The Express. — 1860-06-09 (London, England)

NEAPOLITAN ATROCITIES IN SICILY.  The following appears in the Times : In re of your powerful appeals to humanity on behalf of the appeared Sicilians, you lately noticed the atrocities committed under authority by the polio. of Palermo in the year 1848, when they lut attempted to free themselves from the oppressor, and most true is your unvarnished tale. On the morning of the 17th of February in that year I was among the foremost, and the only Englishman present, when the rush was made into the disclosed region of death which you refer to. The fact' were them:—About 40 of the sbirri had been captured by the revolutionists, treated by them with kinars, and placed in security until they could be sent to Naples —a friendly precaution to prevent their being murdered by the indignant mob, which then broke into the police palace, and cast•the books and furniture from the wiodows. A portion of the spacious building appear xl, however, to be inaccemible ; windows and loopholes there were in it, but no opening to one entire wing of the dark prison-house. Presently, on removing one of the huge bookcases, some fresh-plastered wall appeared concealed behind it ; a purge was quickly broken through it, and the genre were almost overpowered by the steaming effluvia which issued from seven dark chamber, communicating with each other, where, upon clearing the loopholes, • secreted scene of horror was before us, such as wants the best testimony to be believed. There lay human bodies, and the mutilated remains of such, in every state of death and decay—bundles of rotting rags mingled with bones, and limbs, and filth filled the corners of the smaller rooms ; chains hung rivetted to the walls above, whence some of these remains had dropped as they died—some still holding in their iron grasp the arms or uncles of their famished victims. Skeletons, almost fleshless, were piled upon others which were quite so, and faced on stone shelves which had served as their beds while wing; naked bodies, black and pulpy, were bidden beneath others more reoe ntly dead, yet nli ve with maggota ; and, greater horror still, two human bodies in writhing attitudes were hanging crucified upon the wall of the largest chamber, the reeking, blood-stained stones of which held rusty spikes corresponding to the outstretched hands and feet of others which had been so suspended, and still retaining the stringy remains of muscles torn to shreds, from which the heavier portions had dropped and lay in heaps of putridity beneath. Shrieks of indignant horror arose from the infuriate crowd, a portion of which rushed back to the prison where tho captured sbirri were secured, brought them out, and shot them down on the instant. Others remained, raking and searching among the bones and bodies, examinin minutely the putrid remnants of those they fancied might have been their fathers, brothers, or kindred, who had long been missing, but whose fate they knew not. One of the sbirri, whose life I tried in vain to save, endeavoured to prude me that the ausnded bodies were not crucified while alive, but nailed there to augment the tortures of the living prisoners.--I have the honour t 3 be, sir, your faithful servant, G. W.