The record-union., 1898-01-31

years ago. The Dowager Princess Ca
rini died then, and her daughter in
herited handsome fortune, as Well as
the Carini Palace, which is in Paler-
mo, in the Rue de la Liberte, facing
the Place Alberigo Gentle The Prin-
cess took up her residence there, and
in this palace she has lived ever since.
A TRAITOROUS SERVANT.
The palace is composed Of a main
building and two wings. The Princess
and her daughter occupied half of the
main building, and the other half was
occupied by the Princess steward. who
was also her attorney. His name is
Jean Cannella, and he has a wife and
four children. He seems to have been
in financial straits when the Princess
took him under her patronage, and,
finding him very plausible and shrewd,
she quickly decided to place the man
agement of her entire property in his
hands.
Little did she foresee what the result
of her ill-advised confidence would be-
In the left wing of the palace, adjoining
the apartments of the Princess, there
was no tenant, but the right wing was
occupied by the Marquise Misuraca,
who is there yet, and who has not yet
ceased to wonder how such a strange
drama as we are about to relate could
have been played for four years within
a few feet of her without her knowing
it.
One day about four years ago Jean
Cannella. got into his head the notion
that there was no reason why he
should not live in luxury at the Prin
cess exp ense. He brooded over the
matter a few nights and finally he took
a decisive and unparalleled step. Going
to the Princess apartments, he coolly
informed her that he intended to keep
her prisoner, and then after sternly
forbidding her to show herself at the
windows or to ask assistance from any
one in the street, he locked the doors
and went out.
Naturally, the poor Princess was par
alyzed with fear. She had many friends,
but how could, she reach them? If she
made an outcry the traitor Cannella
might be madman enough to kill her
and her blind daughter, as he had
threatened to do. True, she had many
servants in the palace-a coachman, a
footman, a gardener a cook, con-
cierge and two or three chambermaids-
but she could not rely on any of them.
Cannella, moreover, by means of bribes
and threats. had easily cajoled or CO.
creed these hirelings into keeping their
mouths shut.
HER ESTATE SQUANDERED.
AS he held a full power of attorney
from the Princess, this unscrupulous
man was able TO make ducks and brakes
of her fine property, and he was not slow
to avail himself of this golden oppor-
tunity His mean SOUL however, was
not satisfied with this; he wanted to
degrade his highbred mistress as much
as possible, and SO little by little he
removed from her spacious apartments
the many costly and comfortable arti-
cles of furniture, leaving her nothing
but wretched little bed. He took
food daily to the two prisoners with
his own hands, but he supplied them so
scantily that the Princess was often
obliged to lean stealthily from her win
dow and beg one of her servants, who
might be passing, to bring her and her
poor blind daughter a morsel OF bread
If she had not obtained food in this
way she and her child would doubtless
have starved TO death.
AS the Princess was well known in
italian society her disappearance nat
urally caused much gossip. and many
calls were made at the palace during
the first few months of her imprison-
ment. To all callers, however, Jean
Cannella made the same reply: THE
Princess has gone abroad, and she has
not left any address, Gradually her
r,-;a Ic II 70 q
so Cannella was left in peace.
FREED AT LAST.
Finally. however. retribution came to
him and freedom to the Princess. "A
few days ago the unfortunate woman
succeeded in sending a letter to NJ. Nal
tese. a prominent lawyer in Palermo
and an old friend of her family. When
he read it, he saw at once that there
was need of immediate action and of
the utmost secrecy, and so he went and
laid the matter before the procurer du
roi. The latter was as amazed as he
was. and at once issued an order for the
Princess liberation and Jean Cannella' s
arrest
AS a result, at IL O'Clock in the morn
ing. the Palace Carini, as well as the
spacious garden in the rear, was quiet
ly surrounded by policemen, and the
procureur du roi, followed by the po.
lice magistrate, the Chief of Police and
several carabineers, made his way up
the lofty staircase, and, breaking open
the doors, entered the apartments 'ot
the Princess.
A sad spectacle was before them. IN
the superb, unfurnished room stood the
two women, almost in rags, pale, thin,
weak with hunger and nervousness
and shivering with cold. Wretchedness
and starvation on one side, splendid
room. a fit place for royal banquer,
on the otherl Not word could they
speak, these poor women, as their de-
liverers approached with words OF
sympathy; all they could do was TO
laugh and cry Historically.
THE TRAITOR ARRESTED.
And Cannella, where was he? The
soldiers looked for him throughout the
building. but failed to find him. FL
nary, 1t occurred to them that, being
| an attorney, he might be at court, and,
sure enough, there they found him
calmly attending TO some trivial case.
In twinkling they arrested him and
hurried him off to a cell. To his wife,
though she was evidently his accom-
plice, nothing was done. The concierge,
however, met with the same fate as
Cannella.
The Princess and her daughter,
though they have recovered their free
| dom, are still so frightened that they
| have requested the authorities to fur