Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-04-19
HE is FORTIFIED
AGAINST THE DREAD MAFIA IN NEW
YORK CITY.
A Reporter Finds That the Vsngeful Society Bas
Been Seeking the Life Of New Yorksr-He
IS an Italian and Fears 10 Breathe.
His Life in Great Danger.

safe distance. It's pleasanter to believe that
/ the assassin doesn't flourish so near home
The difficulty in 'spotting'' such cases has
always been that the condemned man is in
varia0ly Just as anxious TO keep his own
counsel as the avenger.
BY curious chain of circumstances a re
porter has been enabled to place his hand
upon man in this city who believes him
self TO be under sentence of death from the
Malta because he gave evidence against its
agents in the COrOner's inquest into the
murder OF Antonio FlaccOmiO three years
ago.
II viii be recalled that Antonio Flacco-
miO was stabbed TO death in front of the
| Cooper Union on April A. 1855, by Carlo
| Quarteraro. Carlo Quarteraro escaped
Immediately after the stabbing ana has
never peen arrested. Vincenzo Duarteraro,
his brother, was arrested and indicted for
murder in the first degree, together with
his brother Carlo.
After the trial in General Sessions in
April, 1889 the jury disagreed. NincenzO
was then released under s. 800 bail Less
than a month ago mis- bondsman surreu-
dered him and he was committed TO the
| Tombs Day before yesterday, on motion
of mis- counsel, Recorder Smyth released
/ him on his own recOgniZance, so that Vim
cenZo Quarteraro is to-day practically a
/ free man, able 10 come and go as he pleases.
This may matter little TO most people,
| but to one man il means q great deal. This
man is Francesca Alta, otherwise known
as Francesca GarofalO. At the Coroner 5
/ inquest and again at the trial Of NincenzO
! Quarteraro he gave very damaging evi-
dence against the latter. Ever since that
time he has been in fear of his life
Many of his old friends who had given
/ l. Loo,
that his whereabouts mas been discovered
| by the reporter, and that ever since the
murder he has been in hiding within q
stones throw OF his old haunts. When
called uDon yesterday he undid the bolts Of
| his door with some hesitation and looked
out suspiciously.
Are you Francesca Aitam ] ased.
"No, no,n he exclaimed hastily, my
mama Garofalo.n He called my attention
to the sign over his door which read-'F
Garofalo, manufacturer OF feather dust
ers.n
"Vincenzo Quarteraro was released from
prison Yesterday said l.
Garofalo's olive skin took or the hue Of
marble His eyes twitched nervously. II
was evident that my news startled him
| ] assured him that | desired 10 do him
nothing but good. Then he shrugged his
shoulders and admitted that his real name
was Alta.
"Where did you get the name Garofalo 80
Alta declared that il was the name Of a
friend of his Atlas English not being
very good, his story would be hardly intel
| ligiDle if reported literally. Stripped of
his oddities of dictiOn, the history Of mis-
self effacement is as follows:
Long before the murder Of Antonio
| Flaccomio my father and carried on bust
ness AZ No lis Third avenue. The Yame
Alta is well known in that neighoorhood
After The murder ! sold out the store and
moved away. ! did not 60 very far, for
took mp my quarters only few blocks
away from my former quarters. ] changed
my name TO Garofalo, and after while
took a floor al Fifteenth street and Third
avenue, where | hung out my sign as a
manufacturer of feather busters.
IL did this because after the trial was
warned that must die for having testified
against one of my brethren
Al this point | interrupted Alta 10 in
quire whether the warnings he received
emanated from the Malta. The question
disconnected him vastly, and ne proceeded
TO assure me that he had never heard Of
such a society. The sequel, however, will
show whether this innocence was real or
assumed.
"On October IA, lSss. between the hours
of eight and nine p m, was in the restaur-
ant, No : ST Marks place, with the
| Quarteraros, Giuseppe, Timaro, Genoa,
Gerolamo, Lierzo ana Giacomo Polazzi.
There was quarrel because Polazzi said
he did not want 10 play with the rest Of the
party. Hot words passed and PolaZzi got
nm and left the place After his departure
Antonio Flaccomio and Carlo Quarteraro
began to quarrel don't remember what
if was all about Finally we all went out
into the hall Antonio Flaccomio drew
knife | caught hold OF him and endeavor-
ed to draw him away, SAYING Come
along with me-
II dragged him out into the street and as
far as the Cooper Union. While ! was
talking to him Vincenzo Quarteraro came
along. He had long knife in his hand.
| faced MN, keeping FlaccOmio behind me.
| While / was facing Nincenzo | heard
Natal Sabbatino and Gcroloma say,
.Ouarteraro killed Flaccomio' All this
time ! was keeping Nincenzo OFF. so that ]
didn't see Carlo Quarteraro stab Flacco-
mio. But SabbatnO and GerOlomO saw
Carlo OuarterarO stab FlaccOmia.
After il was done we all went back 10
| the restaurant with the exception of Carlo
and Vencenzo and talked the matter over.
We were arrested and sent TO the House Of
Detention. / told my story to the Coroner,
and Vinccnzo was held as party to the
murder Of F'laccomio
after the trial ] changed my name and
nv residence as | have told you. My
| friends stood by me and professed entire
ignorance of my whereabouts As Caro-
! falo | imagined myself safe dyed my
hair and mustache, and never went abroad
i'm the daytime except under the stress of
the utmost necessity. Whenever | did 90
ont carried a revolver. | resolved TO sell
nv life dearly.
''In this way year passed by and es-
tablshed myself in my present quarters
and hung out my sign. | bought all my
feathers at one housc-down on Old Slip
and whenever ! made trip down there
went at broad noon and by the most circu-
itous route. On no other preteXt have
ventured out of the house during the day
since the trial of VincenzO Quarteraro
~ began to hope that my enemies really
believed me dead or departed to some dis
tant country. My fancied security was
rudelv interrupted al this time by mum
| ber of threatening letters which declared
that INV disguise had been penetrated and
that | was marked to die then reC0ubicd
nv precautions. | put double padlocks on
nv doors and was careful TO suffer no
strangers to enter my shop. | have no
| children. and nay Wltc, you may De sure,
was no less careful than myself. Whenever
we went 10 take the air at night we took
pains 10 coniinc our walks within easy
hounds of our home and to the most popI-
! .ous part of Third avenue.
SIX months ago ! received letter from
q feather dealer / did not know. have
since destroyed the letter and do not re
member the name or address. The writer,
however. represented that he had a fine io'
| o. feathers Ia stock which ne would SOL ar
an enormous sacrifice. He urged ne IT,
call upon him The address given Was in
Centre street near Canal went down
there one ddv. out after recoun0itcr.ng the
place came home T, would have been
| necessary for Ine 20 ino. n to the top floor O'
Gilap.datod building in order 10 rcach ia,
Quarters of the supposed feather dealer.
~ became convinced that if ! mouuto.
those stairs should fall into an amousn, ST