HOW THEY DO JUSTICE IN ROME.
AMONG the prisoners who have just been put to death at Sinigaglia was Girolguno Simoncelli. He was about thirty years of age, of good connexions, although in business as a merchant ; hand- some, and much esteemed. He had been a Lieutenant-Colonel of the National Guard, and in the time of popular power he had dis- tinguished himself by obtaining a lenient consideration for several people. He was sentenced to death, and the sentence was executed, although he was " innocent." Such, at least, is the statement of his friends ; and there are several reasons for supposing that he was innocent of the crime imputed to him. We say so in spite of our ignorance as to the actual nature of that crime;land the reader will presently perceive why we say so. The charge against himself, with his fellow prisoners, has not been published ; or rather, it was published in such a manner as to prevent a general knowledge, of its nature. Some copies of the sentence, including a general statement of the offence, were posted up at Sinigaglia ; but the copies were surrounded by carbineers and constables, and the public were not suffered.to approach. With some pains, a few words of the posted bill were gathered ; but they amounted only to a general statement, that " certain persons had conspired to overturn every order of civil society, in order to do which, they had resorted to fraud, terror, and treachery; organizing bands in various parts of the Pontifical States, and committing se- ditiona and violenees." If there was anything more of a specific kind in the accusation, it has not reached the public. It is pro- bable, however, that there was something of a more distinct nature ; since Simoneelli expressed to the latest day the belief that his in- nocence would be recognized, and it does not appear that any authorized contradiction to that belief was made to him. From the character ascribed to him by all, it may be supposed that he could not repel a general charge of having joined the Liberal forces, but that he expected to stand absolved from any specific, act of violence or treachery. The efforts made on his behalf by many people in esteem tended to confirm the confidence in his pardon : testimonials in his favour had been sent to the Government, from the local authorities and from the clergy ; the Archbishop had warmly recommended him to the Papal clemency ; and it is
said that even the sister of Pius the Ninth i inth had joined in these re- commendations. It is probable that so large a cumulative testimo- nial could not have been obtained on behalf of any man whose general character and conduct would not admit of a lenient con- struction. The very grief evinced for his fate tends to confirm the opinion of the few by the feelings of the many.
A difficulty is thrown in the way of a more exact construction by the fact that all the proceedings were carried on under the strictest secrecy. Not only is the nature of the charge unknown to the public, but the evidence adduced in court is also secret. It is not known who were the witnesses; their very names are con- cealed. The only thing known, it may be said, is the fact that he was judged by the ministers of reactionary Government. Who defended him? Even this is not known ; and there is reason to suppose that the appearance of a defence was performed by some agent of that Government. In short, some kind of form was gone through to satisfy the conscience that will cling to any set of men ; but whether he was tried, in the English sense of the word— what was the evidence—who were the witnesses—who were his judges—or for what he was condemned—are all matters of pro- found mystery.
The case of Simoncelli is that of all the twenty-four prisoners who were put to death on the three days of that homicidal cere- mony, the 28th and 30th of September and 2d of October. The same secrecy was observed in all respects, the same strict seclusion from the friends of the accused. From the Sunday preceding the execution of the sentence, the prisons were closed to everybody; insomuch that the prisoners themselves must have remained in a state of uncertainty as to the fate of their companions. Although the largest amount of social interest appeared to attach to Simon- celli, from the personal acquaintance which he had with many in good circumstances, the conduct of all the prisoners in the presence of death was such as to mark them out for men of courage and firmness. There appears to be no exception. The only traces that remain of words which they bequeathed to their countrymen are those of encouragement. Simoneelli died singing the Marseillaise; another of the prisoners left a message to his friends to defend their country against her enemies; and if any weakness was shown at all, it was in the bystanders, not in the sufferers. Besides those who have been killed, many others are condemned to the galleys or to imprisonment. But if the case of Simoncelli is mul- tiplied by the number of his colleagues in death and imprisonment at Sinigaglia, it may be multiplied indefinitely by the future slaughters of which this is supposed to be only the first. We may expect the same fate, with the same secrecy, and the same cer- tainty that if amongst the number some few mayhave been " guilty " of high treason, many also will be really innocent of any crime whatsoever. The object is terror; the terror being ad- ministered by underlings who do not even care to observe the vir- tues of Absolutism. Such is the fate to which the people are eon- denined by the dominant influences in the Roman States.
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