Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-16
WHAT ITALIANS SAY.
Those Residing in Washington are Indignant
Over the Amir.

those Residing In Washington are Indignant
Over the Amir.
rHR LOCAL ITALIAN SOCIETY WILL PROBABLY TAKE
SOME AcTrox--TALxs WITH PROMINENT MN
BEns-THE TRAGEDY DENOUNCED IN PuRDY's
COURT.
Mr.. Gerome Desio, vice president Of the
italian Society, speaking to STAR reporter,
said: II do not like to see my people
slaughtered in that way. There are plenty Of
Americans in Rome, and suppose the Italians
should kill a dozen Of them. What would be
the result? Why. the American government
would rise up and cause trouble. The people
would want heavy damages from the Italian
government.
There Ia q government. law and courts to
| try people, and if the court says the mon are
not guilty their decision should stand. II the
governor did his duty such an affair would
probably neeer have happened
The law ought to take its course. and persons
guilty OF crimes ought to be punished. In
Chicago the other day when an italian killed
| policeman he WINS tried and executed. The
| Italians never complained Of that, because it
WAS done under the law and by those who had
authority to do it.
| When asked whether the italian society here
had taken any action he said they had not be-
cause they were waiting to hear from the New
York society and would probably follow the
course adopted by them.
do You think the trouble is all over?" asked
| the reporter.
Il do not" was Mr.. Desios reply.
when the government of the state sanctions
such conduct and the people can kill as they
did in this case, without being punished. it is
not reasonable to think that other people won't
be killed: Ny opinion is that the people down
there Will keep up killing each other"
In answer to a question as to what the
Italians generally think of the affair he replied,
They all think it could not be worse. asked
the opinion OF many OF our people yesterday
and they all thought alike. Many of them
were SO nervous and excited that they could
not read the newspaper accounts OF the killing.
4 sIcILIAN's VIEWS.
Pasquale Dimaryo is Sicilian and has been
in Washington thirty-two years. He is bar
Der on Pennsylvania avenue. This morning
| speaking to STAR reporter about the killing
| OF the Sicilians in New Orleans he said:
THE whole thing is an outrage and disgrace
to the people of the United States. The jury
had cleared these men, The jury was composed
| Of citizens of the United Statesmen Italians
and the people should have abided by the law.
This Malta Is something new to me. don
even know the meaning of the word. Oh, no!
There's no such organization in Washington.
The Italians here are Woodworking, indus
| trious people, and mind their own business"
WHAT Mr.. CAsAssA SAYS.
| Stephen G. Casassa, the well-known fruit
| dealer. is prominent man in the Italian Bene-
| fetal Society of this city. He has been in this
country since he was twelve years of age and
has always been an active mover in Italian
matters. He said:
This murder of eleven men declared inno-
cent by twelve Americans is without doubt the
| greatest outrage syer perpetrated and is a dis
grace to the people of New Orleans Now. had
| the killing taken place before the Jury had de-
clared the men innocent matters would have
assumed a somewhat different aspect. l am
not in favor of any mass meeting in this city 1t
| can be productive Of no good and will only tend
to stir the whole thing up again. We can do
| nothing. Our government can and should,
and all VIC do is to wait and see how this
| dreadful thing is going to be dealt with.
This Malta Society is something new to me.
As l understand it it's no good. We have none
| here, that's certain. Washington has the best
| colony OF Italians l know of anywhere in the
| country
Maj. Moore's Hope.
Speaking of the New Orleans affair Maj.
Moore, chief of police, said:
II hope it will not only end in putting down
| the Malta, but also in a better administration
of justice"
MIR. aATTo's VIEWS.
One Of the most prominent Italian residents
of Washington, Mr.. Joseph Cato, in CONVEX
bttlou Win IL STAh ItpOTteE tCudy
those men were guilty of the murder Of Chief
of Police Hennessy they got no more than they
deserved. especially If the jury had been cowed
by threats SO that the members were afraid to
| bring in a verdict against them. This country
| is for Americans and there Is no room for peo-
| pie Of the sort that the murderers of Hennessy
would seem to have been. 1t is a mistake to
think that all Italians are alike. We are all
under one flag. but there are black sheep under
that flag as well as any other. The better class
Of Italians in this city have taken no steps to
show any sympathy for the men who were
lynched in New Orleans, nor has any money
been subscribed to be sent south. The italian
society here has held no meeting.
THAT class of people represented by the men
who were shot in New Orleans should be kept
out of the country in the first place. They do
not come here with any intention Of becoming
good citizens. and they are the very lowest
class of people in the places they come from.
They are brought here in big bands to
| they are led or driven like so many
| sheep. II they choose to commit crimes and
| it is then found that the law cannot reach
them it is no more than is to be expected that
the people should take the law into their own
hands. 1t is not race trouble at all. but
trouble between the people and lot of law
| breakers. Whether the right method Of pun
ishment was used or not is altogether another
question"
In answer to the reporters questions Mr..
any branch Of the Malta in Washington.
IN THE ITALIAN QUARTER.
! Purdy's court, on LIST street between Pennsyl-
vania avenue and B, contains more Italians
than any other locality in the city. 1t is prin-
cipally the homes of the men who sell fruit from
| the push carts about the street and is known
as headquarters. Here all Italians 90 the mo-
ment they strike the city.
Areporter of The STAR picked his way be-
| tween the push carts this morning as theY were
being loaded for the day. The court, which is
in reality nothing but large T-shaped alley,
presented quite lively appearance. The men
| we're busy loading their carts and the women,
with their bright red bandannas, stood about
in the doorways. Not all the men were at
work.
There was one old fellow, with moth eaten
| looking beard, sitting on an empty orange box,
reading the New York Italian newspaper. L Zee
UItdlia, with its columns all in mourning. The
scribe approached. do you speak EngIish?''
"A littlea bit. Whatta Gamma me tella your
''What are you reading about?"
"Vera badda news. Americana people killa
de pOoa Italiana man."
The old mans voice was quite shrill, and be-
fore the reporter had a chance to put another
| question there was u motley crowd about him.
The organ man was there with his monkey and
| the mendicant and the fruit men stood about.
One of them spoke in italian to the old man.
The reporter felt nervous. He understood
| enouph to that they tad tn know uho