ITALIAN TRAGEDIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 183, 1 August 1908, Page 15

ITALIAN TRAGEDIES.

ITALIAN MAR.QTJIS SHOT DEAD. Northern Italy lias been the scene or two sensational love tragedies (says the Milan correspondent of the "Chronicle"). One of the leading figures is the beautiful young Countess Ginevra Bentlvoglio, of Bologna. The countess, who belongs' to a very old and once powerful Bologna family, is barely .21 years of age. She was. taken straight from a convent three years ago, and married to a Marsala ■ wine agent named Lapaglia. The couple lived in a small flat at Bologna quite happily, but, as often happens in Italian society, they kept no servant, taking their meals at a popular restaurant. Their only child had been put out to nurse with peasants in the mountains. A young Venetian. 'magistrate, named Paternoster, came to Bologna, was struck by the countess' beauty, and laid siege to her heart, vfith such success that he finally persuaded her to elope with him. The countess, making the pretence of a trip to Sicily for a prolonged stay with a relative, joined Paternoster iv Home, whence, after devising the despatch of letters bearing the Naples and Palermo postmarks in order to pnt Lapaglla oft the scent, the runaway couple took train to Paris. There £hey stayed a fortnight, and then, as their funds were giving "out, they moved gradually down to Lugano. Her penniless condition awakened penitence in the countess, ».nd she telegraphed to her husband that site was ready to return home. She also appealed to a local lawyer friend to intervene on her behalf. The distracted husband, who meanwhile had been journeying day and night, scouring Sicily. Rome. Paris, Lc-ndon, and Switzerland in quest of his runaway, signified h's readiness to forgive. l"he lawyer friend met the countess at Lugano, and despjte the delirions demeanour of Paternoster, who threatened to kill her and commit suicide, succeeded in escorting her to Milan, Vhere he telegraphed to the husband to meet him the same evening. Paternoster followed them and lay in wait. No sooner had he caught sight of the unfortnnate and unoffending husband Lapaglia, than he assailed; him- savagely, and then mortally wounded him with two shots from a revolver at the entrance to the station. Paternoster, who is 28 years of ago, and had a promising career before him, has been arrested. INJURED HUSBAND'S REVENGE. Another cose is that of the llarchese Cormdi. who bns been shot dead by the husband of a bewitching society lady named Fanny Zaccaria. Ou rising one morning the husband caught his wife in an adjoining room in the act of writing a passionate <ove letter to the marquis. The wife threw the unfinished missive out of the wiudow to prevent her Husband from seizins it; but he rushed downstairs into the street and secured it. After rending it ho went off with a loaded revolver to a neighbouring hotel round the corner, and killed the marquis in the ball. Ho then (led to the woods, but was caught enrly the nert morning while creeping back to his home. Ou Monday there was a startling development of the case. Slgnora Fanny Zaccaria herself, though seriously ill In bed, was haled off to prison, under a special warrant charging her with being an accomplice in the murder of her marquis. The police hiut that there Is further mystery underlying the affair which they L-anuot yet divulge. A curious feature of the case is the fact that Mme. Zaccaria was due to appear at the law courts at Lecce nest week, in connection with proceedings she had taken against a woman in whose company she had surprised her husband some time ago. It is stated that when Slgnora Zaccaria confessed her Infidelity to her husband, he preseuted her with n , small revolver, decomtcd with mother-of-pearl, and told her to shoot herself. Mustering her resolution, she kissed her husband, closed her eyes, l and ejaculnting "All Is over," fired a shot

through the cellius. i