Document text
Interview by John Lynch
Edited by Mari Tamest and Roaldus Richmond
Recorded in
IXkr!',J; 4, in Files
DATE:
Kepi 0.1ac454
CORTI'S LAST CHRISTMAS
The old Italian turned on the park bench and pointed to
the Robert Burns Memorial that stood on a green slope in front
of Spaulding High School, overlooking the city park and bus-
iness streets. It had grace and dignity, a life-size figure
of Burns in gray Barre granite* It is said to be the finest
memorial in the world to the famous Seetdh poet, and the finest
example of granite cutting that ever cams from Barre.
'Yes„" the Italian said, puffing at his pipe. "Rhind from
Edinburgh, Scotland, designed that monument. Ho felt bad not
to get the contract to oarve it, too. He died without seeing
the finished piece. The two men who carved it I knew well.
Eli Corti did the carving on those panels in the base. Del-
icate carving, it is. Beautiful. But you got to go close to
see how beautiful* They are scenes from Burns' poetry. His
business partner, Sam Novelli, carved the statue. Great carvers,
those two. The Scotch of Barre gave the memorial to the city
in 1899."
The old Italian's fame, weather -browned and wrinkled, smiled
in the warm sun. He was dressed in clean khaki pants and brown
shirt, "I come out to the park lots when it's nice sun in the
summer. I like to sit her* and meet my old friends and talk.
"I know most everybody in town. In the old days I ran a
grocery store. Now my boy owns one. I sold tobacco, fruit,
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and eoft drine. Lots of fruit in those days, business was
good. 1:e pointed down Nein .-atreet. "My store was 'way down
there.X The store days are done for me now. My legs are gone
bad.' i.e took a few puffs from his pipe.
"Corti I knew well. ;.e wore friends. he came in my store
a lot. „tiot, 1.:e was. Just a small, tIlin follow. People talk
riore about him now than when he was alive. Lots of times they
do that way with a man. That fellow Garetto who shot him lived
horc for geite a while after he got out of jail. Ten to twelve
years of hard labor at Vindsor Le got, but I don't think he
stayed that long. Ye came back to Barre and went to work.
Blacksmith* be was, a tool -sharpener. he worked in the shed
for a biE, company here win the trouble started. he never made
trouble again. I knew Geretto, too. A happy man all the time.
I think he never meant to shoot Corti. he Lad no reason. Only
thing is--Garetto carried a pistol, he got excited, and he
sot.hot-head stuff. Crazy for a minute and sorry all the
time after. A few yeare ago he end his wife went back to Italy.
"ry friend Corti. was born In u little town near rilan,
Italy. he leerned the cerving trede there. some nay he studied
at the Peale Academia of Arts, some say no. he never told me.
Ye was no great talker. Anyway, he was a fine carver when he
came to America in 1890. he got married and had three children'
e became a junior partner in his firm. A granite statuary
firm.
The trouble started between the socialists and anarchists.
It was an old feud tat started when the socialists built a
block on Oranite Street for their meetines. Garetto was a soce
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Lanst. A man named Berrati owned a socialist newspaper '1
Proletario in New York. He called the anarchists some bad
names. Anyway, one Saturday night in 1903 Barrett was claming
to give a speech in this socialist building. He didn't get
thereat? o'clock sharp, so some of the men they began to
holler and yell. There were lots of anarchists at the meeting,
too. It was advertised for every laboring man to come. The
noise got wore., and some of the men got mad. The excitement
was at a mad point. Then this Oaretto, he pulled out a gun
a .32. The men told him to stop. Corti was standing by the
door. Not yelling, not even talking, they say. Anyways'Oer-
etto fired two shots. One it a man named Vochini under the
arm. Not a bad wound. The other hit Corti in the stomach.
The men threw Oaretto down the stairs, Pe ran to the judge's
office for protection. All banged -up he was. The police got
him there.
'At half -past ten that night they brought Corti to the
Yontpeller hospital in an ambulanoe. The polio, took Oaretto,
caught up with the ambulance, and took him in front of Corti.
Corti said: 'That's the man.' Fe said it twice, and SUM Hav-
ant, Corti's partner, got mad and made a grab for Garetto.
Sam and Corti were good partners and good friends. Chief Brown
had to hold Novelli from taking his own revolver and using it
on Oaretto.
*Three doctors helped with the operation on Corti. But
no good. The wound was like McKinley's. The bullet entered
the stomach, went through both walls, just touched the liver
and settled in his back. The doctors couldn't find the bullet,
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and Corti died at midnight. Only thirty-four years old.
"Corti was buried next day. Yonday. When he was dying
he cave orders for his funeral. lie said he wanted to be buried
right away, and he didn't want a band at his funeral. The fun-
eral was held from his home. I remember the street outside
wan filled with fiarre people. Not only hie friends. Anarchists,
socialists, everybody, i.e Was buried in hope Cemetery. The
L;onurdent, thoy set up over Corti's grave getu more notice today
than any other one in the cemetery. It is a statue of Corti
carved by his broter. Fe looks alive. "F•:verything is perfect'
bow tie, t1.e buttons on hIs shoes, the wrinkles in his suit.
1-eside him, carved flom granite too, are his stone -working tools.
a stone 111,o that Corti will not be forgotten1 If he coati
rse it he'd be proud of his brother for cutting such a piece.
The old it4lian drew out a bit,blue handkerchief and wiped
his sun -warmed brow. he skid a little hositantl:7; "sow I will
tell you something maybe you won't believe. I don't blame you.
.ThrJstires I don't believe it myself. nometimes I tLink it is
in my head I saw the picture, not in my eyeti. All the day before
Christmas that year after Corti was shot, I worked in my store,
Tat night we heard that Garetto was sentenced to Windsor. I
left the store just before midnight. I was going to a party
at a•friend's house. I walked up that street you see goes by
the nurns !:omorial on the left. It was snowing and not many
people were out on the street, Ihen I got close to the statue
3UW a man there. It W115 Corti, plain an day I saw hi. Just
standing there, Lis head down a little, and looking at those
panels he carved. SA, 1 -Le looked, standing thee In the snow.