The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-11-06

FOR Sale In Bennington b.
into this square where they are fed
by the visitors, and have become very
tame.
The Venice canals always reminded
me of the story of the Western girl who
went there with her father, and on re-
turning told her friends that there was
a great inundation at the time she was
there just as they often had out West,
the streets were all under water, and
they had to go around IN boats; besides
she would not live in place ruled by
dogs anyway. We would have been glad
to stay long enough for the inun-
dation to subside, so as to see the
streets.
The Doges palace and the prison be-
yond, both facing the grand canal are
separated by narrow canal and con-
nected only by the Bridge of Sighs,"
which crosses this canal at the third
floor. On visiting these we found the
reality even worse than imagination had
painted them,as the headquarters of the
villianous inquisitors known as the
Council of Ten" who once held court
there. The common people had plain
staircase by which they entered the
|
great Golden Staircase;n as sovereign
Americans we of course entered by the
latter.
The chamber where the Venetian
Senate met, is magnificent apartment;
the walls elegantly frescOed, and the
ceiling splendidly carved and gilded; it
is very much as when they used it, even
to the chairs in whicn they sat. Next
this was the room of the famous
Council of Ten," the terror of Venice,
met and examined the accused brought
before them. Beyond this was the
chamber, draped entirely in black,
where the chief inqusitor sat, dressed in
clothes of the same sombre hue and
wearing a black mask. 1t was an ex-
tremely agreeable place into which
to usher man fresh from the awful
dungeons, not knowing of what he was
accused, the cheerfulness heightened by
thumb screws, racks and such like,
playthings scattered about the place.
The inquisitor is gone, the black hang
ings have vanished but vivid imagina-
ton is not required to see these
chambers as they looked in those awful
times.
The so-called "Lion's Mouths" are
only three small apertures in the wall
third by the side of the door leading
from the hall into the senate chamber on
the upper floor. Any person could
accuse another by writing the charge
and dropping the paper secretly into
one of the mouths, so that if any one
had grudge against any person it was
| easy to crafty his malice. The missives
| fell into boxes within the rooms, to
+ which there were two keys, one held by
the head of the council. the other by the
| chief inquisitor, so that both must be
present to open them. The senate box
! is still in place as it was used. If the
A charge was not of political nature the
paper did nos need to be signed, and was
| dropped into one of the lower mouths;
but if it was of that nature it must be
Q signed and dropped into Che senate box.
q looked into that box and thought of all
a the documents it had held, on account
Q Of which men were suddenly taken from
their homes at dead of hight, and hur.
v ried off to the prison dungeons, usually
4 entirely innocent, not knowing why they
q were arrested, and their families igno
a rant of their fate: sometimes allowed tC
q return to their homes as nothing could
n be proved against them, but usually
they were never heard of again.
|, Think of the terror that stalked abroad
n over that city none could go to rest in Sc
II curity. When the time of trial came the
q prisonerwould be brought from the prisOI
l, across the bridge of Sighs" into the
e presence of the council; If condemned
d he was taken into the room of the chic
d inquisitor who again examined him gen
orally by the aid of torture, afteI whicl
l. he was led by the youngest member o
1t the council back through ditferen
sr passage in the thick wall than that b!
E which he entered, but which the pris
is oner supposed was the same leading Il
d the bridge. Arrived there as the pris
IS oner thought, the guide stepped bacl
Ie for the victim to pass first, as he die
it so giving him push into blacl
lie hole yawning before him, at tn
1t bottom of which was revolving whee
N set with sharp knives which cut hin
is to pieces. This second passage was
Or profound secret, known only to the coun
le Gil, and was never discovered until NapO
j. leon caused the downfall of the Vene
at tian Republic. He had the extreme en'
* of this passage walled up so there coult
be no more accidents We went through
e. it as far as we could, trying to put our
ID selves into the places of the poor wretche
K who had trodden this passage long be
Of nocent lot, those Venetians.
lg The Bridge of Sighs'' is solid ston
s. with only four openings, two window
ar at each side, If lattice work cut out 0
'l- stone three inches thick, closing eacl
ID aperture, can be called window; o.
u one side glimpse of the grand canal
OF caught. The dungeons, with the pas
Ill sages and stairways leading to them, ar
Tx enough to give one the horrors jus
he above the level of the water, the onl
ne openings into many of these dungeons b
en- which light and air could enter wer
o. places about six inches square cut in tn
OF heavy door and closed by a slide; tn
to corridors into which they opened wer
he dark as night All of human kind tn
is prisoner ever saw, was the hand of th
It's one who opened the slide and passed j
ck his food, or the eye he often saw regard
- ing him through this slide; his onl
= light the dim rays of the lantern whic
l he saw for an instant as his food wa
! left. Lord Byron caused himself to b
: shut into one of these dungeons for
long time, that he might gain inspiratio
TO write from the standpoint OF the prii
oners. The whole visit was intensel
Interesting, the place was so much wors
. than had supposed, and 1t was so cas-
Z to enter into the feelings of the sufferer
) We came out in very subdued frame {
mind at these revelations of huma
cruelty and misery: yet people tai
\ about the good old days of long ago.
n 1t was fascinating to take gondol
, and wander all over the city through th
? smaller canals; network which
, would take a stranger long time 10 @,
acquainted with; some of them Onl
eight feet wide and three deep; dodgin
under bridges, past open squares, b.
tween the walls of great buildings, wit
glimpses here and there into TO place
> where it seemed impossible for huma
beings to live the canals in places dar
and gloomy, often the only sound bein
the splash Of the oar and the peculis
/, warning cry Of the gondolier as he al
!. proached corner. Everywhere I'll
= foundations swarmed with species {
water bug which ran swiftly up the wal
as a wave threatened TO wet them: d
canals are the sewers rs well as the higl
ways, and while the tide which new
:, rises moie than a couple of feet washl
"a out the principal canals every day,
= many Of the smaller ones among 81
y buildings the water scarcely moving b