Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-10-28
SOCIETY OF ASSASSINS.

From 1865 10 1871 10 Ravenna, Italy, says
the Paris correspondent of the Loudou Ilmes
thilteen persons, belonging to all ranks OF So
clety; from the magistrate down to the COM
mon police agent; were stabbed or shot 10 sue
ccSSiou by individuals who during all these SIX
years succeeded in escaping detection. Several
of these murders, or attempts at murder, were
square of the town, in front of the guard house.
Arrests were made and suspected persons were
kept for months 10 prison. 1t was Impossible
10 catch or discover the crlmInals. Neither the
numerous witnesses of these bloodylscenes, nor
the friends and relations OF the victims, nor
even those of the victims who survived, could
or would denouuce the culprts. A like i'm
lcuetrable mystery then enshrouded the mo.
tive of the asSasslns
The first victim was the Chevalier Monghini,
an ex-director of the National Bauk, who, while
returning home at night, was stabbed with
kuile, the object being to punish him Tor the
difficulties aud obstacles which his refusal to
discount bills had caused to small tradeSmen,
and which had for years given him the NICK
name of "Executioner, &c. tu>conl oebastla,
no. surgeon was coudemned anu murucreu
for not less general reasons. He was charged
with having said at a time when grain was dear
that the owners could dispose vi 1t as adVan'
tageousiy as possible for themselves aud that
the people must suffer hunger to such point
as to be reduced to eat horses litter. Others,
like the Prucuratore Cesare Capper, were as
sassiuated with view Of avcugiug the lmprs-
onment aud long detention OF several members
of the band; others, like the brothers Ta>sinarl,
who were members Of the society, as warning
against the indiScretioDs to which their habltu-
al drunkenness mlght lead.
Last year, wheo all hope OF detecting the
assassin had been abandoned, mau named
Giovanni Resta waited on the Judge lnstruc-
ton at Pistoa, and divulged their names and
orgauization, including the smallest details OF
their procedure during and subsequently to
each assassination. He was the brother OF one
of the criminals, and the conhdant OF most OF
them, aud he remained to the last on the best
terms with the tweDtythree persoos he de-
nouuced, the reason be assigned Tor his dis
closure being that he wished to dlsslpate the
suspicion that his only sou might nave had
murderer for his father,
1t appears from his statement and the nves-
tigation which followed, that nine years ago
society was formed originally numbering no
more than twelve members, which, after Tor
NAL consultation, passed sentences OF death,
which were at first executed tlmidy, but after
ward with bodness derived from u sense OF
impuuity Pistols and guns were sometimes
used, but usually knives, which were deposited
iu chest in the room where they met, and
were spoken of by members as peus. When
the Biaucoui bad to convene the band TO de-
eide on the fate Of a proposed victim, the ex-
preston they used was that they were going
to summon the masters.
Some, at least, of these assasslns were lar
from being the mos, degraded OF men. They
were not devoid of patriotism, and went
through the campaign of 1866 10 the Iyrol
with credit, or like Cavalco Giovanni re-
sponded iu 1867 to Garitaldl's appeal, and fell
bravely at the capture of Monte Rotondo.
Apother characteristic trait Was the kind OF
publicity they gave to their acts. Not satisfied
with executing their victims by daylight IN the
presence OF numerous witnesses, they apprlsed
them of their sentence by anonymous Jefferson
llucarded their room with such inscriptions as
"A furnished room to let." Many persous,
including some of those whose lives were at
tempted, recognized the assasslns repeated y,
but whenever any oil the latter happened TO be
among those taken into custody by the police,
nobody ventured to give evidence against them
aud compaisaut persons were found TO estab
l,.h an aIlbi, such was the terror or completely