Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-05-20

was as good as his word. In few min
utes he had Beatrice writhing in agony.
She hung before him, by the wrists,
between the floor and ceiling. "Will
you confess?r he growled at her
"Neverw She is suddenly dropped the
full length of the rope without touch
ing the floor, and again dropped, and
again jerked up. Still innocent. a man
of iron would die under the pain she is
enduring. Heavy weights are attached
to her feet, and she is again pulled aloit,
and swung backwards and Forwards
She is whipped on the naked feet. In
vain! Cold water, In stream, piercing,
maddening, is poured down her bare
back, and sill in vain. Beatrice will not
confess. Very well. There is still u
method, concludes the beast. Anteo
will put her ON the wheel that killed
Mario. But first he will try something
else. He will bring her mother and
brothers before her; possibly their tears
and prayers may affect her.
They are conducted into the awful
room. What spectacle! There, hang
ing before them, with weights at her
feet, and in the most dreadful agony, is
their daughter and sister Beatrice. The
sight was one Of horror.
"Beatrice Beatrice!" cried the ago
nized mother, "will You die in the tor
ture, and be damned? The deed is done,
and we must be punished, and only by
accepting justice meekly at the hands Of
men can we hope for peace in eternity"
Till this moment the girls soul had
been steeled to suffer the pains of the
damned rather than confess and bring
the name of murderer and parricide up
on the noble house of CenCi. But now
she cried from the midst of her agony
to her mother and brothers: care you
ready then to bring such shame upon
our house, and to suffer an ignominlous
death? 1t is an awful mistake, but, if
you will it, so let ii be. Let me down
then, will confess" she called to the
prosecuting judge. "All that is true, |
will admit. What is not, shall deny"
The judge let her down to the floor
and commenced a series of questions,
but she interrupted, crying; Enough,
enough; because my fate has so willed
it, viii, without further indirectness,
tell you all. My father tcTorized me,
long and frightfully, until | could no
longer bear it. He wished TO rob me of
my honor. lie treated me worse Than u
slave, and swore that, during his life
time, | should never marry. | sought
every means to free myself from my
desperate situation. | sent, with the
consent of Lucrezia, my stcpmother, for
she knew il all and suffered also, n mem
orial to the Pope. All was in vain.-
Then we concluded he must die, and |
had him killed by two men at the castle
Of Patrella, where we stopping"
This, reader, is the confession of the
unfortunate Beatrice Cenci. How many
of those who look at Guido's picture in
the Barberini palace, and call to mind
the life of this poor girl, this fair maid
of Rome, will not say that she was in a
measure juslifcd9 Did not Virginius
slay his own child rather than see her
dshonoredp And may not Il child, a
fairer than Virginia, slay her destroyer,
even though that destroyer be her fa-
ther9 I'll seems there was no other help
for Beatrice. Death, or dishonor thou
sandfold worse than death. Was there
Il choicep
Following, of course, upon this CON
fession crme the execution of Beatrice
and LuCreza. ...
ON THE WAY TO THE GALLows--TnE
FINAL ACT.
1t was seven In the morning when two
low cars stopped In front Of the prison,
where their two brothers, Glacomo and
Bernardo, were at sacrament. The
whole populotionof the city was In the
streets. The boy, who, like his brother,
was chained, was on the point Of kissing
the crucihx when he was Informed that
the Pope had spared his life. His chains
were knocked OIL, but he was put on one
Of the low cars to witness the tragedy
about to commence. Glacomo, wearing
n black mantle and hat, was conducted
to the other car. The procession now
started for the prison at Savella. In the
meantime Giacorno's mantle was remov-
ed, and his naked back exposed, while
the torturer, with red-hot tongs, mount
ed the car aud commenced pinchlng
away the fesll On each side Of the car
walked u number of holy monks, rcclt-
ing psalms and praying.
The procession reached Sayella prison,
and now the two women were brought
out, bound, aud hidden to march behind
the ear on which poor Glacomo was suf-
ferlng the most awful torment. Beatrice
had calmed herself, and, indeed, moved
all beholdcrs by the self-possesslon with
which she at last approached her fato.--
Lucrezla wept and groaned the entire
way to the scallold.
A small room had been built near to
the bridge, into which the party en-
tered on reaching tho scail0ld, The
day was intensely hot, aud every space
In sight Of the bridge was filled with
masses OF people. Bernardo was at
once taken up TO be seated on the
scnflold, but was no sooner In sight OF