Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-06

as Juror There is confirmed evidence that
the influence Of D. c. O'Malley with the
night Waterman and inspector at the cleo
trict light plant was so great that he could
cause them to manipulate the light at the
corner of Girord and Basin streets the
evening the jury was taken to the scene OF
assassination
From the beginning of. our in
vestigation there is continuous evil
dence brought TO our attention of the
PERNICIoUs COMBINATIONS
Of what is known as D. c. O'Malley's de-
tective agency. 1t is advertised that one OF
the best criminal lawyers at the bar Is at
torney for the agency. We know for an alb
solute fact that a bank account is
kept and checks drawn in the name
of O'Malley & Adams, the interested parties
being ID. G. O'Malley and Lionel Adams
Such combination between d detective
and prominent criminal lawyer is unheard
of in civilized world and when we con-
templace its possibilities for evil we stand
aghast.
The Indictment of D. c. O'Nalley for per-
jury was based upon the most undoubted
evidence that he came originally from
Cleveland, O., where on January 20, 1873,
ne was convicted of petty larceny and com
mitted to the workhouse of the city of
Cleveland, where he served term
expiring June %, 1875. He next appears
under indictment for perjury in the United
States circuit court at New Orleana where
the Indictment was based upon affidavit
against one Scleider, which O'Alalley alter
wards contradicted under oath, but he man
aged to secure acGuittal. owing TO the dis
appearance of the affidavit which he alone
was interested in having Suppressed. Later
he was committed to q parish prison for at
tempting TO
LEVY BLAcKNAIL
upon one George Randolph in proceedings
against Randolph for Introduction. He has
also been indicted nine times in this paris b
for threatening and intimidating witness,
for carrying concealed weapons and for as
sault aud battery. The inside view which
we are enabled to get of the workings
Of this agency through Detective
Collins abundanily corroborated from many
sources, cOnvinces US that it had at its
command band of perjurers, blackmailerS,
suDorners and jury tamperers and that it
las for some time been an element OF dis
cord in this community and Il stumbling
block 10 the administration of justice. which
should be eradicated. That its career of
crime has not been cut short is l matter Of
wonder and is no doubt due TO the fact that
o NlalleY and his co-workerS have banded
together for self-preservation.
The extended range of our researches
has developed the existence of 4 secret or
ganization styled Malta" Evidence comes
from several sources, fully competent in
themselves to attest its truth, while the
fact IS supported by the long record of
biood-cmdling crimes, it being almost i'm
possible to discover the perpetrators or Sc
cure witnesses, as if TO guard against eX-
posure The dagger and Stiletto is rated as
I deadly weapon TO plunge into the breast
or back of 4 victim and silently do its
deadly work.
REVENGE WAS THEIR MOTTO.
jealousy and malice speedily found solace
in these methods, while the burning ven
gence Of the vendetta sought satisfaction in
the death blood of the enemy. The officers
of the Malta and of many of the members
are now known. Among them are men
born in this city. of Italian origin, using
their power for the basest purposes. The
larger number of the society is composed of
Italians and SicilianS, who left their native
land in most instances under assumed
names to avoid conviction and punishment
for crimes there committed and others are
escaped convicts and bandits oUtlawed in
their own land, seeking the city of New
Orleans for congenial cOmpanionship of
their own class. These men knew swift
retIibution of law in Italy, for
hundreds have been shot down
az sight by the military in the
mountains of Sicily without a second
office of the Italian consul in this city the
names of some 100 of Italians and Sicilians
landed here during several years past,
showing the official record of their Grimm
aity in Italy and Sicily. Hundreds ofthem
are among Us to-day.
We doubt not that the Italian govern
ment would be rather glad to get rid
Of them than be charged with
their custody and punishment. Law
is truly regarded as the embodiment of
wisdom of all ages. and its execution the
safeguard of society by the punishment Of
transgressOrs. Its just execution ex-
presses the will of the people in condemna-
ton OF crime, but where this lofty princi-
pal is condemned by the practice of assassi-
nation for revenge or spite and
concealment under most binding oaths and
renders powerless the efforts of the law to
reach the chief actors and secure witnesses,
it becomes the duty of the people in exercis-
ing their sovereign rights to issue their
DECREE OF CoNDEMSTIoN
that verdict had been rendered. The
power of the Malta is broken. 1t must be
destroyed as an element of danger, creation
of leprous growth in this community.
Taking into account the mass of evidence
presented, which is only partially sum-
married in the following, it becomes our
painful duty TO make declaration most
severe in its reflection upon the action of
some of the jurymen. We are so deeply i'm
pressed with the facts of the case that the
moral conviction is forced upon US that
some OF the jurors empaGneled TO try the
accused on the charge of assassination of
the late noble chief of police were
subject to money influence 10 con-
troll their decision. Further than
this we may see that it appears certain that
at least three-if not more-of that jury
were so unduly and unlawfully controlled
Some OF the jurors themselves have testi-
fed in the most emphatic terms that if it
had not been for the persistent
and well-directed efforts of three
of the jury, most Of the conspicuous from
the time that that body was empanneled,
that verdict would have been materially
different from that rendered. This is sad
and terrible commentary from their asso-
ciates on the jury as against those whose
every action was intended to make
them Il controlling power 1t is
certain that special effort of
counsel for defense was to select for SER
vice on that jury such men as were of ac-
quaintance and well under the influence of
O'Mallcy and his assistants, notably those
talesmeu who were on the detective agen-
cies list. What can be thought when three
of the
JURORS WE'RE ACCEPTED.
with only some uncertain questions. or the
clerk was simply told 10 swear them''
without question This is proceeding al
most unheard of in trials for capital
offenses: but it had its meaning
rs well is other instances. The
significance of one of the Jurors,
young in years who was, by his own state