Count Ccnci
among them, were in regular league with
bandits and murdercrs, who made life in
the Campagna terribly precarious. They
! pushed even to the gates Of the city, at
times, and assumed almost the character
of an invading army. But the Pope did
not fear them. nor their supporters in Rome
either. He hung them thirty at a time, it
is said on the great bridge over the Tiber,
and in sight Of St Peter. II was a pretty
custom Of his we read, to invite some of the
noble barons whe had dine,l with him to
walk on his house top, after dinner; and
while there, to affect ar-sightedncss, and
beg them to tell him what those nreadfully
curious things were, hanging from their
windows of their houses, across the way.
The mobiles gazcd, and doubtless felt a
thrill OF terror, at seeing the bodies Of some
of their bandit followers, whom the Pope
| had had strangled and hung out at their
masters windows during the dinner
The treatment Though heroic, is believed
| to have been most etficacious There were
sad times in Rome, but the city was GER
tainly blessed with bold ruler.
Count Cenci, after the death of his first
wife, must have been possessed literally OF
the devil. Two dreadful IDEAS seemed to
master him-the death o. his sons, and ut
ter shame of his daughters. Three of his
sons he sent off to Spain. ostensibly TO have
them study, but in reality as the sequel
proved, to let them starye to death IN a
strange land To his utter establishment,
! however, they appeared one morning, on
! foot, at the palace gate. in rags, begging for
bread, and for money to pay their debts In
Spain. All was refused; the Count neither
saw nor heard them.
They went to the Pope, and petitioned
for reliet and redress BY this time the
Count had got himself into prison again en-
account of a dreadful crime The Pope
heard the petition of the boys, and COM
PEELED Count Cenci to furnish them money
and to pay their debts This was in 1880.
In a few weeks Ccnci was ont of prison ;
and now commenced scenes within the
walls of his palace. compared with which
his former base conduct was mere trifilng.
The action of the boys, in going to the
Pope, had terribly cnragcd the old man.
In 1893 he married again; this time with
Lucrezia Petronia, a widow of thirty-eight
But matrimony repeated had no effect in
tanning the Counts dreadful character; as
Carlyle would say, bad went to worse, and
worse to the unspeakablc." Concubines and
mistresscs were kept in his house, in the
very presence Of his wife and childen.
Shortly two of the boys whom he had at
tempted to starve in Spain; and who had
reported him to the Pope, were murdered,
not by the Counts own hands, truly, but
more than probably under his direct orders.
He would not even furnish money to pay
| for their funerals, but exclaimed that he
would thank God, and hold feast, were
all his sons dead and buried. This much
as an introduction to thc man whom Beat
rice afterwards killed.
The Counts next effort, in the way Of
| crime, was IN attempt to dlshonor ms ED
est daughter Antonio, But Antonio also
fed to the pope for help, as had her two
murdered brothers. Her petition resulted
in some sort of an arrangement, by which,
instead OF rcturning to her fathers roof, she
was married to a nobcman who was living
in Florence. The Count was ordered 10 hit
her out with rich bridal gift, all Of which
cmbttercd hun the more against the re-
naming members of his family
Antonio was gone; and now began the
first act of the Sorrowtul tragedy OF Beat
age, and reported to be the iaircst girl IN
Rome To her the Count now turned his
ustful eyes He approached her with per
suasions, then with threats. Fearing that
she, two, might hasten to the pope, as his
other children had done, he locked her up
in room of his palace. No one saw her
except himself He brought her food
to her cell with hls own hands, and pro.
cecdcd, day by day, with his propositions
| vi SlldlH' 'lNul anu hplN
have sprung from the elicit loves Of father
and daughter" he was wont to tell her.
Nothing prevailed; threats, injuries, beat
ings, cven He was determined to bend
her spirit or Kill her Three years she re
NAMED his prisoners, and then, broken
hearted and in sorrow, she called on her
stcpmothcr for advice and help 1t was de.
tcrmincd to lay the story Of the whole
scandal secretly before the Pope, and Bca
tricc's brother, Giacomo was intrustcd with
the business. lie made the effort, but it is
not known that the written story ever
reached the Popc's ears. One Of his secre
tarics, il is believed, saw it, but it went no
further, and it Is too probable the Counts
gold had pigeon holcd" the girls suppl
cation. Her miserics continued She was
still prisoner, and her own father
WAS the keeper of her dungeon, Hope
at last was lost in the hearts Of the daught-
or and wife Despair, and despair only,
was left them. Despair feeds on despera
ton, and the only road out of Bcatricc's
misery and shame led over her fathers
grave. The second great act Of the trag-
cdy of Beatrice Ccnci had commenced.
L Tho o;otnr tha h,,thor thn