The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1912-10-25
The C0rrectOr of DeStinieS
Being Tales of Randolph Mason as Related by
He Private Secretary. Courtiand Parks
The Virgin of the Mountain

Copyright by Edward J. Ciod'

avenue. The observer may not hav'
known this remarkable man nor any
thing Of his history, but he would In
stantly have noticed his fine, sinew!
figure, and his features. c~lean-cut ant
regular like those OF an Italian
bro1Ee.
II is well to remember that every
country maintains a kingdom lyinG
within the boundaries Of this repub
lie. ] do not mean the fiction OF SOW
ereignty attaching to the legations al
Washington, but o phantom state
rather, keeping the customs. the tradi
lions, even the very laws, OF the moth
Or country.
It was only in this kingdom OF Italy
That Signore Mazaccra was a mar
'quis. Uptown In New York. he was
merely a star Of heavy opera, one
Ricardo Robini. with a voice like that
of many sirens. and yet the man
plying this emasculated trade. was
In Tact a ruthless. calculating. steel
nerved sentinel. presenting himself,
thus singing, in the worlds most
public places, and reporting each
night 10 that phantom kingdom OF
Italy, set down like q well-ftting
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 1t, the police officers OF
the city knew 1t. On a memorandum in
q pigeonhole Of the district attorneys
desk he was written down as guilty
OF murder in the first degree-willful,
p~remeditated murder. The district at
torney neglected, nay, 1t should be
written. refused. to apprehend him on
q 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 10 the Marquis Mazaccra, as
of one heaven born, amenable TO no
law? Why was he not sent promptly
10 the electric chair, and after to dim
mer audiences? To know this It Is
necessary to know first a chapter Of
Italian history.
III, 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 a bit Of flung
up sea foam to q little promontory OF
the shore, having for background a
lemon grove, the thick branches sup
ported by a lath trellis. like that COM
monty built for vines.
When 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
Salerno. Even the treasures Of the
villa had, for the most part, gone else
where in exchange for Ira. 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 a wreath
OF wilted roses. brought by the first
arrivals from their dancing floor. the
old marquis. running forward to wei.
come Lauretta Matteo-the white
devil of UNDERSTANDABLE, and was
himself welcomed by the master of all
devils.
The young marquis, arriving swiftly
from a 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 a care for the welfare of his body
into the bargain. II was painted from
some round-faeed Tuscan model Of
middle age and was wholly without
beauty except its eoloring, which was
wonderfully fresh and bright. Never
theless, IL vas the most adored Virgin
In the south OF Europe. with a miracle
20 it's credit beyond that OF any vir-
Gin Of the cathedrals-not a mere
Strengthening OF legs or a healing Of
afflicted infants. but the saving Of the
whole village Of Tore del Greco, its
meadows. Its crops, fits villas. its
churches, its gardens. as well, also. as
Cts cripples and its babies.
The manner Of Il was that on a
certain good Tuesday. with scarce a
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. s~carifying the meadows like
heli-vomit. When the list OF these