Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-16
HOW THE MAFgA WORKS.
Something About the Murder Societies
Sicily and Naples.

Something About the Murder Societies of
Sicily and Naples.
La Malta, the secret organization to whose
Vaccinations the assassination of Chief Hem
messy. which was summarily avenged in New
Orleans Saturday is charged. is composed al
most entirely of Sicilians, and was founded by
an Italian cutthroat named Malta at Palermo n
hundred years ago. The members are for the
mos: part criminals and counterYeiters, and hes
itate at no atroclty.
The organization is based on medieval senti-
ment. 1t is related to the Camorra of Naples
IL Is society confined not to Italians but to
Sicilians the baser kind of Greeks, who brin :
their nationa. customs, their secret societies
and traditions OF murder with them. II a
Siciiian believes that he can provide for the
protection of his person and property wi:hou.
having recourse to law that person is q Mafiosa
He may be a bully, blacImailer. a murderer,
but In whatever he does the public opinion of
Sicily supports him still. The code of ethics
which maintains him is called "omerta," or
manliness.
Not long ago wealthy proprietor was driving
to his home in the neighborhood OF Palermo
Six bullets whizzed by him. None of them hit
him. No complaint was made TO the police,
yet within a few months everybody who had
taken part in the attempted assassination was
himself assassinated. A Malta had attacked a
Matiosa. He was more powerful than his ass,il-
ant. Sicilans Justify these crimes. Everybody
knows the authors, yet nobody interferes Said
a guide of a recent traveller in Sicily: '.Yonder
home belongs to Il most respectable mana
highly respectable man, sir. The other tlav he
killed his cook. One of the most respectable
neu In these parts sir.
| Murder is the corner stone of the social fab
ric Of Sicily. Sicilian wishes to sell farm
Cope Malta wishes to buy it. Nobody dares
bid against him. II anybody is so foolhar,iy he
| would be shot next day from behind wall or
| the corner Of house.
II Cope Malta runs for the mayoralty of a
village nobody runs against him. He invari-
ably has a unanimous election. His hands may
| be red with dozen murders and his pockets
| filled with hlackmail Not servant can be
discharged without reference to the unseen
Mafia.e The Alatiosi rule their district as des-
| pots. Ii they have rivalries the knife decides
IT. The Camorrista of Naples live in Italy and
thrive. just as the Matiori Of Sicily.
The political power OF the Cammorals is
broken, yet 1t maintains an underground ex-
lstence. and has three grades. novice in the
first grade is called ''Ciazzone di Malavita," Ga
youth OF bad life) The more advanced pupil
is styled "Picciotto di Sgarra." The finished
scholar is the Camorrista. The novice marks
out the victim, follows HIM and plays detec tive
on him. The Picciotto is initiated into tho
secrets of the confraternity. He merely gets q
handful of sons from the Camorrista He lives
in hope OF reaching the third grade, and some
day, by meany OF an artistic stab or unusually
| iohS tcEm III pTikOu, lie ID advanced to the
sacred band. He takes the oath on crowned
knives with his hands immersed in his own
| blood. He is then licensed to murder whom
soever he pleases. The Camorrista has two de-
grees Of punishment-one il the spreggio or
slash from razor, the other is the collettatti
or stab with knife.
| In old days the police delegated their an.
| thority to the Camorrista. just before the ad.
vent Of Victor Emmanuel they were placed in
charge OF the whole city. For a time they did
their work well. The thieves being well paid
crime diminished. After a while their old in
st.ncts were too strong for them. The customs OF
| Naples, which were worth 40. 900 ducats to the
state, returned under their fostering care
| barely 1000 ducats. The collectors of internal
| revenue thought they were doing well when
they returned ~ per cent. into the treasury.
| These Mama oI.rages crop out in various
parts OF the country from time to time A
year ago Luigi Cardono was horribly beaten
and manned by Pedro and Martin Ubarlet al
| the Repeto ranch In Los Angeles county. Cal
Cardono plucked up courage and brought sui,
for damages, when the facts came out of the
Malta connection. The vengeance of La Malta
and the persistency with which they hunt down
their victims. following them over the -four
quarters OF the globe. is something almost in.
credible. Some twelve or fourteen years age
the mayor OF a town in Italy was murdered by
a malefactor named Nell, known to belong tc
La Malta.
The criminal was arrested and imprisoned
but before his trial he escaped and shortly
after took another life. After the second crime
even the influence of La Mafa, il was feared
was not sufficient to save him from punish.
ment 1. was sufficient, however, to secure
his flight from the country, and he came t.
America and San Francisco. The time Of his
arrival was soon marked by the beginning oil
a series Of robberies. for which Meh Blanca
and Mcssinia and two other Sicilians were
finally arrested, tried, convicted aud sent to
states prison through the efforts Of Capt
stone, chief OF the san Francisco police. In
working mp the case Capt Stone obtained
| ciety as La Malta and Of Meii's connection
with it. He was delivered over to the italian
authorities in New York to DO extrndited. but
| 20 great WAS the influence of La MaAa that be
escaped. and the murder OF the mayor Wa
! mover avenged.