What is the Land of Horror?

In another scene from the Land of Horrors, Spirit Franchezzo stops at the door of a large square building, arrested by the cries and shouts, which come from it.

Its grated windows looked like a prison.

Following the sounds, he soon came to a dungeon cell. 

Here Spirit Franchezzo found a large group of spirits surrounding a man who was chained to the wall by an iron girdle round his waist. 

The man's wild glaring eyes, dishevelled hair and tattered clothing suggested that he had been there for many years, while the hollow sunken cheeks and the bones sticking through his skin told that he was dying of starvation, yet Spirit Franchezzo knew that here there was no death―no such relief from suffering. 

Near him stood another man with folded arms and bowed head.   

His wasted features and skeleton form, scarred with many wounds, made him an even more pitiable object than the other, though he was free while the other was chained to the wall. 

Around them both danced and yelled other spirits―all wild and savage and degraded.

All were at the same work―throwing sharp knives at the chained man that never seemed to hit him, shaking their fists in his face, cursing and reviling him, yet never able to actually touch him. 

All the time there he stood chained to the wall―unable to move or get away from them. 

And there stood the other man silently watching him.

Spirit Franchezzo became conscious of the past history of these two men―

He saw the one who was chained to the wall in a handsome house like a palace and knew he had been one of the judges sent out from Spain to preside over the so-called courts of justice, which had proved additional means for extorting money from the natives and oppressing all who sought to interfere with the rich and powerful. 

Spirit Franchezzo saw the other man who had been a merchant living in a pretty villa with a very beautiful wife and a little child. 

This woman had attracted the notice of the judge who conceived an unholy passion for her, and on her persistently repulsing all his advances, he made an excuse to have the husband arrested on suspicion by the Inquisition and thrown into prison. 

He carried off the woman and so insulted her that she died and the child was strangled by his order.

The merchant lay in prison, ignorant of the fate of his wife and child and of the charge under which he had been arrested, growing more and more exhausted from the scanty food and the horrors of his dungeon and more and more desperate from the suspense.

At last he was brought before the council of the Inquisition, charged with heretical practices and conspiracy against the crown and on denial of these charges was tortured to make him confess and give up the names of certain of his friends who were accused of being his accomplices. 

And the man, bewildered and indignant, and still protesting his innocence was sent back to his dungeon and there slowly starved to death―the judge not daring to set him free, knowing well that he would make the city ring with the story of his wrongs and his wife's fate when he should learn it.

And so this man died, but he did not join his wife―she had passed with her innocent child into the higher spheres. 

She had even forgiven her murderer, for such he was though he had not intended to kill her.

When this wronged husband died, his soul could not leave the earth. 

It was tied there by his hatred of his enemy and his thirst for revenge. 

His own wrongs he might have forgiven, but the fate of his wife and child had been too dreadful. 

He could not forgive that. 

His spirit clung fast to the judge, seeking for the chance of vengeance. 

It came at last, and devils from Hell clustered round the wronged spirit and taught it how through the hand of a living being it could strike the assassin's dagger to the judge's heart―when death severed the body and the spirit he could drag that down with him to Hell. 

So terrible had been this craving for revenge, nursed through the waiting years of solitude in prison, that his wife's gentle soul was shut out by the wall of evil drawn round the unhappy man and he deemed that she was lost to him.

The earthly body died but the immortal soul lived and awakened to find itself in Hell, chained to a dungeon wall as he had chained his victim and face-to-face with him at last.

There were others whom the judge had wronged and sent to death to gratify his anger or to enrich himself at their expense.  

These all gathered round him and made his awakening a Hell indeed. 

Yet such was this man's indomitable strength of will that none of the blows aimed at him could touch him―none of the missiles strike.  

Through all the years these two deadly enemies had faced each other, pouring out their hatred and defiance while those other spirits, like the chorus of a Greek tragedy, came and went and amused themselves devising fresh means to torment the chained man whose strong will kept them at bay.

Spirit Franchezzo drew near the sullen man who was growing tired of his revenge and whose heart was longing for the wife he loved so passionately. 

Spirit Franchezzo touched him on the shoulder, saying― 

Friend, I know why you are here and the cruel story of your wrongs. 

I am sent from her you love to tell you that in the bright land above she awaits you, wearying that you do not come and marvelling that you can find revenge sweeter than her caresses. 

She bids me tell you that you chain yourself here when you might be free.

 

The spirit started as he spoke and turned to Franchezzo, grasping his arm and gazing long and earnestly into his face as though to read there whether he spoke truly or falsely.  

He sighed as he drew back, saying― 

Who are you and why do you come here? 

You are like none of those who belong to this awful place and your words of hope, yet how can there be hope for the soul in Hell?

There is hope even here, for hope is eternal and God in his mercy shuts none out from it, whatever man in his earth-distorted image of the divine teachings may do. 

I am sent to give hope to you and to others who are like you in sorrow for the past. 

If you will but come with me, I can show you how to reach the Better Land.

Spirit Franchezzo saw him hesitate and a bitter struggle went on in the man's heart, for he knew that it was his presence, which kept his enemy a prisoner―that if he were to go the other would be free to wander through this Dark Land and even yet he could hardly let him go.  

Spirit Franchezzo spoke again of his wife―his child―would he not rather go to them?  

The strong passionate man broke down as he thought of those loved ones and burying his face in his hands wept bitter tears.  

Spirit Franchezzo put his arm through his and led him unresisting out of the prison and out of the city.  

Here Spirit Franchezzo found his spirit friends awaiting them. 

He left him with them that they might bear him to a bright land where he would see his his wife from time to time until he had worked himself up to the level of her sphere, where they would be united forever in a happiness more perfect than could ever have been their lot on earth.