Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-10-26
off the victim and demanding ran

there are the bodies to show for them.
These number thirty in all in the past six
teen years. Nearly all the crimes were
committed in the same way, and under the
same circumstances, showing if any evil
dence to that effect was needed that they
were committed by the same gang OF men.
The gang chosen for a murder generally
numbers five or six ''greenhorns,n that is
newly arrived immigrants, who, IT is re-
ported are paid from S25 TO 500 cash for
their work. The men are perfect strangers
to their victim. He is pointed out to them,
and they are told that they must kill him.
There is no hurry or impotence. The
work is done carefully and deliberately,
with every precaution taken TO prevent de-
lection, and the assaSsins may wait a month
for favorable opportunity. They want a
dark, rainy night, Just such night as Hen
nessey was killed on. They completely sur
round their victim, men being stationed at
every corner so that there will be no chance
for him TO escape or for assistance 10 come
to him.
THE WEAPON OF THEIR CRIMES.
The Italian assassin of New Orleans has
long since abandoned the stilletto Occa-
sionally the banana knife, more effective
weapon, is used; but the blunderbuss or
sawed-off musket is the favorite 1t is OBJ
iectionable in this, that it makes noise
and alarms the police, but il has the merit
that it never fails. In the long list of men
thus attacked, there is only one instance of
the victim escaping alive, and in this the
Matranga case both Matranga and Caruso
were riddled with balls, and under ordi-
nary circumstances would have lost their
lives, but instead only lost their legs.
The sawed OFF or folding musket is an old
double barreled shot gun, the barrel of
which is filed off TO the length of about fif-
teen inches. The stock is also removed,
and another fitted to it with a hinge. The
weapon, therefore, is like claspknife,
three feet or more in length, but when
closed only fifteen inches. The Italian
using it can easily conceal the gun in his
coat or pants, effectually hiding il. When
it is ready for use, he opens it and he has a
double barreled musket, which will shoot
further and better than revolver. This
is loaded to the muzzle with rough slugs,
which scatter in firing, and which tear the
victim badly. Nearly all of the men killed
by the Stopagherra have been found with
from six TO ten fatal wounds.
In twenty of these assassinations of late
years in New Orleans, the police have made
no arrests, and there was no evidence of
any kind attainable as TO the cause of death
or the identity of the murderers. In num-
Der of cases, the identity of the murdered
man also was not established beyond the
fact that he was an Italian. These police
reports say briefly:
IAN unknown Dago was found killed on
st. Philip street; eight or ten wounds
murderers unknown; supposed to be ven
detta."
They found one of these men cut to pieces
on the Pontchartrain shell road, so multi
ated as to be incapable of Identification and
the body covered with brush and wood. In
the case of Giuseppe MailanO, the man
after being murdered had been mutilated,
and coal oil poured over his head and body
burned so as 10 prevent Identification, in
which, however, the murderers failed, for
he was recognized by friends.
The capture of the brigand opposite by
Hennessey in 1851, and his surrender TO the
Italian government resulted in several kill
ings. The Stopagherra determined TO
avenge the betrayal of their cOmrade.
Within few days of the capture of the
brigand, Antonio Lobruso, the man who
had pointed him out, was waylaid and as
sassinated on Exchange alley. The murder
was identical with that of Hennessey. La
brusO was killed about midnight on a dark
night, and the weapons used were the same
folding muskets employed in dispatching
1.-THE chief one of them being found in the
gutter. Three men assisted in dispatching
LabrusO.
ASSASSINATION OF RUFFO.
The great dread in which men who are
supposed to belong TO the Stopagherra are
held by the Italian population of New Or
leans was well shown in the case Of Vim
cente, Ruffo, who was killed here four
years ago.
Ruffo was assassinated in St.Philip street
about midnight. That thoroughfare, how
ever, is densely populated by Italians, and
it so happened that more than dozen saw
the crime committed Yet, when the pub
lie began to investigate the case all the
witnesses became suddenly stricken dumb
and blind. Yes they had seen man Kill
Ruffo, but they could not identify him, and
did not have the slightest idea what he
looked like; could not say how he was
dressed, whether he was tall or short.
Rufro himself, who was MORALLY wounded,
but who lived long enough TO have told the
story. had he wished to, was in such ter
ror of the Stopagherra that on mis- death
bed he positively refused to say who
his murderer was. Nor was there the
slightest suspicion until short time ago,
when the feud or vendetta between the
Provenzanos and Matrangas caused divi-
sion in the Italian ranks. One Rocco Ger
acct, prominent man among the Dagoes,
testified against the ProvenzanOs, where
upon friends of the Provenzanos suddenly
recovered their sight, and declared That IL
was Rocco Geracci who. had murdered
Ruffo in 1856. They remembered him per-
fectly, and could thoroughly identity him
Geracci is now in prison, charged not only
with the killing of RufTO but with being
in the conspiracy against Chief Hennessey
and one of the leaders OF the murder
society.
In the quarrel between the Provenzanos
and the Matrangos, which broke out IN
May of this year, the police saw chance
of getting at the bottom of these assassina-
tons This case, by-the-by, was the only
one in which the assassins failed to Kill
their men. They were waylaid and tired
on, Just as Hennessey was, on dark night
bv a band of six men armed with the same
folding guns. The Matrangos happened to
be in a cart at the time, and this saved
their lives. They were badly wounded,
literally riddled with bullets, but they es-
capped alive, Tony Matrango and Nincente
Caruso being left crippled for life, the for
mer losing leg in the affair.
EFFORTS OF THE POLICE.
The police. by unusual efforts, were able
to get some evidence in this case and TO
MAKE some arrests. Before the trial came
up. however, another assassination follow
ed, the victim being Camille Victoria, one
of the witnesses in the case. IL was re-
markably bold crime, but the police have
not the slightest clew as TO who committed
it. Victoria was playing cards with some
friends in an Italian restaurant and club
house. There were five men at the table
with him and several women and children
around. The room was in the rear of the
house and private alleyway ran back of it,.
Suddenly, the short barrel of folding gun
was thrust in the window, near where Vic
toria sat, and the muzzle placed close TO the
back of his head There was a report, and
the next moment Victorias brains were
scattered over the table and cards and even
over his friends. They sprang up.
a.. all hut a