Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-30
THE SICILIAN VENDETTA.
The Notorious Joseph AnieIIO and q
CustOmhOuse Inspector Killed in
New Orleans.

New Orleans.
From the Orleans Picayune, April 81.
For many years there has existed feud
among portion Of the natives Of Palermo
and Messina, Italy, who reside in this city,
and nearly all of whom follow the fruit and
oyster retailing business. This feud has
sometimes complicated itself into quarrels
among the members Of the respective ma
tionalities, with the same fatal result
the killing of some human being in open
daylight, and under the most atrociOus
circumstances. And in every case the
parties TO these tragedies have kept a cul-
pable silence, which even the fear Of a ter
rible reJributiOn has never been able to
break. The courts have ende2vored to sift
some of these complicated quarrels, but
with little result. These men seemed to
have constituted themselves into a sort of
exclusive colony, in which the code of the
vendetta rules supreme, and an utter disre-
gard to the criminal laws of the country has
been the result. In every other respect
they are generally the most laW-abiding
citizens of this community, and withal in
dustriOus and frugal.
From the New Orleans Times of April "a.
Some two weeks ago Capt. Thos. Flana-
gan of the third precinct had reason to be-
lieve that there were signs of an intended
bloody affair amongst the Sicilians infesting
the vicinity Of the French market. Their
leaders appeared continually armed with
horse pistols and shot guns and this was
soon followed by almost every Sicilian
whenever they went TO or from the mark
ct.
About 10 o'clock A. NJ. Saturday a diff.
Guilty originated between a party of Sicili-
ans, at the head of St. Philip street, and as
usual blunderbusses and horse pistols were
used. Joseph Aniello, the well known as
sasin, was instantly killed on board the
schooner Mischief, and a customhouse Of
ficer,a colored man named Joseph s. Soude,
mortally wounded.
Joseph or Giuseppe Aniello is no stranger
TO The readers Of the Times. He has been
engaged in almost every Sicilian atfray or
murder. Our readers will recoilect that
when Clark was shot near the POydras
market by a stray shot, Aniello was there.
When Banana and the other Sicilian were
murd red in 1868, at the French market,
the murdeIers were Salvatore Rosa and
Joseph AniellO. The former died in the
parish prison horrible death. The latter
could not be tried as there was not evidence
enough to convict him; all the Sicilians re-
fused to swear or at least testify against
him
Then comes the murder of Rosario
Dimichelli by Vincente Simondelli at Con-
60 Square, in March, 1869. At the trial,
whom should we find the main witness for
the defence but Joseph Aniello. He had
been present at the murder, and also pres
ent when the murdered mans family em-
barked for Italy on the levee, in the Third
district, and were attacked by band ofas-
sassins.
4 few months ago Aniello was wounded
in an ARRAY on Dryades street, and as it
was thought, fatally. But he recovered
and now falls victim to the same bloody
vendetta, for which he has committed
murder often, and every time unpublished.
He was a man Of unusually powerful
frame, snd resided at No. 65 st. Philip
street for the last five or six years.
He was born in Palermo, Sicily, and was
about 40 years of age. When he was
wounded on Dryades street some time AGO.
an affidavit was made against his assailant.
But hardly was Aniello in fair way Of re.
covery when be sent his wife to his attor-
ney, and ordered him to withdraw the
prosecution, declaring that he would fix his
enemy himself
There is a rumor that a son OF Dimi-
eh Lii, who was killed by Simondelli, was
engaged in the murder of Aniello, and the
police is now in search of him.