The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-24

lSS, NldCOulO
And you are RafaelP
YES"
II have heard your brother speak Of you,
and think now remember having seen
yourself. | was but a boy at the time
only 10. You left Seville shortly after, as
did l. went to Madrid, and l suppose you
came to Italy"
The old sergeant was greatly pleased;
and, further, he restored to Zanoni his
rapier, having first obtained promise that
II should not be used against peace and good
order. The fact was, not only Batista, but
another of the guardsmen present. had
witnessed er.ugh of the late conflict to know
that the Count had been the aggre Ssor, and
that the painter had done all he could to
avoid the conflict.
The result was fortunate for our hero;
audit impressed him as favorable augury
His rapier had been restored to him before
they had reached the main portion Of the
city; SO he was permitted to walk along
with the sergeant, in a seemingly friendly
manner, andno one who saw them could
have suspected that the handsome-faced
gentleman, with the golden-sheathed rapier,
walking along so pleasantly with the old
guardsman, was prisoner.
The prison of the malefactors," as Stef-
fano had called it, was really the only prison
of consequence in the city There were two
was the only proper prison house. 1t was
near the ducal palace and hall of justice,
one Of its granite walls, pierced by a multi
tude of iron-grated loopholes, or embra-
sures-they could hardly be called windows
overlooking the river, the channel wash
ing its foundation. ~' ".@ "".'
And here another benefit resulted to the
prisoner from his curious comparison of
notes with the old sergeant The officer, in
FRS rSta him RI thab ~
told the story OF the arrest in as favorable
a light as possible. The truth was, Rafael
Batista despised the Marquis Steffano, as
did a majority of the city guard. He
had been for several years as thorn in the
flesh to them. His drunken escapades had
been many, and but short time between
them; and many a consummate rascal had
they been forcedto surrender at his dicta-
ton. He had no official authority, but they
dared not offend him. A certain event
they had not forgotten. 1t was the follow
ing:
On certain night, little more than two
years ago, Stetfano was on the Grand
Piazza, in company with half dozen COM
panions, all of them riotously intoxicated.
They had torn down several signs over the
doors and windows of respectable artisans
and tradeSmen; had broken the windows of
dwelling houses, and had finally gathered
began pelting it with paving stones and balls
of mud from the cutters. The guardsmen
on duty on the piazza had warned them re-
peatedly, but without effect. When the desc
Grafton of the beautiful statue, began
however, they could endure no more, and
interfered by force.
Two of the officers took the Marquis in
hand and carried him home. Two other
| young mobiles were also carried to their
hnnaS fbraa of tho bar hoiner of
wealthy merchants, were delivered over to
| the captain in charge at headquarters,
| where they were kept until morning and
| then suffered to depart with severe repri-
| mand.
On the following day an officer of the
| force-Philip Salvio-entered complaint
| and full information of the nights debauch
| before the Duke, the result of which was
the administering of a public reprimand
| to the whole party, the Marquis coming in
| for the severest and most scathing part of
| it.
Three nights later Philip Salvio was
stabbed to the heart, in a narrow, dark
street, near the river, and his body thrown
into the current; but it was drawn out by
| another officer, a short distance further
| down the stream, and the spot where he had
been assassinated was discovered.
| 1t was known very well that MARQUIS
Steffano had done the cruel, cowardlY
| deed; but the one man who could have
! sworn to it dared not, and he went clear
clear of apprehension and punish
ment; but not clear from opprobrium and
| hatred.
At the prison, when Zanoni was delivered
| over to the keeper, the sergeant repeated
| the orders which he had received from the
| Marquis, but there was no formal order of
committal, nor had there been any order
for the arrest; so the painter upon giving
his word that he would not try to escape,
was conducted to an apartment In the suite
| Of the keeper, well and comfortably fur
nished, besides being of goodly size and
| clean and airy. In fact, it was a chamber
| where the officer might have placed one
| of bis visiting friends. The only approach
| to prison look about it was that upon
| lifting the silken curtains of the windo VS. a
| light but firm network of iron appeared
beneath them. And here supper was
brought in and here the prisoner was to
| pass the night.
| And what were his feelingss He knew
the law; and the law said, he must die |
| Not even the ducal power could save or re-
prieve him. The killing of a noble by
plebeian was a deed to be punished with
death-no more; no less And when he re-
membered the testimony which Steffano
would give against him, his last hope of
| living died out. Could the Duke have pos
sessed the power of pardon, as kings and
emperors did, he might have had a hope
| but such was not the case In fact, the
rulings of the council, with the chief
| justices at it head, were as far beyond the
power of the Duke to change or modify as
was his power beyond that of his lowest
| mental.
OF Zanoni's thoughts of Isabel we can well
Judge. They were sacred-holy-an with
| them we will leave him for the night.
Meantime, Marquis Steffano had not been
idle. 1t was his plan that the Duke
should remain as long in ignorance of what
had occurred as possible. On his arrival
in the city he went at once to the office
| of the council, where he was sure Of find
| ing some of the members, they usually
having business that kept them into the
evening.
This council, called 1.-THE Council Of
| Twenty" sat in secret when they chose so to
| do. It was, in fact, a secret tribunal, and.
| like its prototype the Council of Ten of
| Venice, was an absolute power, responsible
to nobody; its DEGREES beyond recall or dis
pute, its Justice knowing but little Of the
temper of mercy.
Baron Alonzo Dodero was president of
! the council and chief justice of lis court.
He was fully three score-a large, heavily
| framed man, stern and uncompromising,
with a firm faith, not only in the divine
right of kings, but in the divine right Of the
nobility as well. He scarcely believed in
the right of the plebeian class which the
| a.+r;cian ordar were hound To regpect