St. Landry democrat., 1884-11-08
Dungeon Life.

brooch. 1t is encircled by twenty
precious stones, on ground of dark
blue enamel, covered in the center by
glass And what does this brooch con-
Jain? A portrait or a lock of hair?
No, only four common pins bent to-
gether in the form OF q star! And She
wears this in memory of her husband,
q Polish noblemaN, who was put into
prison because he was thought to be
u secret enemy to the Government. 1t
was a dark, deep dungeon, far down
under the ground. He had no one to
speak to, for nc one was allowed to see
him but the keeper of the prison, and
he, of course, was not permitted to con-
verse with his prisoner. Days, weeks,
months passed on, and he was still left
in his dungeon. He was most miserable,
and feared that he should lose his senses,
for his reason seemed to be giving way.
Oil if he had only some hope-some
one thing to relieve his misery. Feeling
all over his coat one day he found four
pins, and he actually wept for Joy; yet
what could four pins be to him? He
took them from his coat and threw them
down on the floor of his dungeon, and
then he went down on his hands and
knees and felt all over the floor till he
| found them again. When he had sue
| ceeded in this he scattered them again
on the floor, and could you have gone
into his dungeon you would have found
him cropping on his hands and knees
for his four pins. When, after six
years imprisonment, he was set free,
they still found him cropping in the dark
for his four pins. It was all his work.
Nor would he leave his prison without
taking his pins with him. They were
his best friends, because they had given
him something to do in his solitude and
confinement, and his Countess had made
them into brooch which she valued
more than gold. They had preserved
her husbands reason.
The following is one of the most af-
fecting records in existence. It is from
Count Gonfalonieri's account of his i'm
prtsonment IN the fortress of Spielberg,
above the town of Brunn, in Moravia,
for political offense in the reign of the
Emperor Francis of Austria, who died
in 1885. He was an Italian, and had
conspired to dispossess the Austrlans at
Milan II am an old man now, but by
fifteen years my soul is younger than
my body! Fifteen years existed (for
/ did not live, it was not lifel in the
self-same dungeon, ten feet square.
During six years [ had a companion;
during nine | was alone! never
rightly distinguished the face of him
who shared my captivity in the eternal
twilight of our cell. The first year we
talked necessarily together. We re-
lated our past lives, our joys forever
gone, over and over again. The next
year we communicated to each other
our thoughts and ideas on all subjects.
The third year we had no ideas to COM
municate-we were beginning to lose
the power of reflection. The fourth, at
the interval of month or so, we would
open our lips to ask each other if it
were indeed possible that the world
went on as gay and bustling as when
we formed portion of mankind. The
fifth, we were silent. The sixth, he
was taken away never knew where
to execution-to liberty-but | was
glad he was gone; even solitude were
better than that dim, vacant face.
After that was alone. Only one event
broke in upon my nine years misery.
One day--it must have been year or
two after my companion left me-the
dungeon door was opened and voice,
from whom proceeding know not, ut
tered these words: by order OF his
Imperial Majesty, / intimate to you
that your wife died year ago. Then
the door shut and [ heard no more.
They but flung this great agony in upon
me- and left mo alone with II -
The companion for six years with
Count Gontalonieri was Frenchman,
Count Andryane, who has since pub
lished some memoirs of his own life
G. Memories dun Prisonnier d'Etat,
par Comte Alexander Andryane.' He
mentions that Count Gonfalonieri was
liberated at the Emperor's death in
1885, and sent to the United States,
from whence he returned to Austria
There broken down by sorrow and Suf-
fering, he wandered about for few
years, and died at Urian, pied lie St.
Gothard. December, 1916. He wrote
to his friend, Count Andryane, from
New York: ''Qu'il etait CONNIE
Iombre dun trespasse, GRANT sur la
terre stranger aux joIes, aux agitations,
ct presque tout les interets de cette
vie" Count Andryane adds the touch
ing incident that tor a time Count Con
faloEieri was allowed to receive letters
from his wife, and when she was dying
she wrote several letters, dating them
at different future periods, that he
might, when delivered, think she
was still alive. This tender, loving
kindness was, however, cruelty frus-
trated by the sudden information of
her death, SO brutally conveyed by or
der of the Emperor. Poor men! he
was spared no single pang. It pleased
God to 'tvex him with all His storms. -