River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-03-19
THEIR WRATH FELT.
The Murder of Chief Hennessy,
at New Orleans, Avenged.
Indignant at Their AcquittaI the In
flu lated Populace Rises in Its Might
and Lynches Eleven of His Al
legged Assassins.
TERRIBLE SCENES.

are believed to have relentlessly slain
David c. iennessy, and there are now
eleven men desd who were happy Fri
day over their victory in the greatest
criminal trial the city has ever wit
messed. 1t was not an unruly, mid
night mob. 1t was simply a sullen, de-
termined body of citizens who took
into their own hands what justice had
/ ANONYMOUSLY failed to do.
The correct list of the men shot is as
follows: Joseph Macheca, Manuel
Politz, Antonio Marchesi Antonio
Scoffedi, Antonio Bagnetto, Rocco
Gerachi, James Caruso, Loretto
Comitez Pietro Monasterio, Louis Ira
nina and Frank Romero. The boy,
Marchesi Matranga. and Incerdona, who
had been acquitted, were spared.
The chief of police was slain Oct Der
Il, and that very night the evidence be-
gan to accumulate, showing that his
death had been deliberately banned by
a secret tribunal and carried out boldly
and successfully by the tools of the
conspirators. The trial lasted twenty
/ five days, and though the evidence
seemed conclusive, the jury-currently
charged with having been tempered
with-failed to convict Friday night
body of cool-headed men, lawyers, doe
tors, merchants and political leaders. all
! persons of influence and social stand
ing, quietly met and decided that some
action must be taken and justice swift
and sure visited upon those whom the
jury had neglected to punish. Saturday
morning a call for a mass-meeting at
Clay square on Canal street appeared
in the papers. which editorially depre-
Gated violence.
At 10 o'clock there was crowd of
several thousand anxious people con-
gregated ,-round the Clay statue. They
hardly knew what was going to hap
pen, but they seemed ready to go to
any length, and, while there were, of
course, many of the lower element in
the throng, a large proportion were the
leading people of the town w. ). Park
erson, the leader, is prominent lawyer
here, the president of the Southern
club. aud the man who led the
vigorous city reform movement three
years ago Walter d. Deneger, another
of the speakers is one of the leaders of
the New Orleans bar John &. Wick
illtc. dnOlucT AtdtlcE, - also
nent attorney, and James ID. Houstan,
another, is one of the foremost men of
1 the state.
Mr.. Parkerson spoke first He said
that once before he had appeared be-
fore the people in grand mass meeting
assembled to discuss matters vital to
the interest of the community, and
again he faced the people of New
/ Orleans to denounce the most infamous
act which was consequent upon the
most revolving crime in the criminal
annals of any community. That act
was the finding of the jury in the muir
der trial and that crime was, as every
body knew. the foul assassination of
the chief of police. Il desire neither
fame nor name nor glory" said Mr.
I Parkerson. Il am plain American
citizen. and as such and as a good citi-
zen | am here.
The crowd was yelling itself hoarse.
\ Fury ungovernable was evident
| throughout that immense assemblage,
/ which, by that time, numbered fully
/ eighty thousand people. shall you
/ protect YOURSELF" Yes" SELF
/ preservation is the first law
Of nature This is the time
/ for action, not talk" Lets
go. let's co. Come on. Wycliffer'
Come on, ParkersOn.' eve are
readyr'-were some of the cries which
escaped from the throng.
Mr. Wycliffe then spoke, and as he
concluded there was just the slightest
momentary lull in the storm. Then
some one yelled:
''Shall we get our guns?"
ayes. yes, get your guns" said Mr..
Parl1erson. Get your guns and meet
us in Congo square Immediately.
Loud cheers were given as Mr.. Parker
son and the other gentlemen
moved down the steps. Then
an ominous silence reigned, and
the steady tramp, tramp of men fall
ing into line and marching along was
heard and the crowd followed the lead
ers along Canal street TO Rampant.
They marched down Rampant to place
where weapons were obtained and then
Congo square was in sight.
The parish prison was reached at
1890 o'cloch. The wooden door on
Marais street was broken in with
Z lti ~ DlAAtl VI NoOu uNtQ dS ~ tdld pull
and heavy rocks were also poured
against il. After the door had been brolI-
en- down there was wild rush for en-
trance. The inside gate was
thrown open and the several deputies
who were in the lobby gave way.
The inmates of the jail were ready to
direct the way to where the Italians
were. GO to the female department"
some one yelled, and hither the men
with their Winchesters ran. But the
door was locked. In a moment the
key was produced. Then the leader
called for some one who knew the
right men and volunteer responded
and the door was thrown open. The gal
lery was deserted, but an old woman,
speaking as fast as she could, said the
men were upstairs. A party of seven
or eight quickly assembled the stair
case and as they reached the landing
the assassins fled down at the other
end. Half dozen followed them.
Scarcely word was spoken. 1t
was time for action. When the
pursued and their pursuers reached the
stone courtyard the former darted
toward the Orleans side of the gallery
and crouched down beside the cells,
their faces blanched, and, being un-
armed, they were absolutely defense
less. In fear and trembling they
screamed for mercy But the avengers
were merciless. Bang. bang, bang!
rang out the reports of the murderous
weapons and a deadly rain of bullets
poured into the crouching figures.
Gerachi, the closest man. was struck
in the back of the head and his body
pitched forward and lay immovable on
the stone pavement. Romero fell to
his knees with his face in his hands,
and in that position was shot to death.
Monasterio and James Caruso fell to-
gether under the fire of half a dozen
guns, the leaden pellets entering their
bodies and heads, and the blood gush-
ing from the wounds
The bloody executioners did their
work wen. and beneath the continuing
fire Comitez and Trahina, two of the
men who had not been tried, but who
were charged jointly with the other ac-
cu~ed fell together. Their bodies We're
literally riddled with bullets, and they
were stone dead almost before the fusil
lade was over When the group of
assassins was discovered on the gallery
Maeheca, Seoffedi and old man Mar
chest separated from the other six and
ran lfpStairS