Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-14
A REPLY TO "CATHOLIC."
Another Version of the Incident
Referred to i'm our Sunday
Column.

COluilH.
Correspondence of the Register
WHEELING, October Is, 1879.
With your correspondent "CathOlic"
| am pleased with your column for
Sunday readers. | am not so well
pleased with his extract from the
CuhOlic Mirror, as it does not reflect the
facts i'm the ease to which it refers. In the
.Mihodia Record Of the Goth ult is the
letter of the correspondent OF thr Daily
.Ne,rS at Rome containing the particulars
OF a disgraceful act of priestly tyranny,
which had Just occurred in that city.
He saws: "FOr some years there
lived at No. IL of the Via Guilla, one
Giovanni Franceshi, convert and a
very devOut convert To the Prestestant
faith. A few days ago he was attacked
by a severe illness, and he telegraphed
10 tine Rev. Giovanni Ribetti, the Wal
densian pastor, then residing in Piner-
olo, to come and sooth his last
moments. NJ. Ribetti at once
obeyed his summons and within a
few minutes after his arrival in Rome
he was at Franceschi's bedside.
Franceshi then narrated to him the per
secution to which he was daily subject
ed by his wife and q (Romanl Catholic
dignitary, who lived in the same house,
10 make him abjure the religion OF his
choice. NJ. Ribetti, however, took no
immediate steps in the matter till the
morning of the 18th, when the poor in
firm Franceshi To gain a little peace
promised to lend willing ear TO the
miniStratiOns OF the ROmish dignitary
aforesaid. NJ. Ribeiti and two PrOtes-
tant friends then happened to come to
Franc eschi, and in the course OF CONVEX
satiOn received from him full account
OF what he had suffered and what he had
promised, and also reiterated asSur-
anCe that it was his one desire to live
and die i'm the Protestant faith. NJ.
Ribetti and his friends then proceeded
10 hold brief service in the room, when
in burst Franccschi's wife, and loading
them with abusive epithets forced them
to leave the room. VI. Ribetti con.
WINGED bv this of the pressure applied 10
his parishiOner in unieeling disregard
of the poor mans helpless state
called ut the police office at the
Prefecture, and finally at the Home Of
flee, to get the law to interpOSe between
Franceshi and his prosecutors. He
found no satisfaction at any OF these
quarters, but was advised by the Com
mendatore Bolis, the Questor, To get a
written declaration from FranCeshi that
ne wished To die a Protestant. Ii, after
such declaration, the persecution con-
tinued, then, said SignOr BOliS, the au-
thorities could intervene Franceschi,
On. being told this, lost no time in COM
hitting his declaration to writing, al
though his wife and ROmiShally did
their utmost 10 prevent him. On the
day Immediately following, Mr.. Ribetti
repeated his visits in compliance on
each occasion with q written invitation
from Franceschi himself. On the morn
inc of the l4th Mr.. Ribetti received
more than usually urgent miSSivc re-
quiring him 10 come Immediately To the
sick mans bedside, and, repairing hith-
or, he learned from DIR. BattiStini, the
physician, that Franceschi's end was
nigh, that in fact he was mOribund.
Having had occasion to leave for an
hour or So, VI. Ribetti returned. only,
however, To find the house full of men,
women and children, who kept mp quite
a hubbub of talking and gesticulating,
regardless of the diving man. Be
side the pillow stood Il priest who
at the moment NJ. Ribetti entered, APP
preached him in a menacing manner
and dared him To come near the bed,
declaring that Francesca had retracted
and returned to his ancestral faith.
With that he tried 10 force Nj. Rlhettl
out of the room, notwithstanding the
scarcely audible eNpoStulationS of the
diving man, who shook his head and
muttcred ieebly i'm denial of the priests
assurance that he had adjured PrOteS-
tautSm. w. Rhetti protested against
this violence, and diSengaging himself
from the priest, he planted himself
firmly by Franeeschi ; bedside. At that
moment one of the guardians OF public
security arrived 10 reinforce the priest,
AMI they both succeeded in thruSting
the Evangelical pastor ont of his parish
Ioner's room. NJ. RibettI, of course, at
once applied To the QueStura, then to
the Prefecture, and, finally, To the
'Statia of Public Security of the district.
All in vain, however. the victory rested
with the priest and his civil auxiliaries.
The CdpitaiS. in publishing the particu-
lars, remarks:
1--WE say nothing to characterize an
occurrence like this, unworthy rs it is
OF a civilized community. Shameful is
the league between the priest and the
guardians of public security against
freedom OF conscience and the respect
due TO the dying"
trust YOU will publish the above ex-
tract in your valuable paper ut an early
date. PROTESTANT.