The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-05-13
COLD COMFORT. FOR ITALY.
THE NEW ORLEANS GRAND JURY
MAKES ITS REPORT.

It Justifes the Action Of the Citizens in
Summarily Putting to Death the IGatia
Murderers and Finds No Indict-
ments.
New ORLEANS, May 5.-The long de-
iayed report Of the grand jury on the
parish prison-Italian affair last March,
was presented late last evening TO
Judge Mari, in the Criminal Court.
The report, which is very voluminous,
reviews the circumstances connected
with the murder of Chief Hennessey,
the trial of the prisoners and the affair
at the prison, and concludes by justify
ing the citizens, and presents no indict-
ments. The report IS signed by all the
Jurors. The report concludes as fol-
lows:
'.The extended range Of our research
es has developed the existence OF the
secret organization styled Malta The
evidence comes from several sources,
pretty competent in themselves to its
truth, while the fact is supported by
the long record Of blood-cUrdliDg
crimes. 1t being almost impossible to
discover the perpetrators or secure wit
neSseS.
: "We find a general sentiment among
the witnesses. and also IN our inter
course with the people, that the verdict
as rendered by the jury was contrary
to the law and the evidence, and Sc
cured mainly through the designing
and unScrupulouS agents employed for
the special purpose of defeating the
ends of justice.
I'VE are so deeply impressed with the
facts of the case, as partially Summa-
riZed in the foregoing. that the moral
conviction is forced upon us that some
Of the Jurors were subject to a money
influence to control their decision.
Further than this, we may say it ap-
pears certain that at least three, if not
more, Of the jury were so unduly and
5 unlawfully controlled.
sTbe public meeting Of the citizens,
which resulted in the killing, was gen.
eral and spontaneous in its character,
as truly indicating an uprising of the
masses, and we doubt If any power at
: the command of the officers would have
been sufficient to overcome its inten-
tons.
Evidence is before us from official
sources that eleven persons were killed
in the attack on the parish prison. In
the careful examination as to citizen
ship of those men, we find that eight OF
them were beyond-question American
citizens, and another had declared his
intention in this court, which act car
ries with it the renunciation OF allie
glance to his native country.
1T is noteworth fact in connection
with the uprising that no injury was
done to either person or property be-
Yond this one act, which seemed to be
the object of the assemblage at the par
ish prison.
sWe have referred to the large num-
Der of citizens participating in the de-
monstratlon, estimated by judges at
from 5000 to 5000, and regarded as a
spontaneous uprising of the people.
The magnitude of the affair makes it a
difficult task to fix guilt upon any num-
Der Of the participants. In fact, the
act seemed to involve the entire people
of the parish, and the city of New Or
leans, so profuse is their sympathy and
extended their connection with the af-
fair. In view Of this consideration, the
thorough examination Of the subject
has failed to disclose the necessary facts
TO justify this grand jury in presenting
indictments"
NOTHING ELSE WAS EXPECTED.
WASHINGTON, May 6.-The failure
ef the grand jury in New Orleans to
find indictments against the leaders Of
the mob that iynched the Italians in
the parish prison in New Orleans last
March is the general discussion here.
This disposal of the case causes no sur
prise here, for nothing else was expect
ed. Government officials will not talk
about the matter, and the Marquis I'M
peraA refuses to discuss the subject.
At the State Department the attempt
Son the part of the jury to excuse the
inffaction of the law by offSetting it
with the alleged attempts at jury-fix-
ing is deprecated, but there is a well de-
fined opinion that on the whole the out
come of the case Will be beneficial in its
effects upon the turbulent foreign ele-
ments.in the United States, inasmuch
as it will make clear to them the fact
that they cannot rely on treaties to eS-
cape responsibility to the great public
for their unlawful acts.
The report, it is believed, differs in
the matter Of the nationality of the
victims, from thereport of District At
torney Grant, now in the hands of the
attorney general. The grand jury
found tha5 eight of them were natural
lied citizens, and that one had declared
his Intention to become naturalized,
while the District Attorney, it is be-
:lieved, found that one of the victims
was anItalian, but an escaped convict,
an6 that another's nationality was so
ponbtful as to n axe it unsafe to hazard
an opinion. So at its worst, the Ital-
ian complaints will be narrowed down
80 two persons, and one Of them an es-
capped convict.