Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-20

IOoklDS tue MCulterrauCaH Inc ScCtlOn
was overrun with poachers, . desperate
class.
Paracrotti was an inventive genius, and,
failing to make much Roadway against
tho Entertainments of tho poachers, he in
vented sort Of Internal machine for their
undoing. 1t was n trap to be set upon the
ground, and the young inventor claimed
that It would do no harm more than to
main any one who tempered with 1t. The
machine consisted Of a wire trap to be
baited with live birds. An explosive
bomb was SO arranged that when this cage
was rnised the bomb was exploded. One
day he was explaining the workings Of his
device to q party Of interested persons in a
barn on the estate, when 1t was accidentally
exploded, and three men, ono Of whom
was his employers eldest son and heir,
were killed. Paracrotti suffered tho loss
Of two fingers.
In great fear he hcd from tho estate,
md, travelling into tho interior, sought
shelter with his brother and brother in
law near Terra del Mauro, where they ran
u stage line.
One dry Paracrotti became angry at O
vicious horse and threw q stono ut 1t. The
missile fiew wide, but struck his brother
ON the head and killed him. Paracrotti
was arrested, but was acquitted, ms the &C.
ci,leEtal nature Of the homicide was appar-
cnt.
He now returned to the employ Of his
brother-in-law. In the barn there were
two bottles, one containing n horse lini-
ment Of poisonous character, the other
brandy. One day Pnracrotti, needing the
bottle containing tho linnmont, which was
the larger Of the two, drank tho brandy
and poured the liniment into the smaller
bottle, which no returned to its usual
shelf. Three weeks later the brother in
law picked up the bottle Of supposed
brandy, took q largo drink and died that
night In great agony. Paracrotti was ar
rested ON suspicion Of having murdered his
relative, but was discharged on trial.
There was now q prejudice against Para.
crutti In the vicinity. and he went away
Paracrotti now went to work in q tunnel
The work was rendered. difficult by SUBJ
terrnncon water courses. During the day
temporary entcs wcro used to dam up tho
water. At night the gates were opened,
the Hood released and the water would run
of during the night. These gates were
worked by hand levers, and to this work
Paracrotti was detailed.
One evening, supposing that the men
were all out Of the tunnel, poor Paracrotti
give the signal to open the gates. Twenty
one belated laborers were caught In the
food, and every one was drowned. Fear
ing the vengeance Of his fellow laborers
Paracrotti lied that night, haunted now
with the memory Of &c human souls gone
to their last account at his hands.
He found his way to Pazznoli, on the
seacoast, where he secured employment on
freightboat. On his third voyage along
the coast he was stricken with fever. He
was ut once isolated from the crew. In
those days water was denied fever pa
ticnt, except In small doses. The stricken
man, tossing with parched throat, saw that
his guard had fallen asleep, so he crcpt
from his hammock, made his way to the
water tank, plunged his burning head into
Its cooling depth and drank his FILL Tho
fever germs once in tho drinking water,
the disease spread among tho crew, and
six Of them died. This brought the grew
some record Of deaths up to &c.
The survivors were taken to shore hos
pital. One day, while the convalescents
were sitting In the hospital park, one of
the crew accused Paracrotti Of having in
fected the ship and attempted to assault
him. Ho was too weak to defend himself,
but messmate took up the quarrel, and
in the desperate tight with knives which
followed ParRcrotti's defender was slain.
IL was then that Paracrotti determined
to leave Italy. He arrived in New York
last March. On his first day on the streets
Us peddleF he ran into an elderly man,
pushing him under cable car. The man
sustained injuries that will cripple him
for life.
Poor Paracrotti has premonition that
he Is yet to work more woe in the world.
He has never married and lives the life Of
a recluse, mainly because his countrymcn
fear and shun him and believe him to be