Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-24
ROYALTY in italy.

THE RIGHT OF PETITION AND THE EXTENT TO
WHICH IT Is CARRIED.
From Naples Letter.
When royalty in Italy visits any part of the
Kingdom it must be an awful bore to receive so
many petitions, or S;tpplicdS, as they call them
from people who thrust them into the hands of
the attendants near the king or the queen 1t
is stated that no less than 5000 of such written
petitions were handed in during the two weeks
visit OF the king to Naples. 1t required the con-
slant labor OF two or more OF his suite to read
ana decide upon such requests as it would be
proper to lay before his majesty. Many OF
them came from persons whose families have
once been in better condition, and who are not
of the usual begging kind but who are too prOud
or too lazy to work. Others are from half luna
tics, some from Italian Micawbers and some few
Is made of many of these written requests as
the examiners are generally pretty well skilled
In seeing through the motives ofthe sender
But doubtless sometimes a really meritOrious
case Is not rightly Judged.
However that may be. one petition last week
proved by an accident to be exceedingly sue
cessftll, and as 1t forms n beautiful story of an
event which, as a general rule, we only read of
in books, but which really took place in our
streets, give 1t for your readers. On Thurs
DAY. the 2lst, as the queen was returning to
the royal palace from her afternoon drive on
the Via Carracciola, a poor man approached
the royal carriage to hand to the queen a SIP
plea. He took rather a novel mode Of doing
this. for he placed his petition in the hands Of
his clean little child pretty. blonde little girl
OF Two years. he ran up to the carriage. which
was whiriing swiftly along, having his child i'm
his arms, and while in the act of holding his
little one up To the queen, that the petition
might be taken from the tiny hand, he by pure
accident, as 1t turned out let the little Ir1ua
lor such was her nalne) drop into the carriage
1t was only for moment that the queen was
surprised the next, her mothcrly instinct arose
IN her heart. She took up the little one
kissed 1t and placed it on the lap of the
noble lady, her attendant, and when the child
began to cry. Papa, l want my papa,'
the beautiful Margherita did all she could to
console the little lrma. In the meantime the
rapid pace OF the horses, leaving the fat her be-
hind, brought the royal carriage to the palace
where the child was cared for The father cen.
Quoted by the police, was taken to the CHIEFS
Office and was there thoroughly examined II
was found that he had served his country as n
soldier FOR twelve years; that he had been really
unfortunate, and, with his large family had al
most been driven to despair. He had more
than once sought place policeman. He had
on the previous week handed in a petition TO
the KING, but had heard nothing more from II
He supplemented this with a telegraphic dis
patch, which cost his family the price of a din
ner, put which was no more successful than the
written petition, for all such things must 90
through the mill of the two attendants of the
King. whose special business it il to attend to
petltions. At length the idea presented itself
10 hun OF having his Sapplicd given to the queen
by the hand of his little Irma. But the happy
accident OF the chid's fall amidst the soft robes
OF the royal carriage did more than ANYTHING
else 10 call attention to q deserving man and
MS cause has been warmly taken up by the
queen.