every requisite for their purposes, and fixed upon a time when it was known that Señor Commaña himself would be absent, for the execution of their plan.
The family retiring somewhat earlier to rest, in the absence of their head, the ruffians effected their entrance about midnight. A female domestic, who slept in a small room adjoining that of her mistress, happened to be awake at the time, and hearing a noise, rushed out; but was seized and silenced by the robbers ere she could give the alarm. They then proceeded to the sleeping apartments of the lady and her children; gagged the mother immediately on her awaking, and poured the vitriol copiously over her face and neck! So extreme was the pain that even the gag was insufficient to stifle her cries of agony. All the children were pinioned and dealt with in the same manner; and then the house was ransacked of everything valuable. The servants were intimidated in the mean time; and eventually the ruffians got safely away with their booty. The wretched mother suffered in such a degree from the pain and terror she had undergone, that she became insane; each of the children was permanently disfigured, and the youngest
