The Sun. — 1841-08-05 (London, England)

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 5 1841.  RIOTS AT ROME.  A horrible tumult, with great loss of life, took place at Rome, on the 20th ult. An execution is an unusual thing in that city. Three criminals, of the name of Ritcozzi, Were executed on that day, being a man and his sister and their nephew. They had got into the house of a rich watchmaker, of the Piazza Colonna, and had murdered his wife and daughter, and then robbed the house. The Gazette des Tribunaux gives the following account of the execution : " An immense crowd was assembled at eight o'clock in the morning, but there was no symptom of disturbance during the execution of two of the criminals. When the third, however, was brought upon the maffold, he uttered the most horrible imprecations against the crowd, and, pointing to it, said to the executioner, Oh, if I were but amongst them, how I would punish them. I regret life.only on that account.' As if his words had found an echo in thecrowd, no soonerhad hisheadfallen, than horrible cries were heard, and thousands, struck with terror, but scarcely knowing why, sought safety.in flight. A set of wretches immediately took advantage of the flight and disorder, and fell upon the fugitives, tearing the rings out of the ears of the women, and openly snatching the watches of the men. In vain did the police attempt to interfere. The thieves and their victims were involved in a general pele-mele with dragoons and in- . fantry, and cries of savage ferocity were mingled with those of distress, whilst the tolling of the church bells drowned the voice of the commanders of the troops, who were endeavouring to rally their men. The tumult was so great, and at one time so alarming. that at the Castle of St. Angelo the guns were loaded, and the gunners stood with their matches lighted in their hands. The panic spread to both banks of the Tiber, the Piazza de Popolo, and the Capitol, where persons were running about crying for aid. The crowd increased at every instant, and several dragoons were so pressed by it as to fall from their horses, and be compelled 'to use their arms in their defence. At length, however, the crowd dispersed, and bodies were seen lying in the streets as upon a field of battle. At one o'clock in the afternoon the number of persons killed was ascertained to be 12, and 200 wounded, 50 of them severely. The wounded were immediately conveyed to the hospitals. More than 300 personslacl been arrested by the police and the troops." The Augsburg Gazette has a letter from Rome of the 22d ult., which states the number of persons killed to be nine, and adds that several threw themselves from the balustrades of the bridge into the Tiber, and were drowned. This letter adds, that some persons ascribe the commencement of the tumult to the throwing of stones at the heads of the executed criminals, N% hich were stuck upon pikes ; others say that the populace attempted to get possession of the bodies, to drag them through the streets. The Diarie of Rome says, " that it has been proved that the panic was caused by premeditated design to create a tumult, in the midst of which robbers might reap a harvest." The same paper adds, "it will not reply to reports that attribute the event to political or disaffected motives."