Two photographs of colportori from The Waldensian Archive in The Centro Culturale in Torre Pellice .
Thanks to these letters , we have the names of many of the men who took on the role of colporteur , such as Francesco Modon , Angelo Castioni , Angelo Deodato and Giovanni Besso . Their work was at times dangerous and they were frequently physically attacked ; sometimes they were simply refused permission by town councils , who were afraid of uprisings . Sometimes the public themselves turned against them – as by having different accents they were viewed as foreigners , not to be trusted , and often considered heretics and excommunicated for selling prohibited publications . In 1884 one colporteur , Adolfo Mazzarini , was even accused of bringing cholera to the town of Brindisi . Another , Ignazio Glorioso , was threatened with death as he travelled around Sicily , but undeterred , he just moved on , going to Caltanisetta , then to Caltagirone and Vittoria . But more than once he was attacked and forced to flee for his life ; he was beaten with sticks , stoned and on one occasion had to be escorted out of a town by a guard for his own safety . These experiences were quite widespread , but even so these men took their vocations seriously and spent time praying for their own safety so that they could continue to work . They documented the positive aspects of their work , too . Selling a book or a Bible to someone was often the first step towards a conversion .
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