A TERRIBLE BARRACK SCENE

Dunstan Times, Issue 1169, 25 July 1884, Page 3

A TERRIBLE BARRACK SCENE

The Naples correspondent of the Daily News writes

The trial of Misdea, which commenced on the 10th inst., has continued ad the week, and it will be probably some days before the verdict is announced. The military court is small, and is therfore always filled to the utmost. Contrary to the usual cus. Tom, the prisoner, instead of sitting in the common dock, is placed in an iron cage, exactly like that of a wild beast, and guarded by two s Idiers Misdea is only twenty-two years of age, has a round face, small cheek bones, a growing moustache on the upper lip, vivacious eyes, a mixed expression ot frankness and ferocity, and a cynical smile. He is extremely attentive to what is going on, and sometimes bursts out into an exo'amatiou. When ask-d by the P esident who had induced him to commit such a crime, he answered it was because he saw some North Italians insulting his compatriots, and the blood rushed to his head. On being asked if he had anything to add, be said, “ 1 have this to a id : It you condemn me to death do it quickly. And let the soldiers who shoot me be all enemies of the Calabrese.”

Misdeahas, in his yet short life, been twice tried for attempted murder, once con-

detuned to 'five day*’ ,imprisonment for wounding, anil once lined 51 r for carrying -prohibited arms. During Inst o truer as a soldier he has often been imprisoned. and received endless minor punishments for breach of discipline, On receiving an order he always gmmoled, but dually obeyed it. The evidence'of the r.igimential doctor goes to prove that he fr. quently feigned indisposition to escape duty. Almost all the witnesses speak of his irascible temper. When angry he menaced his companions. The facts of the atrocious crime committed by this man are sitn ly as follows In the barracks Monte di Dio, after roll call, an altercation took place between some North Italians on the one baud and some Calabrese and Sicilians on the other, opprobrious epithets being exchanged, and blows and kicks given. A corporal, Rancoroni, tri-d to put an end to the quarrel, saying that soldiers were neither Oalab.ese nor Piedmontese, bnt Italians and brothers, and ordered the disputants to leave the room At this moment Misdea entered, and the alter cation wac renewed, Misdea speaking with heat and arrogance, so as to rouse the wrath of one Co ,ara. who. gave him a nox on the eat, to which Misdea repliel with a threat. Rancoroni again intervened, rep oving Misdea and sending the men to their quarters, and presently oil was quiet. A short time Misdea, rose, took his gun, cleaned it, and provided himself with fortythree cartridges. Immediately after this he loaded his gun and fired at a troop of his companions, among whom were Z m -lotti and Co iaro, an I other i who had ueen concerned in the previous quarrel- Zauoiotti fell. At the same time the light was extinguished by the concussior of the air, and then ensued a scene of fright, confusion, and bloodshed. The soldiers seemed seized with panic, and acted in the most cowardly manner —a cowardice partly, no doubt, induced by the surprise and darkness. Some hid them selves under the beds, others fled into me water-closets, some jumped out of the window ; and Misdea, calmly walking from corridor to corridor, fromoomitory to domitory, and calling out for Codara and Rancoroni, .had time-to fire shot after shot. Rancoroni and others had barricaded the door of their dormitory with their guns and broom handles, but Rancoroni was shot dead thraugh the door. It was in the water closets that most of the victims lost their lives or were wounded. Eight soldiers had fle i thither, while two wore there already. Mis-lea followed the fugitives, and calling to all the Calabrese ami .‘Sicilians to leave the place, fired several shots, killing two soldiers and wounding four others. He then went to the domi’ory of the under officers, where he found a compatriot named Cundariin bed, and ordered him to lie still, raying that then he would uot shoot him, and kissing him to prove his word.. In this domitory finally a soldier named Ciroelli—who had been out when the massacre commenced, and on returning to the barracks had at once volunteered to take the murderer—cautiously approached Misdea from under a bed and seized him. He was a countryman, and Misdea exclaimed “Oh, Circelii, thou hast betrayed me 1’ Cimdari, the man whom Misdea had kissed now left his bed and hastened to assist Ciroelli, and the cry that Misdea was takm soon reached the ears of others. A corporal who appeared on the scene was bitten by Misdea, who said that he now regretted having spare t Cundari’s . life. He struggled hard with his captors, hut was finally bound and presently taken to prison. Though exoi'-ed and furious he appeared perfectly conscious of what he had done, ami expressed his regret that he had not been able to kill all those whom he had wished to kill, and his sorrow that he had killed a compatriot. Du. ing the first few days aft t his capture he frankly declared the reason of his crime, hut later on he pretended that he had been drinking a g -od deal of rum during that day, and did -ot know what he was doing nor at whom he fired. He heard that his counsel wanted to plead insanity, and exclaimed : “ Why insane ? They are insane !” One of the witnesses declared that Misdea couid not have been drunk when he committed the murders, for the bullet marks found weie at the height of a man’s hieast, and no drunken man could have had so film a hand. I bus it seems that the pleas of drunkenness or insanity are likely to fall to the ground.