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The Milazzo cage
This iron cage containing a human skeleton was discovered by chance on 17 February 1928 by a gang of prisoners who were digging in the area within the enclosure walls of Milazzo Prison in Sicily. The cage was located about 25 cm below the surface.
Along with the skeleton’s bones, covered in earth, were five buttons, three of which were flat and had “Enniskilling 27” written at the bottom, and three towers, with a flag flying from the middle one, in the centre. On the back of each button “Covent Garden” was written. The other two buttons were convex, one bearing an anchor, the other three small cannons in relief. The writing and features of the buttons were studied by some English experts, who established that they came from the uniform worn by soldiers of the 27th “Enniskilling” Regiment. The King of England had sent the regiment to participate in the conflict with Napoleon’s troops in southern Italy, in Calabria to be precise, and in Sicily. In July 1806 the regiment, which had occupied Milazzo Castle, was defeated at Maida in Calabria.
Regarding the identity of the ill-fated soldier who was imprisoned in the cage, the regimental roll reveals that Private Andrew Leonard, aged 25, had been declared a deserter. The highly plausible theory that Private Leonard was condemned to death for desertion and placed in a cage on the castle walls, was confirmed by the forensic investigation carried out by Prof. Giuseppe De Crecchio. The results of the examination of the skeleton confirmed the soldier’s age (about thirty) and his height (about 1.65 m), which corresponded to the information contained in the regimental roll. Since the skeleton’s lower legs, left hand and right forearm and hand were missing, it was supposed that the man’s body was first mutilated and then displayed in the cage.
