Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-07-24

Of violence. Fortunately for INN, he
was almost Immediately taken i'll with
the typhoid fever. and his death was
supposed to be certain. This calamity
softencd the nature of the people, and
they began to talk about this intclectu-
al young priest who had exposed hi
life in Rome to the pcstllcnce. Instead
Of antaEoniziu- h..A thoy formed pro
cessions and went to public prayers i'm
his behalf. and when hc recovered f.
was looked upon as in the nature of
miracle.
They We're mistaken. however, as to
his worldly force.
There lived in mountain fastncss In
the state celebrated hrigand named
pasquale Collctta who had n band of
fourteen murdcrcrS. and they had com
mitted every species of offcnse. Tho
priest governor laid his plans well. and
one day the people were surprised to
soc come into the town, manaclcd and
under guard, the chief of the band and
every one of his myrmidons. In spite
Of their threats, promises and penitcnce
they were executed.
pecci now turned his attention to the
lawless mobiles who had countenanced
such trcspasses, and when one of these
undertook to hrowbeat him and threat
encd to 90 to Rome and have him re
called the governor said. "MarQuis, be
fore you get to the Vatican you shall
pass through the castle of St Angelo"
This was the state prison Mt Rome. and
Its name was ominous.
A feeling grew that this young man
had special powers with the pope. Evil
doors FASTENED to get out of his terrific
~ or make their peace.
He searched the lawless castles. be-
gan to build good roads, examined and
lowered the taxes, made the collec-
ton of the revenue effective. and thus
spent nearly three years making an or
DERBY state out of q most disorderly
one.
Pope Gregory now recalled him to
Rome and appointed him governor of
PeruCia. where he will always he re
membcrod as one of the Wiscst men
who ever took charge of her fortunes
This city stands near Assist, where is
the monastery founded by St Francis.
1t was full of Mazzini's revolutionary
societies.
The object the papal authorities had
was the suppression of these plotting
spirits by pecci, but he commenced in n
different way.
Finding that the city was on a high
mound or cone above Il plain or marsh
| lad Il = t1,,t
vehicle could climb 1t without the aid
of many yokes of oxen. the new gov
crnor set to work and in twenty days
built Il graded road up the height over
which in little while rode the pope
much to his wonder and satisfaction.
The pope was so delighted with his
young engineer governor then aged
thirtY-one, that he said as he left Il
number of presents to he distributed.
II will remember you, my friend, when
| get to Rome"
In the meantime Pccci founded saw
ings bank in Perugia ana himself sub
scrihcd largely to the stock and began
To set up excellent schools. The pcO-
pie felt that friend and not an enc
my had come among them.
Just as he had accomplished remark
able things in that city the pope re-
solved to send him as nunciO otherwise
minister, TO Belgium. which had not
long before been separated from Uol-
/ land by Il revolution and created into Il
new monarchy. Belgium had only
| been free from Holland about thirteen
years. The people We're Catholics.
while those of Holland had been Prot
estants Other than church differences
| existed between them. The Dutch
We're unimaginative and penurious and
/ hard taskmasters. The Belgians had
/ an antiquity of turbulent freedom and
/ loved the arts and Joys.
At thirtythree Archbishop Pecci, as
he now was. appeared in Brussels ac-
credited to King Leopold, who was the
uncle of the royal family of England.
An interesting account of his gentle
yet democratic intercourse is to be
| found in the Life of Charles Lever"
the novelist, who at that time lived in