The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-11-22
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one could have seen the Marquis Ma
zaccra dining at the Dresden, on Fifth
avenue. The observer may not have
known this remarkable man nor any.
thing of his history, but he would in
stantly have noticed his fine, sinewy
figure, and his features, clean-cut and
regular like those of an Italian
bronze.
1t is we'll to remember that every
country maintains a kingdom lying
within the boundaries of this repub-
lie. I do not mean the fiction Of SOW
ereignty attaching to the legations at
Washington, but a phantom state
rather, keeping the customs, the tradi-
tons, even the very laws, of the moth
err country.
1t was only in this kingdom Of Italy
that Signore Mazaccra was mar
quis. Uptown in New York, he was
merely a star of heavy opera, one
Ricardo Robini, with voice like that
of many sirens, and yet the man,
plying this emasculated trade, was
in fact a ruthless. calculating, steel
thus singing, in the worlds most
public places, and reporting each
night to that phantom kingdom Of
Italy, set down like Well-fitting
shadow over the streets and buildings
of New York.
The Marquis Mazaccra lived openly.
lodged in a suite at the Dresden. And
yet for weeks the district attorney of
New York had known that this man
ought to be in the electric chair; his
assistants knew it, the police officers Of
the city knew it. On memorandum in
a pigeonhole of the district attorneys
desk he was written down as guilty
of murder in the first -willful,
premeditated murder. The district at
torney neglected, nay, it should be
written, refused, to apprehend him on
criminal warrant.
Let us not too hastily denounce this
district attorney of New York He was
m incorruptible public servant, able
persistent, fearless Why, then, this i'm.
munity to the Marquis Mazaccra, as
Of one heaven born, amenable to no
law? Why was he not sent promptly
to the electric chair. and after to dim
mer audiences? To know this it is
necessary to know first a chapter of
Italian history.
If, when one is dropping his copper
tribute into the dish of the collector
at Sorrento, he will look to his left
hand along the Bay of Naples. he will
observe a villa built of ancient Sicil-
ian marble clinging like bit of flung
up sea foam to little promontory Of
the shore. having for background a
lemon grove, the thick branches sup
ported by lath trellis, like that COM
monty built for vines
Whcr the singing marquis came
into his inheritance there remained
only this villa, the half-acre of lemon
grove and the steps to the sea, out Of
what was once the finest estate in
villa had, for the most part, gone else
where in exchange for lira, that the
dissolute father OF the marquis might
maintain to the last day his midnight
court of revels for the ballet of the
Neapolitan opera, coming up the stone
stairway. laughing, shouting, singing
bits Of dissolute songs. as though
escaped by some enchantment from
the halls of Morgana the Fay, under
the sea.
One night, crowned with wreath
of wilted roses, brought by the first
arrivals from their dancing floor, the
old marquis, running forward to well
come Lauretta Matteo-the white
devil of Naples-stumbled, and was
himself welcomed by the master Of all
devils.
The young marquis, arriving swiftly
from military school at Milan,
found himself to have inherited a
corpse, and little else. Every item of
his inheritance had gone down the
stone stairway, except this patch OF
garden, this house. this dead body of
the marquis and an ancient painting
of the Virgin hanging in it's heavy
frame in the hall. This painting the
old marquis had not dared to sell. hav
ing care for the welfare Of his body
into the bargain. 1t was painted from
some round-faced Tuscan model of
middle age and was wholly without
beauty except its coloring, which was
wonderfully fresh and bright. Never
theless. it was the most adored Virgin
in the south Of Europe, with miracle
to it's credit beyond that Of any Vir-
gin Of the cathedrals--not mere
Strengthening Of legs or a healing OF
afflicted infants. but the saving Of the
whole village Of Tore del Greco, it's
meadows. its crops, its villas, its
churches, it's gardens, as we'll, also, as
it's cripples and it's babies.
The manner Of it was that on
certain good Tuesday, with scarce
rumble Of warning, Vesuvius began to
pour forth ashes, sulphurous fumes
and lava. The alarmed but pious
people of Tore del Greco began at
once to carry in procession every holy
relic to be found in any Of the
churches, but without effect. The sui
phurous cloud remained. the ashes
continued to fall, the black, viscous
streams Of lava drew always a little
nearer, scarifying the meadows like
hell-vomit. When the list Of these
holy objects had been exhausted, a
certain padre Of Sorrento remembered
the Virgin OF the Marquis Mazaccra,
and went instantly in a boat to bor-
row 1t. 1t was carried through the
streets Of Tore del Greco behind
lighted candles. That night the erup-
ton Of Vesuvius ceased, and the mar