Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-10-20
THE MURDEROUS MAFlA.
A Reign of Terror by Italian
.-s. Assassins Ended.
HUNTING HENNEssY's sLAYERs.

chants Tcrrorixed and BIacImailed for
Yoars-What Honnosay Knew.
NEW ORLEANS. Oct. e0.-The Malta, the
secret Italian association to whose man
date the murder Of Superintendent Hes
messy is generally ascribed, has been
known to exist ia this city for many years
Hennessy is It's first American victim, ita
operations heretofore having been cor.
fined exclusively TO the Italian colony.
Murder with it has been merely a means
by which members OF the society have been
able to levy blackmail Nearly every
prominent merchant in the city has been
compelled from time to time to pay money
to these scoundrels under fear OF assassina-
tion II they refused
Tho ProyoiGano Prosecutions.
It was not until the attempt last spring
on tho part Of the Provenzano gang to put
their business rivals, the MaaranEas, out OF
the way that anything like { true exposi
ton Of the methods and operations Of the
society became known Some Of the
italian merchants who had been snbioeted
10 constant demands from the Mafa saw
in this feud an opportunity 10 escape from
the thralldom IN which they were held
They subscribed largo sums for the pro
zcCuhon Of the Proven2anos for the mur
derous midnight assault upon tho Matranzs
party, which in the particulars of lying ii
wan and the deadly volley furnishes 4
close parallel to the more successful at.
tempt upon the life Of Superintendent
Hennessy.
afnha Secrets Disclosed.
The Provenaanos and their friends. six
in number, were tried and found guilty
but they have secured a new triad. One OF
the singular features Of the trial was the
evidence, furnished by the defense, that
the Provenaanos themselves had been pur-
sued for years by the Mafa. For the first
time in this city, and then only because the
men were on trial for their lives aud the
evidence was expected to produce a senti-
ment in their favor, was a document ema.
mating from the Mafia given to the public
A sample Letter.
The Provenzanos had received many Of
these demands upon their purses, some Of
which we're presented to the jury. Fol
lowing IS a sample letter:
NEW ORLEANS September, 1886
To Vincent provenzano and Brother We beg
of You 20 bring its s1.u00 u the Old Lake at the
liAitt manu- sue. NtleFe F0N Will nnu men walt
ing for IT, Let the party WHO brings il wear a
white handkerchief on his hat. In this way we
viii know him. Nou have three days ii which
70 bring IL II within that time you have not
brought the money at your first opportunity we
viii murder you and your brother. Good-by.
Hennessy Knew Too Much.
The death oil Superintendent HennesHv
is believed to be due to his connection
with this case. He arrested the Proven
zanos but it was known that he had
damaging testimony against the Me
tranzas, who were the prosecutors ia this
instance. Il was also known that he pos.
sessea many Of the secrets Of the Malta.
and had in his possession evidence in the
shape of official papers from Italy Much
OF what he knew was carried to the grave
with him, and Immediately upon his death
all his papers were put under seal. Speak
ing Of the dead chief, George Vandervoort,
his private secretary says:
Hennessy Warmed Them.
'He was the best informed man in the
country, outside Of the Malta, concerning
its organization and methods. When
trouble first arose between the Proven.
zanos and Matranzas, he sent for both
factions and told them that he was per.
sonal friend of the leaders on each side
but that in his official capacity he knew no
friendship, and IL they committed any acts
OF violence he would prosecute the guilty
parties. Joe Macheca, one Of the men now
under arrest, was present at the interview
The men promised on their sacred honor
that the matter would drop there.
- short time afterward the shooting Of
the Matranzas occurred. Before daylight
the same morning Superintendent Hen
messy had every one of the suspected par
ties in Jail. He collected all the testimony
against them and furnished all the wit
nesses in the prosecution of the case.
He Would Have Exposed Them.
1T was the intention OF the LAWYERS for
the Proyenzsnos in the new trial. which Is
set for next Wednesday, to have placed
Superintendent Hennessy on the witness
stand. lie would have given a complete
expose of the Malta and the local vendetta
1t was no doubt a knowledge Of this fact
that caused the laying OF plans to put Mr..
Hennessy out Of the way. or the many
parties arrested for the murder four have
been identified as having been seen shoot
ing at him that night. These are Antonio
Bagnetto, Antonio Scotfidi, Bastiana In
candana and one other
Another Of the prisoners is pietro Mas
tero, the man who occupied the shanty
near or in which the assassins were con
cealed, and which was rented for him by
Joe Macheca two months ago.
The men who did the deed were tools
hired for the occasion by the Matranzas.
Vitrano, who was killed on st. Philip
street last summer, was witness for the
Proyenzanos in the case then about to
come TO trial Nitrano was assassnated
by the same kind Of gun used to murder
Hennessy. Joe Macheca, close friend OF
the Matranzas, was personal enemy OF
Hennessy."
An Important Arrest.
An important arrest was made last night
in the person Of Manuel polatek Tho
police claim to have positive information
that he fired the gun that did such fatal
execution on the night Of the murder The
assassin who fired the gun at the discharge
OF which Hennessy fell, stumbled as he
ran off and came in contact with the gutter
curbing. Polatek's right ear is badly
mangled, as 10y fall, and his arm is seri-
ously bruised. officer Cooper who pur-
sued the assassins some distance, positively
identifies Polatek as the man who fell
down while running away.