Part 25 (1/2)
_When the uproar of this horrible slaughter was heard abroad, people ran thither, but the criminals succeeded in escaping. But in their haste one of them left his cloak, and Franceschini his cap, which betrayed him afterward._ The unfortunate Francesca Pompilia, under the burden of such wounds as those with which she had been cut to pieces, _implored the Holy Virgin for the favour of confession, and obtained her prayer_. Hence she survived some little while, and _was able to tell about this horrible crime. She told that after the deed was done her husband had asked of one of the cut-throats who had done the murder with him, if she were indeed dead. When that one had a.s.sured him, he replied: ”Let us lose no time, but return to the vineyard.”_ And so they made their escape. _In the meantime the police had been summoned, and came with a captain. A confessor was quickly called and also a surgeon who gave his attention to the luckless girl._
When the Governor had been informed of the outcome, he _immediately despatched Captain Patrizi_ to arrest the criminals. _When the posse arrived at the vineyard, he found that these were no longer there, but that about an hour ago they had left in the direction of the highway.
Then Patrizi followed without interrupting his journey, and when he had reached the inn he learned from the host that Franceschini had demanded horses with threat of violence, but they had been denied him, because he lacked the necessary order._ Hence he had travelled afoot with his companions toward Baccano. _Patrizi continued his march, and, after taking the necessary precautions_, arrived at the tavern of Merluzza. There he found the a.s.sa.s.sins, who were straightway arrested.
On them were found, still stained with blood, those daggers with which they had done the murders, and _upon Franceschini were found 150 scudi in money. This arrest indeed cost the life of Patrizi, because having been overheated and wounded with a slight scratch he died in a few days._
_Franceschini's dagger was of a Genoese pattern, triangular, and with certain hooks made in such a way that in wounding they could not be drawn from the wound without such laceration as to render the wound incurable._
_When the criminals were known to be at Ponte Milvio, in that very inn they were heard on their preliminary examinations by notaries and judges sent there expressly, and satisfactory confession was had._
_When the capture of the delinquents was known in Rome, a countless throng of people rushed thither to see them, while all the criminals were tied to their horses and conducted to Rome. It is told that Franceschini, while making the journey, asked one of the officers how in the world the crime had ever been discovered. And when he was answered that his wife, whom they had found still living, had revealed it, he was so astounded that he was, as it were, deprived of his senses. About five o'clock in the evening they reached the prisons. A certain Francesco Pasquini, of the town of Castello, and Alessandro Baldeschi of the same town, both of them 22 years old, along with Guido Franceschini had been the slayers of the Comparini. And Gamba.s.sini and Agostinelli were those who had stood guard at the street door._
_In the meantime there were exposed in San Lorenzo, in Lucina the bodies of the a.s.sa.s.sinated Comparini, who were so disfigured, and especially the wife of Franceschini, by wounds in the face that they were no longer recognisable._ The unfortunate Francesca, when she had taken sacrament and had pardoned her murderers, and had made her own will, died, not yet having completed her seventeenth year. This was on the 6th, which was the day of the Epiphany. She was able to justify herself against all the calumnies inflicted by her husband. _The surprise of the people at seeing the said bodies was great, because of the atrocity of the deed, which truly made them shudder_, seeing that two old septuagenarians and a young girl of 17 years had so wretchedly perished.
As the trial of the criminals advanced, there were many arguments made on the matter, laying stress on all the more aggravating circ.u.mstances which accompanied this horrible ma.s.sacre. Others also were made in the defence with much erudition, especially by the Advocate of the Poor, who was a certain Monsignor Spreti. He succeeded in delaying the sentence, because Baldeschi made denial, even though ”the cord” was administered to him twice, under which he swooned. Finally he confessed, and the others did likewise. _They also revealed that they had planned to kill Franceschini himself, and to rob him of his money, because he had not kept his word to pay them as soon as they left Rome._
On February 22 was seen _in the Piazza del Popolo a great platform with mannaia, and two great gallows, which had been built for the execution of the criminals. Many stands were constructed for the accommodation of those curious to see such a terrible execution, and so great was the concourse of people that some windows brought as much as six dollars each. At the eighth hour [2 a.m.] Franceschini and his companions were informed of their death and were placed in the Consorteria. There they were a.s.sisted by Abate Panciatichi and Cardinal Acciajoli, nor did they delay in preparing themselves to die well. At the 20th hour [2 p.m.] the Company of Death and of Pity arrived at the Prisons. The condemned were made to go downstairs, and were placed upon separate carts to be drawn to the place of execution._
_The first to mount the cart was Agostinelli, the second Gamba.s.sini, the third Pasquini, the fourth Baldeschi, and the fifth Franceschini, who showed more intrepidity and composure than the others, to the wonder of all._
_They left the Prison and followed the Pilgrims Street, the Street_ _of the Governor, of Pasquini, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Piazza Colonna, and the Corso._
_The first who was executed was Agostinelli, the second Gamba.s.sini, the third Pasquini, the fourth Baldeschi, and the last Franceschini.
When the last-named had mounted the platform, he asked pardon for his sins, and begged them to pray for his soul, adding that they should say a Pater, an Ave, and Salve Regina for him. When he had made the confessor announce that he was reconciled, he adjusted his neck upon mannaia and, with the name of Jesus on his lips, he was beheaded. The head was then shown to the people by the executioner._
_Franceschini was low of stature, thin and pallid, with prominent nose, black hair and a heavy beard, and was_ fifty years of age. _He wore the same garb as when he committed the crime--that is a coat of brown cloth, black s.h.i.+rt, a vest of goatshair, a white hat and cotton cap; clothed presumably as he had been when he had set out from Arezzo._
The execution took place during the _Pontificate of Innocent XII._, in 1698.
TRIAL AND DEATH OF
FRANCESCHINI AND HIS COMPANIONS
FOR THE
MURDER OF COMPARINI, HIS WIFE, AND DAUGHTER
WHICH HAPPENED DURING THE TIME OF INNOCENT XII.
EDITORIAL NOTE
The following additional account of the Franceschini murder case was discovered a few years ago in the Royal Casanatense Library, Rome (Misc. MS. 2037), in a volume ent.i.tled _Varii successi curiosi e degni di esser considerate_, containing thirteen pamphlets by various authors, most of them concerning famous criminal trials, from Rome of the seventeenth century. The volume is in a hand of the early eighteenth century, and contains an endors.e.m.e.nt to the effect that a copy was made from it in 1746. The Franceschini murder is the subject of the tenth narrative of the volume. Internal evidences indicate that it was written somewhat later than the secondary source pamphlet, by one who has considerable knowledge of the crime and whose att.i.tude of mind shows him to have been a priest. It presents a better story and a fuller account of the motives of the actors, especially those of Abate Paolo and Violante, together with a number of additional matters of fact not contained in _The Book_. It never fell in Browning's way, and hence has no immediate source-relation to the poem, but it does prove in some cases the accuracy of Browning's conjectures of unknown facts when definite data failed him.
The pamphlet was printed in translation by W. Hall Griffin in the _Monthly Review_, November 1900. The present version has been made by the editor from a transcript of the original Italian executed by a friend in Rome.--C.W.H.
TRIAL AND DEATH OF FRANCESCHINI AND