Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-13
Ex.PKEMIER CRIsPI DEAD
THE GREAT ITALIAN.
Ardent Republican and Follower ofGar!-
baldt and nlazzini In YOuih-lmperinI-
list and ROyaiist Statesman Latsr--A
Life That Was n Curious Mixture OF
Virtue and Vice

LIST and ROyRiist statesman Later
Life That Was a Curious Mixture {
Virtue and Vice.
francesca Crispi, 81, ex-premier @
Italy and its most eminent statesma
since the death Of Cavour, die
Sunday evening at Naples altar
short illness. He was born Octobe
A. 1919, at Ribera in Sicily, tow
near Palermo Of fPmily of Greel
descent, notwithstanding the Latil
name, in which some have fancifull!
endeavored 10 trsce connection will
the Roman historian, Sallut G Sal
lusties Crispus; and others hnv,
given him as ancestor Crispi wht
was prince of SHmos 800 years ago.
Bot he always scorned these claims
and prided himself on being man OF
the people. His grandfather was q
priest of the Greek church, and Fran
cesco himself was baptized in that
faith and educated in one of It's semi
naries, though he became an avowed
| atheist. He was educated at the
Greek seminary at Palermo, and at
the university of that city; became a
la wyer, and an able one, and for an
avocatlon journalist. He was Re-
publican in politics and taking part
in uprisir gs had to fee to Paris
whers he did newspaper work until
after few domiciliary visits the pc
lice of Napoleon III politely gave
him notice to quit He vent to Lon
don with u in his pocket, ard there
with Mazzini concocted the plot that
eventually resulted in the Liberation
Of Italy.
Garibadi lie his famous expedition
to Sicily in 1859, ard Crispi accom-
panied it rs simple volunteer, land
ing at Palermo in May, 1850. Many
had pinned their faith on Crispi in
this enterprise, the success Of which
is generally, but somewhat enron
eously attributed to the prestige and
the red shirt Of the Lion of the
Apcnnines. " Courageous as Gatibsldi
was, his courage would hardly have
carried the day. In order to insure
success the brains of a man like
Crispi we're necessary. There we're
two Swiss regiments at Palermo,
them regularly, and their officers
told Crispi that they meant to stand
by their colors. Crispi's reply was
characteristic; Loyalty like yours is
its reward, y he said and If you |
will send in petition for an in
crease of pay as soon as your term OF
enlistment expires, NV friends at
court will see that it is granted. "
The Swiss fell into the trap; the
petition was scot, and was pigeon
boiled no answer came, and the two
regiments marched out of Palermo in
anger. Had thew remained the red
shirts would hardly have Conquered
be city.
The red shirts conqusr red, however,
md Crispi was soon - busily engaged
n recognizing a government at Pa
ermo that he found it impossible to
accompany Garibaldi to the main
and. This work dore he was elected
deputy for Palermo 10 the first Par
lament of united Italy in 1861, and
t once hegan TO display an eloqucnce ,
Dr which his friends had never
ivcn him the credit. becoming BIT
rec leader Of the Republican oppo-
itiOo, da inning administration md
reform, and the lit eratinr +
+ the people from the old laws which
ere still in operation. Mazzini, :
'ho had never trusted the smart 81 :
llian attorney was stern in his de- I
urCiation of man 1ho, he declared. =
ad regard only for his own interests .
I'd cared nothing for the people, and r
ben be accepted Victor Emmsnrel's +
ventures, Mazzini pointed to his
Justification.
Wealth had come to him 10y this
me. As a lawyer he was 10 great :
quest, and he had practically made -
is fortune Is thu counsel Of the :
alahro- Sicilian Railway company in r
he numerous law suits growing out o
the concession by GHrihaldi, which :
le Italian government disavowed. "
In 1876 he was president of the u
hamber of Deputies: the uext year C
. had joined tie cabinet of Depretis, a
hon he had been violently opposing, s.
ID became the secretary of the 10. Il
rior J.
To him much was dne in the organ IL
alton of the kingdom: be it was Who d
gneered for Italy the triple ALI,
ice; but it WAS he who more than
| others was responsible for the tt
Ckltss venture into colonial pol "
y, which resulted in Italy's humil. al
tlou in Ahyss mia; and far worse, be Sc
rs the leading spirit Ct that era of g
which buried his latest ad. e
IL istratioD in great financial scan. ia
Is, the climax of wholesale de. tn
uchery of the political life of the L
ngdom goirg through years. 1t is W
Ie that Crispi maintained great az
Id on the people OF Italy, such as Ia
itthew Quay, a man resembling him IN
many personal and public traits, 1t!
5 bad over the Pennsylvanians. IN
1t was the Italian disaster in Abys- so
id toat finally drove him from w
wer and the bank exposures kept or
II from it. In each case OF the 10
n of the great banks Of the coun- to
it was proved to have resulted ~
10 the extortions of the politicians tL'
l officials, and nearly all of this IRA
l work of blackmail and plumber me
: done under Crispi's admiuistrs
n and large part of it in such un
'e that he could not be relieved wa
he burden Of profting by it. He s.o
hself asserted that he had Used 5 a.
ney from these banks for the secret d
d of the kindgom, ard for election ITO
ense and the subsidizirg of reas-
ers. His countrymen were ready i
accept his statements. and
ing Numbers. in consideration of be i
eminent services of the old states pro-
4 in the Italian cause, ordered enc,
t all proceedings against him disc
uld cease, thus saving him frorn lres,
ignominy Of IA criminal prosecu- cons 3
IS, though closing his political tnte
,er forever. tul.,
NON tho reralI Of Crispi to oovor SURF