, 1879-02-04


Fsn Nail 9asstf<.
RoNE, Jan. AIN littte village away up Ia
the Province Of Udine, on tho borders OF Italia
Irredenta, thcro Is q great Alarm aud commo-
tion; for the TounR girls OF the place, one after
smother, ara showing outward and visible signs
Of being possessed By dcrli. According
to all accounts, there arc now about
thirty Jo'ang women In this unhappy condition.
Why the evil one should have selected 20 oh
scute = village for his operations does not secm
him, but o. the prtests. Inquiries mnde by tho
authorities have elected tho fact that in Lent
last year series Of discourses was delivered
By priest, In which 10 described II great length
and with much detail The pains Of Hell, thereby
terrifying weak young women that they were A.
ready lost and that the Devil had entered Into
them. The priests, who At first rere rather
pleased with the Impression iher brother adc,
bave since found that though they bad rafled thu
water produced no effect, the most searching
exorctsms fatt, aud even such practical measures
% beating the person Affected bare been found
uaelesa
While the ,t Of madness Is on the F." possessed II
crow like cocks, or mcw like cats, or bark and
bowl like dogs nnh wolves, Whist IL worse, they
shock their neiRhbors by b1asphcmous AHt1 OBJ
scene Language. being especially violent aCaiost
the prtctts, cu1Alng them for their Inability 10
rclie7c their suffering by casting out the devil.
Tile Project Of The province has sent commits
sion to Ferzcgns, the nAmo OF the village, to
acc what can BE- dons TO stop the progress OF
thls mni!ncss: Tor. by force OF example md ter.
ror, II threatens 10 spread. The people Of tho
district cannot bc persuaded but that tho devil
Is really Il largo among them.
4 curious incident Of Tic same kind was re-
lated to me- a low months ago br friend who
had heard It froul tic lpa OF ono Of the doctors
at tho funatic asylum at SIena- At Sena thera
IA ., vcry. large as5lum in proportion to the
number Of lnhabltante, but i Is nearly always
fFtqI 4N1Ft fkA d. 49,
formerly servant % ! priest In The town, and
had been remarkable for hls piesy and devotion.
A ysar OF two ago he began to show signs ot
religious mania, ind his master, In hope Of cur
Of ar and scene. The man appeared to
get botter, and after some months returned
to the 'sown, bot the mania soon began to show
itself aRain, Ae Ind IN idea that ho was =
VAS resolved u place him tn the asylum. Two
attendants Hesc sent With d cnrrln4e to remove
him; and, To got him away quietly, he was told
that he rAs to otidc!atc Ut religious function.
A. he was drlsug through the streets ha blesaed
the people, and, on nearing the asylum, he CT
pressed Wish 10 70 In and bless - tho poor mad
people," and 10 was taken In. It was easy to
persuade him Tint the patients were bis flock,
aud be used to preach to them and to assist the
keepers in mauy little ways; md 80, being gcu.
tls and harmless, he became q great favorltc.
Among bis flock was very violent iunRtfc, who
constantly uaed lsnguaRs 50 tlasphemous and
dtaXusttng That It shocked tic Keepers, and even
the otfisI patients; and 10 this nsn ho specially
devoted his attention, trying to rcaAon with
him md bring him To calmor sinte, but always
ID vain.
une day, without any warning, he felt on tho
bfasphcmcr aud stsauglcd him; telling the
keepers that tho mau was possessed with tho
devil, that he bud long tried to cast him out
but In vain, and so, as the possessed creature
was too wicked to llve, be hAd killed him. But
now 1t aeemed a II the spirit Of the dead man
had fnkEr&d tnt1 tfA mHeftnrhf. Rnt1111n
forgotten, and IT, p'ace was taken By I'll the
Vicious paasfons Of his victim. The most blaa-
pnemoas language continually issued from lips
that hitherto haa been purs OF evil speaking;
which had chAtnetarixed tls man 10 had killed;
and, from being the most traetable OF patients,
be has now become on OF the most dangerous,
and the one Of whom tho keepers arc most IN
fear. They all firmly believe that tue ovtl sptrtt
cast out Of the murdered mAn actually did enter
jntQ the body Of The inurItettr.