Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-11-15
ALWAYS CRIMINAL.
BLACK RECORD FOR CENTURIES OF
A ROMAN VILLAGE.

Artena Infamous For the Crimes OF It's
Inhabitants Seven Centuries A go and Out.
Iawed by q POpe-Crime Hereditary In
Some of the Families.
"A Country of Born Criminals" is what
Professor Sichele of the University of Pisa
entities his article on ArtcDa, an Italian
village, in II recent issue of Archives d An.
thropologie. The province of Rome has
long been famous for crime, and Artena. a
Roman village of about f. 600 inhabitants,
is the most strongly criminal community
in the province. That has been its rcputa-
ton since the middle of the twelfth CEN
fury.
Artena, or Montefortino rs it was an
ciently called, stands on hill 400 feet
above sea level and is on the edge of
mountain range. The inhabitants are
mostly farmers, and they till rich soil,
so that there is no deep poverty i'm the re-
! gion. The conditions and Surroundings
arc such as to encourage the rugged vir
tues. The place has, from military point
of view, an almost impregnablc site and
its earlier name commcmuratcd this fact
Perhaps the earliest mention of the place
in Italian history occurs in l55, when thu
frequency of crime is noted. Pope Paul
~ issued an cdict against the plSc in
1857, describing its inhabitants ms of no
] turiOuslv evil life He ordered that tha
castle, "a nest of robbers, he destroyed
and that all the malc inhabitants hc ban
iShcd ard dccrccd thai any man who met
them rt2ht Kill them The odict was in
fact, orc Of outlawry against the male
population His holiness named nmona
the crimes OF Montcfortino NOT only rob-
berry, but also murder and assaults upon
the rapal soldcry.
The popc's tremendous cdict did not de-
populate the place or greatly change thu
character of its inhabitants for any long
period, for the crimes of Monteforlino APP
pear and rrappcar in Italian history from
that day to this. Professor Sichelc sketch
es the criminal history of Montcfnrtino for
the last half century. During that period
the vendetta has reigned there unchecked
From 1851 to 1868 the courts wcro power
less to deal with the accused, because 10
was impossible to obtain evidence to con-
Wet An official report in 1879 described
the place as n stronghold of murdcrers
assassins, extortioners and incendiarics
active night and day 1t was declared that
the criminals of that day were the children
of criminals who had persisted in the gal
leys or on the scaffold, and that they had
organized n monopoly of the profitable in
uuSlrY Oh crime. III was dDoub InlS tlln6
that the village, as If anxious to forget its
past, changed it's name to Artena. But
crime has since increased rather than di-
unfinished, and the criminals of today bear
the same names as the hereditary crimi-
nails of more than 20 years ago. Tho
assizes of 1879, 1881 and 1888 were fruit
less, as no one was convicted of serious
crime, though there were many indict-
ments. Between 1879 and 1886 Artena
had four mayors, and the life of each was
attempted. One was actually assassi-
mated, and the other three were wounded.
One was shot in broad daylight in tho
market place, but the would be assassin
was not punished.
Between 1858 and 1872 t ere were AZ
murders and assassinatiOns at Artena.
This would be ut mean annual rate OF
52.5 per 100, 600. The rate throughout
Italy has varied in recent years from Z. 20
to 49,. 80 per 100, 900, and the mean annual
rate throughout Italy is 9.3S per 100, 900.
The number of murders and assassinations
at Artena between 1873 and 1883 was 81,
or at the rate of 81 so per 100, 600. The
mean annual number of such crimes per
100, 900 throughout the whole province of
Rome is 25. 40. In other words, the rate
at Artena during the last period named is
more than double that of the province.
The rate for various European countries
is q. "a to 267
Artena is equally notorious for lighter
crimes. Between 1853 and 1872 there were
1854 assaults with attendant wounds. This
would be at the rate of 205 per 100, 600. In
the same period there were 66 highway
robbcrics, or at the annual rate of 81 per
100, 600. The annual rate for assaults
throughout all Italy is 81 per 100, 900,
and for biubNNnv rnl,barx ION
Artena had between 1858 and 1872 l16
thefts, or at the rate of 49, annually per
100, 600 and between 1878 and 1883 l27, at
the rate of 21l.5 per 100, 900. The rate for
all Italy between 1879 and 1887 was AZ. 80
per 100, 900.
AT the recent assizes at Artcna 32 per
sons were accused of crime. There were 8
charges of highway robbery, 3 of murder
and of assassination. There were moro
than 40 persons strongly suspected of
crime, bat the number of accusations was
reduced in order that fewer persons in the
community might be interested against
the administration of justice. The old
names again appeared among the accused.
1t seems that crime is hereditary in COM
paratively few families. One of these fam
lilies is the Pomponi. They have been ia
nous for generations. The father has
served long term in Jail; the mother was
imprisoned for 30 years. three of the sons
have been sentenced to long terms and
the fourth, IA lad of 49, escaped conviction
because of his youth Pasquale VILLAIN, IA
famous rogue called himself the "mirror
of the country" meaning that he was a
model of virtue. Francisco Bucci on be-
ing reminded from the bench by the pre-
siding judge that he had sought to draw
an acquaintance into criminal affair,
proudly replied:
"What need have to ask aid in COM
hitting IA crime? l am equal to pillaging
a whole village single handed
The prisoners had no shame in their ca
reer and there was great competition as to
which of them should have his picture
made for an illustrated paper of Rome.
, The characteristic of these people under
accusation is usually an absolute silence
Witnesses are reticent and timid One I'M
willing Witness however, let drop the in
.fi,,, ir,.af limo nrI 4