Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-21
PASSION CALMS DOWN
Among the New Orleans Italians
Over the Recent Lynching.
THE CRUSHING OF THE MAFIA
Will Prove of Much Benefit to All Honest
Italians There.
LEADERS CONDEMN FIERY MEETINGS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPATcH.I

rrECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATCH.i
NEW ORLEANS, March 20.-The situa-
tion here, as far as the Italians are con-
cerned, is very much improved, in conse-
quence of the good sense and discretion OF
the italian residents of the city. For the
first few days after the lynching the Italians
said nothing. and it was impossible to get
one Of them to talk on the subject. Signor
Pasquale Corte, the Italian Consul, while in
terfering in behalf of his fellow countrymen,
was so dignifed and gentlemanly in his
manner and so free from any clustering as
to be complimented by the New Orleans
press.
The Italians of this city are now talking,
and talking calmly and with good sense,
about the situation. Mr.. Zucci, who is
man of great weight with the Italians. dis
Germs distinction between the Sicilians
and italians. He thinks that the United
States ought to pay an indemnity for the
men killed by the mob, but he recognizes
that there were some undesirable elements
in the Italian population who stood IN tine
way of others, and he believes that last
Saturda VS. affair will get rid of them, and
that it will benefit the italian colony in the
end. At the same time, he holds that it was
unjustifable in every way.
Indignation Meetings Mistake.
Mr.. Lamantia, former Consul, thinks it
mistake for the Italian population to take
up the case OF the men who were slain, and
that 20, 900 orderly and law-abiding citizens
should not suffer because of the offense OF
few. He thinks the mass meetings at New
York, Chicago and elsewheres, unwise and
unnecessary, and that it would have been
better for the Italians OF these cities to have
waited for expressions of opinion from the
New Orleans Italians before adopting such
fierce resolutions as they did.
Such are the views expressed by these
gentlemen and by number of the proml-
nent Italians here. Most OF them believe
that some of the men killed Saturday were
guilty and others innocent. While they
think the authorities were crinlnally negll-
gent in their failure to prutect prisoners,
they recognize that the affair has put
quietus to tine Malta and will crush out the
criminal classes of the Sicilians in New
Orleans. They believe in the Mafia. Most
OF them have received threatening letters
from it, and have been blakmailed by it, or
an attempt made to blackmail them.
The Honest Italians Benefited.
They recognize also that the Italian col
onv here has suffered from this criminal
element; that its leading members have been
heeced and blackmailed like Mr.. Onorato
and kept in terror of their lives, and that
has thrown discredit on the entire colony,
which is peaceable, law-abiding and indus
trious, but which is held responsible for the
deeds OF few of its members, who have
more or less terrorized their felIow-citizens.
One of the results of the action OF the
mob, therefore, will be, they think, to put
the Italian colony on a better basis.
The killing of the prisoners has fright
ened a number of Italians away from the
city, and other friends or relatives of the
men accused of the Hennessey assassination
were advised by the Italian Consul to leave
town until the affair blew over. 1t is be-
lieved, however, that the colony will be in
a better status; that it will soon recover
from the shock and that the italian immi-
grafton here will soon resume its former
large proportions. =
Altogether they are disposed to take an
encouraging view of the situation and have
done much to calm the excitement and
passion of their fellow citizens. There will
be no mass meeting Of Italians here, but it
is probable that more of them will talk, now
that the leaders have started and expressed
their opinions.