Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02
A FLORENTINE TRAGEDY.
A Startling Tale of Jealousy, Passion
and Revenge.

Florence Letter in London Times
murder Of such romantic interest and such
terrible consequences took place in Florence
on the 18th of December that some account of
ct can scarcely be deemed without interest even
for English readers. Tragedies as startling
and as CHASTITY often occur all over Italy from
the master-passon of jealous and baffled love,
but their scenes are usually in more humble
and less cultured sphere of human life. In
this instance the victim is a patrician lady Of
great beauty, of large wealth and of honorable
name, the Countess Costa, of Verona, and the
scene Of the murder was the cemetery chapel
where her husband was buried four years ago.
The countess, a woman still attractive and lovely,
with tall and graceful figure, delicate feat
ures, brown eyes and chestnut hair, was left a
widow with four children and a considerable
fortune, admired and respected by all, and
singularly happy in the circumstances of her
life. Her landau, with her handsome children
and her favOrite little dog was a familiar feat
ure in the drives of the Cascine.
An Italian officer, Gaetano Boscherini, who
was among the dn.is DE- Ia n,disOn at the Casa
Costa and who is believed to have been pas
sionately in love with her before his departure
for Massowah, on his return from Africa re-
sumed his familiar intercourse with the family,
and was consulted and employed by them in
various matters of business. Latterly, how
ever, he became dissatisfied with this position
OF trust and friendship and made her re-
peated proposals of marriage, which the
countess refused, but refused in such a manner
as to leave friendship still possible between
them. 1t is always said to be perilous task
to change lover into friend, but she evil
IDENTIFY believed that it was possible to retain a
Trend without allowing him to become
lover. For although she persistently repulsed
the idea OF a second marriage she continued to
receive Boscherini as before, and on the 18th
OF December, when he offered to accompany
her to the chapel of San Miniato on the visit
to her husbands tomb, which she was wont to
pay every month, she allowed him to do so,
telling her children that she would meet them
later on at Giucosa's bon-bon shop.
While the poor children waited there, happily
chattering Of the coming Natalie presents and
festivities, their mother was assassinated by
Boscherini in the mortuary chapel at San Min
iato. The brute stabbed her with knife-one
thrust dividing the heart itself. another passing
from the jugular vein on the left to the carotid
artery on the right. He then shot himself with
revolver, blowing to pieces his face and head.
That this frightful murder was premeditated is
of course evident from the weapons employed.
Whether the cause was the mere brutality of
disappointed passion, or whether the desire to
obtain possession of her wealth had been added
to admiration Of her person, or whether ancient
jealousy of the husband whose memory she
cherished or present jealousy of some more
favored sutton drove the fend who killed her
to his horrible vengeance will in all probability
never be known Seldom has more atrocious
crime been imagined.
The scene of the murder, the high hill which
Michael Angelo, called his bella uila,.elld and
where the legends of the saints place the mar
tyrdom of st. Minias, whom the panther spared,
the glorious sylvan beauty around. where the
last golden foliage of autumn still fingers among
the deep green of ivy and arbutus and cypress
the brilliant sunshine which fell that day on
the white marbles, the glittering crosses, the
many colored mosaics the old brown watch
tower Of Michael Angelo brooding over all,
with the white doves circling round it, down
ant of their loss, laughing and talking. full of
the merriment of the season. wondering heed
lessly why their mother tarried so long-all
these circumstances and accessories enhance
an exceptionally tragic tale of passion and re-
venge.