The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-05
PALACE WAS HER PRISON.
CONFINED WITH HER DAUGHTER
FOR FOUR YEARS.

Police Authorities-NearIy starved
to Death.
From the New York Herald
Who will believe that in this, the last
decade of the nineteenth century. a wo-
man of noble birth could be kept a pris-
Oner in her own house for four years by
one of her servants? And yet such en-
extraordinary event has actually occurred
in Sicily and not in a bandit infested dis
trict. but in the heart of the stately city
of Palermo.
The noble lady who underwent this
thraldom is the Marquise de Collalto, bet
ter known as the Princess CarinL This
was her maiden name, and ever since her
separation from her husband, which took
place some years ago she has been using
it. So for years she has lived a retired
life, her companions being her mother. the
Dowager Princess Carini and her daugh-
ter, who, unfortunately, was born blind.
This girl is now 20 years old, and.
strange as it may appear. it is said hat
she is totally unconscious of her aiIlic-
ton. In other words she believes that
all persons are as blind as she is, or rath-
er she does not know that there is any
such thing as light
For this blissful Inconsistencies she
may thank her devoted mother. Ever
since the child's birth, it seems, the Prn-
cess has striven in every possible way to
convince her that there is not the slight
est difference between her and other hui
| man beings.
Thus she has told her over aud over
again that all persons born into this world
are bound to grope their way and must
| ever move cautiously, lest they hurt them
| selves by dashing against some hard sub
stance. Never has she spoken to her little
| daughter of light or darkness, or colors
! or beauty. of anything that could
| betray TO her the sad truth, and she has
| ever forbidden her servants to mention
| any of these tabooed subjects in her
| daughters presence. And as result the
| blind girl seems to-day totally unconscious
| of her infirmity.
Some claim that she knows the terrible
truth and merely fegns ignorance in or
| der that she may not wound her tender
| mother, but those who know her best in
sist that the noble work of the Princess
has not been in vain and that even to-day
| her daughter does not know the meaning
| OF the words light and darkness.
| The Princess, however, was too unset
fish to spend all her time in this singular
! method of training her daughter. When
the cholera broke out in 1885 she was
| among the first to tender her services as
| hospital nurse, and on many an occa-
| sion since then has she proved herself a
! ministering angel to the poor and needy.
| Such was her life until about five years
| ago. The Dowager Princess Carni died
| then, and her daughter inherited hand
| some fortune, well as the Carin pal
| ace, which is in Palermo, in the Rue de
| la Eioerte, facing the Place Alberiga Cen
| tile. The Princess took up her residence
there, and in this palace she has lived
| ever since.
The palace is composed of a main build
| ing and two wings. The Princess and her
| daughter occupied half of the main build
| ing, and the other half was occupied by
| the Princess steward, who was also her
| attorney. His name is Jean Cannela 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 management 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 Won
| der how such 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
| Cannela got into his head the notion that
there was no reason why he should not live
in luxury at the Princess expense. He
| brooded over the matter a few DAYS and
| finally he took decisive and unparalleled
| step. Going to the Princess apartments
| he coolly Informed her that he intended to
| keep her prisoner, and then after stern
| ly forbidding her to show herself at the
windows or to ask assistance from anyone
in the street. he locked the doors and went
| out.
Naturally the. poor Princess was paralyz-
| ed with fear. She had many friends but
how could she reach them? If she made an
| cutlery the traitor Cannella might be mad
man enough TO kill her and her blind
| daughter, as he had threatened to do. True
| she had many servants in the palace-a
! coachman, footman, gardener cook
| a concierge and two or three chamber
! maids-but she could not rely on anv of
them. Cannella. moreover. by means of
| bribes and threats, had easily ca1oled or
| coerced these hirelings into keeping their
mouths shut.
As he held a full power of attorney from
| the Princess, this INSCRIPTIONS man was
able to make ducks and brakes of her fine
| property, and he was not slow to avail
| himself of this golden opportunity His
| mean soul, however, was not satisfied with
this; he wanted to degrade his hghbred
| mistress as much as possible, and so little
| by little he removed from her spacious
| apartments the many costly and comforta
| bic articles of furniture leaving her uotb
| ing but wretched little bed. He took food
| daily to the two prisoners with his own
| hands, but he supplied them SO scantilv
that the Princess was often Obliged TO lean
| stealthiy from her window 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 20 death
As the Princess was well known In TtaI-
ian society, her disappearance naturally
caused much gossip, and many calls were
made at the place during the first few
months of her Imprisonment To all cali
ers however Jean Cannella made the
same reply: The Princess has gone
abroad, and she has not left any adj
dress" Gradually, her friends ceased 10
inquire about her, and so Cannella was
| left in peace.
Finally, however. retrbution came to
| him and freedom to the Princess. A few
days ago the unfortunate woman succeed
ed IN sending letter to M. Maltese a