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Ticino's liberal party, which had finally attained a majority in the pariiament in 1844,
had long stmggled against the Catholic Church, a body which had done all in its power
to promote the electoral victory of the opposition moderates. While the liberals'
success had brought 'pericoli per Vawenire religioso' (dangers for the future of the
clergy),^^ the often overt and violent conflict between church and political party^' had
alienated many of its faithfiil parishioners. The Pozzis were disappointed that their
years of stmggle on the goldfields had profited them little: Stefano complained that,
after years training to be a jeweller, he was reduced to making bread.^* Before many
years had passed, Leonardo, who could no longer tolerate the low profitability of their
business (due, he claimed, to the pressure to extend credit to his compatriots), sold out
of the partnership and set up a business on his own. Stefano and Alessandro, possibly
making use of the money resulting from this sale, purchased two small blocks of land
at Hepbum on 16 August 1859 ~ presumably, the site of their store.
One of the reasons behind Leonardo's decision to set up business on his own
may have been that he was now supporting a wife. His marriage to a young German
girl, Margherita Leichner, had taken place on 22 January 1859, and marked one of the
few occasions where an Italian speaker married a non-English-speaking European.
(The marriage pattems of the Italian-speaking immigrants will be dealt with in more
detail later.) Eighteen years old and ten years his junior, Margherita married Leonardo
at a service celebrated at the Mount Franklin Hotel (ref figure 8). The couple later
purchased the premises in partnership with two friends, Louis Tognini and John Body,
for the sum of 1,000 pounds. With the proceeds of the sale of his eariier partnership,
Leonardo also bought from Tognini a dance hall and billiard room at Hepbum valued
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