The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-18
Mob Law at New Orleans.
ELEVEN ITALIANS LYNCHED IN REvBNGR
FOR HENNEssY's DEATH.

were charged with the murder of Chief
Of Police Hennessy of New Orleans ON Oc-
tober 10 gave their verdict last Friday after
noon finding mistrial in the cases of Po-
lietz, Monastero and Scaffedi and pronounce
ing the other six not guilty. This created
great dissatisfaction in the city, and the
jurors on leaving the courtroom were hooted
by the crowd. Saturday morning, after
mass meeting, mob, composed OF leading
as well as others, broke in the
prison door and shot to death or hung six Of
the prisoners, besides FIVE who were sus-
pected Of completely in the murder but were
not tried. When the deed had been done,
the crowd dispersed, and no other violence
was done.
The indignation meeting was called
through the papers, and the last sentence
of the call was Come prepared for action"
The meeting began at ten o'clock at the
Clay statue. At least 5000 people were
present Fall in Fall in! " was the cry,
and the crowd formed procession which
went around the railing several times.
Then W. S. Patterson, prominent lawyer,
addressed the crowd. He said that he
faced the people of New Orleans to de-
nounce the infamous act which was con-
sequent upon the most revolving crime in
the criminal annals of any community.
That act was the finding of the jury in the
murder trial, and that crime was the foul
assassination Of Chief Hennessy. 81 desire
neither fame nor glory" said Mr.. Parker
son. " / am plain American citizen, and
as a good citizen, / am here" John g.
Wickliffe followed in the same strain, when
some one cried Shall we get our guns2"
" Yes, yesl get your guns" said Mr.. Park
erson. Get your guns and meet us in
Congo square Immediately" Guns had
,,rs.en stored in building, and they were
given cut to responsible men. Then the
mob advances on the prison, one of the
doors of which was pI2ken in with piece
OF wood used as batterlhk.fan. The
crowd surged in, and the prison pthclals
effected, the Italians had been taken to the
women's side OF the prison. This fact was
soon learned, and the door was opened with
key. An old negro woman said the Ital-
ians were upstairs. Upstairs rushed the
armed men, but the prisoners were now in
the yard below. There they were at last
found trembling and begging for mercy.
But no mercy was shown them. Their
bodies were ridded with bullets. The
names OF the dead men were, Joseph
Macheca, Manuel Polietz, Antonio Marchesi,
Antonio Scoffedi, Antonio Bagnetto, Rocco
Geracci, James Caruso, Loretto Comtez,
Pietro Monosterio, Louis Trahina, Frank
Romero. All the prisoners but three who
were on trial were killed. Marchesi,
Macheca and Scotfed ran upstairs from the
yard and were killei in cells. The bodies
of Ragnetto and Polietz, besides being filled
with bullets, were hung to posts. After
the work had been done, meetings of the
Cotton Exchange, Board of Trade, Sugar
Exchange and Stock Exchange were held,
at which resolutions approving the act were
adopted.
The assassination OF Chief Hehnessy was
undoubtedly due to his determination to
break up the Malta 1t occurred in a we'll
settled neighborhood, and number of peo-
Pile saw the assassination, but, with the ex-
ception of Mr.. Peeler, who lived opposite
Hennessy's house, they were unable to
identify any one of the number OF Italians
who were soon afterward arrested. Peeler
identified three men who were Sicilian
fruit dealers. On October II Antonio Scat
hda, identified as one of the assassins OF
the chief of police, was shot down in prison
by Thomas II. Duffy, aged twenty-eight,
newspaper carrier, who said that If the
Italian died he was willing to hang. 81
only wish" he said, " there were about
seventy five more men like me-" That
night the police searched the house of one
of the men arrested for the murder, and
found what appeared to be a detailed plan
to assas sinate all city and state officers who
acted counter to the wishes of the Malta.
The trial of the accused men began on Feb
ruary 16. On Saturday, February 2S, Man
uel Polietz, one Of the men who had been
identified as doing the actual shooting, was
found TO be greatly excited. He finally
arose and addressed TIE Judge in rapid
zones. He asked for an interpreter, and
when taken into the judges private Office,
evidently made confession, as his counsel,
ON again appearing In the courtroom, an
nounced that he could no longer defend
folletZ. Bagnetto and Scoffedi were identi-
iieu as having been at the shooting, and
Scoffedi, POLITE, Sinceri and Natal were
recognized as the men who stole away in
the darkness. One of the chief causes of
public Indignation in connection with the
Mafia trial has been the belief that the 30
clety depends on bribery to procure the re-
lease of the accused. 1t has been asserted
that $50 900 or 800 900 were contributed by
Italians all over the country to be used as a
corruption fund. Detective O'Malley, who
Secured the verdict, got out of the way as
soon as possible.
Secretary Blaine has written letter to
Governor Nichols, saying that the minister
OF Italy represents that at least three of the
victims of the massacre were Italian citi-
lens and asking that the governor maintain
the obligations of the United States to the
Italian subjects in New Orleans.
The Italian minister, Baron Fovaf has
been commercially active in quietinR she
excited Italians in the large cities of the
country. He sent word to the consuls 10
use their utmost influence in inducing their
Ceuntrymen to show dignified calm and
strictly legal behavior In spite Of this,
however, the Italians are very violent III
tnelr language. An ltallau paper at Cnl-
6ago issued an extra edition on Monday,
largely devoted to editorials denouncing the
mob. A committee of twelve Italians
passed through Pittsburg, Penn, on their
way to Washington, to see President Harri-
son and the italian minister. This commit
tee had fire in their eyes. One Of them said;
:" If the Italians in other cities will follow
our example, there will be raised in few
DAYS a fund of 100000 TO aid the work of
securing justice or revenge. | believe the
killing at New Orleans will result in war,
but if the Italian government does not force
TO a complete and satisfactory issue the
reparation necessary, | will say now that
an army of Italians will assemble in New
Orleans which will fully and effectually
avenge the murder of our countrymen."
When asked what the Italian government
could do, if it We're disposed to fight, this
man said why, sir, Italy has such navy
that if she so chose, she could station her
vessels four miles from land and ruin your
coast cities Italy has one hundred eighty
or more vessels Of war. You see what she
could do?" President Harrison has sent
his profound regrets TO the Italian govern
ment, and has also informed 1t that he has
charged the governor OF Louisiana to guard
the Italian residents of New Orleans, and to
bring the assassins to justice