The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-08
Annihilated-A Huge Homeric LoyeFeast
or Barbecue Follows Reconciliation.

W06re
find manners and customs not only going back to
medieval times and the days when the Saraceus
held the fortresses and the court cities, but
should behold in remote districts the Gus
toms and the costumes of the centuries OF the
Roman empire and before it of the days of the
Roman republic. And far anterior to the Ro-
mans were forces which shaped much that may
be found in the language and in the outward
life of the Sa rdinan shepherd and peasant of the
nineteenth century The Greeks before the Trojan
settled in some parts of the islands; fleeing
citizens of Troy located" in other parts HOO b.
c., while another portion still was 'pre-e mpted"
by the Iberians-those early Spaniards before
Greek and Carthagenian conquest Indeed,
Etruscan and other remote pre- historic peoples
were before the Greeks. Then those pushing
uecian race, the Carthagenians, in time. con
queredthe Greek, the Trojan and Iberian who
mad by this time simmered down into homo
geneous people with language and manners of
composite origin. Then came the Roman, the
fighter and the road builder, and Carthage was
deprived of her conquest, and Sardinia for near
iy eight centuries was roman. To the Roman
power succeeded that of the Lower Empire it
was called. In Charlenagne's time the island
was considered as belonging to the Western en-
pre- After this, as have already mentioned,
the Moors took possession of the island. Then
the Genoese and Pisans obtained possession of
Sardinia and held on to it until James II, the
twho had ousted the Genoese), and from 1897 it
belonged either to the house of Aragon or to
that of Spain, until TIA, when by the treaty of
Rastadt it became portion of the Austrian
empire. In 1920 Austria coded the island to
Victor Amedeus III. the Duke of Savoy, whose
title (1720l then became the first king of Sar-
DINA" Victor Amedeus was the first King of
the house, of which Victor Emmanuel was the
last King, because the kingdom of Sardinia
composed of the duchy of Savoy, of Piedmont
Montferrat, the province of Nice, the marquis
ite of Saiuz the duchy of Genoa and part
Mianais), was in 1860 merged in the kingdom of
United Italy with Victor Emmanuel the first
King
So much for history. The original n ame given
by the Greeks was ''Schnusa," or 'eSandaliotis,"
because the island somewhat resembled san
dal or a foot In time however 1t derived its
name from the abundance in the neiehboring
seas of the delicate little fish which we know as
''sardines." Sardinia in its size is nearly
long by sixty broad. 1t is situated lis miles
fro m the Italian coast. and two lines Of steam
ships run twice week to Cagliari tpro-
nounced kyle-ya-ree) on the south. and
Portotorres the north. These two
cities connected by q railroad ia miles long,
ard there are altogether on the island 278 miles
of railway. 1t is isand exceedingly fertile
and productive although agriculture is
Quoted on the most primitive manner. Its min
eral resources were we'll known to the ancients.
All over the island old Roman mines are found,
which were we'll worked by condemned GRIM
mails. Iron, lead, copper, bituminous and
thracite coal. splendid marbles, fine basalt tthe
origin of which can be easily traced to the sixty
extinct volcances) and precious stones, like the
amethyst, the sardonyx and others. 1t has one
city of 10000, another of 49, 900 and many large
towns The whole population is about zoe, coo,
which will at once show that it is sparse. In
deed, the people scattered in many small
villages and hamlets far apart and goodly
number of the inhabitants are devoted to pas
toral pursuits Some of this shepherd and goat
herd class have been known to vary their
monotonous life by taking turn at brigandage
STILL doubt not, there are q great many good
people with primitive ways; and believe that
while progress has been slow, yet there is
progress. Before United Italy was a ''fxed
fact, but five people in thousand could read
and write In 1885 the British and Foreign
Bible Society, through their colporteur, John
Thomas, Welshman, sold no less than lS2 BIZ
bes, 523 New Testaments and 2,037 portions
OF the Scripture. Grimes frequently
very numerous. and for the most
ally vengeance) on account of family
feuds. Sixty years ago from this circumstance
the island must have been in friehtful condi-
ton for the statistics showed that for every
40 inhabitants one was annually murdered. At
that time it was said that Sandman mothers
would actually show to their sons, still young
and tender, the bloody shirt of their assassinated
father, in order to work upon their feelings and
excite them to vengeance. Fifty years ago it
was told of Sandman who had sworn ven
geance man, that for seven long years he
spent certain number of hours every day under
a tree watching for his enemy, and at the end
of that time he killed his man. You Sar-
DINA was good deal like some of the counties
Sardinia has certainly improved, but from
time to time the newspapers have told of the
old 'vendettas' cropping up. Recently one of
the greatest family feuds has been pacfcated,
and unlike anything in our country, so
Homeric and SO curious in every detail that if
written out in book form 1t would form interest
ing and instructive reading. This is what refer |
TO in the opening sentence OF this letter. Re- |
member that the thing am about to describe |
eliminated in great love feast mot in the |
Methodist meaning of the word. but in the real |
Apanp1 tan davc
ago. Now for the facts:
In the northeastern part of Sardinia and not |
many miles from Garibaldis island of Caprera |
are the towns of Orune and Bitti, il the prov |
ince of MORO, where took place. only ten days |
ago. the final act OF the pacihcation of |
lies. and which Vendetta or feud. had |
bean kept mp for many years This feud |
had actually divided the populations of Orune
81 length, through arguments. persuasions. aud
good offices OF priests. civilians and the military,
the stiletto. the cutlass the brigand blunder-
buss and the revolver have ceased their bloody
work, and now all is as quiet on the shores and
in the mountains of MORO as the condition OF
things on the banks Of the Potomac was under
the command of Mcclellan. Last Monday week
the 9Th of December). the pacfcaton culmin-
ated in a feast whose proportions were truly
Homeric. The party that sat down to this ex-
traordinary dinner between 600 and 700
people, formerly foes. who that day appeared
from the towns of Orune and Bitti with their
banners. entered the church. listened to mass
and then to q honily by the Bishop OF MORO.
and finally, amid the greatest soeHnity, mu-
tually swore never more to bear arms against
their neignbors whom they and their ancestors
aad mutually hated for generations. l. was a
grand and solemn occasion. whose Importance
you, at the distance OF 1000 miles, can hardly
estimate But there is one thing that thousands
If Journal readers estimate--that is the
oigness OF the dinner. Here is what actually
prepared, cooked. eaten and drunk by the $50
'nce fsrocious ensmies at this happy pacifca-
ion feast viz: Twelve beeves, calves 40
arge hogs, 60 sucking pigs, 500 pounds Of mac
.aroni, 650 loaves of bread 100 pounds of fruit.
large quantity Of cake ard 2.024 pints OF
wine | ought say that there were 200 or moro
invited guests.
The three families and their large number or
.amifcations who had kept up the vendetta Tor
were the Burial. the Mundanu and
he Marras- Bellu. To bring about this great
iesidarafnrn of reconciliation work OF |