New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-19
THE BLOT on EW-ORLEANS
INVESTIGATION SHOWS LESS AND LESS REA-
son FOR THE LYNCIiING.
GRAVE FAULTS OF THE PROSECUTION AT THE
TRIAL OF THE sICLIANs-IMPoRTANT
WITNESSES WHO wERE NOT PRO-
DUCED-AN oUTGRowTH OF
DEEP ROOTED EVILS.
TRY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TklBUNE.l

DEEP ROUTED ~ LIS
tRY TELEGRAPH TO THE TkIBUNEl
New-OrleanS, March ls.-Iacts are gradualiy
leaking ont about Saturdays lynchlng ana us
causes that place the tragedy in an even less eN'
cusablc light than at first The jurors nave
nearly all solcmnly declared that they received TO
brlbes SAYS Juror Meyer: &" | cndeavorcd to be
just to the accused men and true to the people
my friends and society. | followed consclentlously
the evidence. the law and the dictates of my
mind" Not a scrap of evidence Is produced 10
show that these assertions are untrue. JuuSe
C0wings Ncw-Yorl delivcrance as to conflicting
testimony in Italian criminal trials is quoted mere
approvinry But not even Mayor Shakespeare
prctcnds that the IIenncssy case was perpeAcd py
wholesale perjury. The country has been toid
that the citizens arose to yindcatc outraged JUS
tice II has not been told that if the verdict
was outrage il was merely the elimination ol
a series Of abuses that should have been checKeu
before crime became the only remedy. In New
Orleans until this wear the Mayor appointed the
Police Board and controlled it absolutely. Since
Mr.. Henncssy's killing the Board has been recon-
structcd not on the Ncw-lOrk plan, though. AS
the Mayor is chairman eX-OliclO and commander
of the force, it is still practically in his hands
Now the present Mayor is an honorable gentle
man of excellent intentions, in many respects
lack of physical courage; yet what shall be said
of his moral courage in tremendous crisis like
that of Saturday in 1882, during his flrst term
of Office the cvec cotton labOprs struck. At
the first sign of a riot the Mayor hurrrdly ap-
peaIcd 10 the Governor and SO shifted to him the
responsibility. Last October, when llclslessy was
killed, the Mayor published a manifesto IN no way
calculated to quell the popular excitement ana
appointed his celebrated Committee of Fifty. I'M
agine the effect in NcwNork if Mayor Hfant
should ask unofficial aid in considering the muir
der Of Chief Murray Tho commitecS object
was ostcnsby to expose the Malta. The news
papers AT first supported il: but within a week
the committee organized itself into a sort OF star
chamber and began interfering with the courts.
Then it was promptly condemned.
Judge Baker. who presided at the llcnncssy
trial, is described as n perfect judgc and there IS
not whisper against his uprightncss and IN
tcgri,y. The trial. however. had some peculiar
features case identical in many points was
the trial here some years ago Of an lrishman
named Ford for procuring the killing Of Andrew
Murphy No stone was left unturncd TO corrupt
the Jury ForI's friends banded together Just
as the Mafaitcs are said to have done. Money
was freely used and a miStrial resulted But
lionel Adams one of the Italians counsel, was
then prosecuting attorney and n right good man
he showed himself He fernted out and con-
victed the bribcrs retired the ease and sent Ford
10 the penitentiary, where believe. he still prac
tises bookbnding or other light and agreeable
! employment.
In the Ilenncssy case three important omissions
from the States testimony more than explain the
verdict After the Chief was shot he lived for
nearly twelve hours and spoke with many friends.
He had met his assaSsins face 10 face. but not
word that ne uttered before his death was brought
out in the trial. If he made any deposition or
statement under oath. il was not revealed. Just
before the murder the Chief had been walking
with Captain ConnorS. Of Boylans private police
agency. who left him at the street corner When
the shooting began Commons heard the Chief call
ing: "Oh. Billy" "Oh, BLY, He found
IIenrcssy sitting on a stoop They have given
it TO me and / gave them back the best could.
said Iicnncssy when Connors came up. Who gave
it YOU" asked Connors. Dagoes. whispered
Icnnessy j C. Roe another of Boyan's officers,
who had been detailed 70 watch HcmcS,y's house,
approached 10 within fifty feet Of the aSsasSlns.
but his pistol refused TO work. and he ran of
with wound in his ear and hid in a passagcway.
Neither Connors nor Roe was placed on the witness
stand. Why? Because. it is said. the State argued
that police testimony should be excluded
The whole case hinged on the identity of the
man who hired the Peterson shanty where the
murdcrcrs met. This man IS supposed to have
been Machcca Whoever he. was, Mrs Peter
son, the andlady scrutinized him closely when
he hired the house, paying two months rent III
advance. he gave the name of Peter John
SON." and Mrs. Pctcrson's receipt, made out 10
Peter johnson, was found in the pocket book of
Narasterio the cobblcr, who was put in posses
sion. Yet Mrs. Peterson was never produced at
the trial. The defence evidently knew the real
Peter johnson, for they explained their failure
TO subpoena her with the ilimsicst preteXt But
if Johnson was not Machcca. then there was no
conspiracy witness named Pcclcr, who idcnti-
fled the assassns, among them Scafid about
whose guilt there is little doubt. lived at the
corner Of the street in which iTenncSNy was shot
The shooting took place toward midnight. After
it began Pcclcr threw up the window and looked
out. An electric light was burning brightly at
the time, though il afeTward iliciercd and went
out. rcccrS negro mistress said TIE next day
that Pecler just then recovering from
heavy dcbauch. This Pccer did not deny. In
the courtroom, however, it was found that he
suffered from sort of Ophthalmia. To identity
the prisoners he had to step down from the
wtncSs-stand, although the prisoners box was
not half SO far of as the murderers had been on
the night of the killing and there was broad
daylight in the courtroom.
The attorneys, it is now said, agreed before
the trial that the indictments for lying in wait
to murder should not he pressed after the in
dictmcnts for murder were disposed Of This
does not alter the fact that after their acquittal
the prisoners were kept in custody at the Jail
for twcnty-four hours presumably to await trial
on the other count, and that six of the victims
had never been tried at all
In spite of Italian crcdulity, there are sem
sbe men here who will tell you there is no
proof that any Malta exists save tie family ven
detta of the ProvcnzaEos and Matmngas GHd the
local fruds Of men from Palermo and McsSina.
TIE police did nothing after the first few weeks
to uncarth the true culprt and trace the ante
ccdents of those in custody although opportunities
stared them in the face n journal could find