The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1903-07-23


dom The men who had been foremost in
their opposition to Napoleon had gradually
become guerrillas and bandits, levying
blackmail and smuggling They found their
refuge in the high and broken lands OF
Benevento until that state had become a
menace 20 all about it.
This was the condition of things with
which this young man of 2s was expected
to grapple. He went to Benevento and on
the third day was taken down with an at
tack of typhoid fever, during which he
nearly died The result was that the oppo-
sition, which had been excited by the news
of his coming, was killed by the sympathy
which his illness called forth, and when he
rose from his bed he found all the people Ia
yorably disposed toward him.
Mgr Pecci was a man who might be de
pended on to make the most of such state
of affairs At the ceremony of laying the
cornerstone Of new church in honor of
Our Lady of Graces he had an opportunity
of meeting all classes in the little state
The gratitude he felt for sympathy extended
TO him in his illness lent an additional
charm to a manner and utterance always
full of courtesy and high breeding 1t was
natural perhaps that the lawless element
should suppose itself more than a match
for the gentle ecclesiastic who in years was
not much more than boy, and whose phys
ical weakness showed itself in the pallor OF
his face. The surprise felt at measures
adopted by the new governor was no small
part of the force which gave him the vic
tory
One of the most dreaded chiefs Of the
lawless bands who were smugglers, ban
dts or guerrillas by turns was Pasquate
Colletta He had his center of operations
in the Villa Mascambroni, where, with q
band of IA men, each as desperate as HIM
self, he levied blackmail on all about him.
One morning bright and early the people
of Benevento saw this man, together with
his whole band, led through the streets in
chains hy the pontificai soldiers The gov
ernor was infiexible; no intercession was
sufficient TO save those who were convicted
of murder, robbery and rapine-
The execution of Pasquale Colletta struck
terror into the minds OF those who had so
long fattened ON crime But some offend
ers against the law were those who should
have upheld it, A nobleman of Benevento
was one of the greatest smugglers in the
land, and when the gendarmes threatened
TO search his castle he went in great wrath
to complain to the governor Vainly did
Mgr. Pecci endeavor to convince his visitor
that law must be obeyed by all The mar
quis told the governor he would go to Rome
and return with an order of recall for the
young ecclesiastic who was upsetting all
the established customs of Benevento. The
governor smiled and asked, Have you
given this matter thought. my lord mar
quis'"
Certainly" was the reply
II fail to agree with you" replied the
governor ''One cannot reflect too much
in these matters. shall therefore request
you to remain here as my prisoner for a
time"
That night while the marquis was 70
hecting on the matter his castle was sur
rounded, and % offenders were captured
The reform of political and social evils
did not take up all the time of the young
governor He devoted himself to a study
of the economic conditions of bis territory
and decided that roads must be built con-
Meeting Benevento with the adjoining prov.
inces of Molise. Terra di Lavoro and Avel
limo. He made journey to Rome to con-
fer with Gregory XVI and his ministers
and returned with full powers The roads
were built. More than that. the taxes were
reduced. and, brigandage suppressed, agri-
culture revived until commerce sprang
into new life with the opening of new mar
kets. Benevento was transformed-and in
less than three years.
In May. ls4l, Mgr. Pecci was recalled
from Benevento and appointed papal dele
gate to Spoleto. This sent him to Perugia,
one of the hotbeds of the revolutionary So
cieties, and here began a contest between
Joachim Pecci and the organized opposi-
tion to the church. which was to be the
mans work for many years The various
secret societies which were born in Italy al
the result of the disturbance following the
Napoleonic invasion had all common OBJ.
ject-the attainment of social and political
liberty. The efforts for greater liberty
made by such societies as the Carbonari
(the charcoal burners) took the form of an
attack on the church. They believed that
under no circumstances would the church
lend itself to change, and they therefore de
termineI Ia destroy it If possible
Such a man as Mgr Pecci would natural
ly come to the front in such q fight. In Pc.
rugia, where he now ruled, he found the so
cieties very strong. Welded together and
given form, as these had been, by the genius
of Mazzini, they were powerful and able
enossgh to demand the greatest ability OF
the young ecclesiastic. He began in thor.
oughly Characteristic way. The old road
leading up to the city from the plain was
impractible for vehicles, and in 20 days
Mgr Pecci had built new one. One of the
first to use IL was Gregory XVI, who visited
the old city and was received gladly by the
people The governor followed up the build
ing of the road by a personal visit to every
commune He examined closely into every
detail of administration, informed himself
Of the needs of each locality, corrected
abuses and removed incompetent officials.
While be put down the secret societies
whenever he could, he deprived them OF
their power over the people by making the
reforms they talked about. He fostered az
riculture and encouraged commerce, he Sc
cured an inexpensive administration of the
Avs, and he put down lawlessness with q
heavy hand In one year he had reformed
the town councils. gathered all the courts
into enc building, established savings
bank, opened schools for the children and
given new life to the college of Rosi Spello,
of which the pope appointed him the apos
joachim Pecci was IN his SD year when
Gregory XVI appointed him apostolic nun
clio, or papal ambassador, to the kingdom OF
Belgium. The ambassador reached Brus'
sells and found that secret societies wers
represented there In force. When he ap.
peared at the court Of King Leopold. hs
produced most favorable impression II
vas apparent that he was an accomplished
Scholar, a well bred man and one who had
not q little wit
In the difficult task which was before him