Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-20
A REMARKABLE UPRISING OF
THE PEOPLE !!
ELEVbN ASSASSINS LYNCHED IN TIE
new ORLEANS JAIL.

assembled In the United States, not excepting
that in Vicksburg, which hung the gamblers
half century ago, OF that in San Francisco
which hung the desperate characters in that
city many years ago, assembled around the Clay
Statue in New Orleans last Saturday morning
at 10 o'clock 1t was headed and addressed
by four of the most prominent lawyers of the
city, and in its ranks were merchants, manu-
facturers, clerks, lawyers and doctors. An
hour later it had broken open the city prison,
shot to death eleven accused murderers, return
ed to its place OF assemblage and there quietly
disbanded and its members returned to their
homes. The circumstances which gave rise
to this extraordinary violence among such a
class of citizens, may be told connectedly as
follows:
THE CRIME THAT CAUSED THE UPRISING.
There are in New Orleans some twelve
thousand natives of Sicily in Italy. Those
among them in business are generally
engaged in dealing in fruit, mostly importing
it and selling it. Many of them are rich and
have lived there many years The worst part
of that element is a desperate class, many of
them having been convicts in their native
land. Among this population the secret order
of "Tha Malta" an order indigenous to Sclian
soil, whose purpose is assassination, exists.
In the last twelve years it IS recorded that
there have been twenty-nine assassinations in
New Orleans by order of The Malta, twenty
six Italian victims and three Ameri-
can. This order which thrives in Italy
and has an organized existence in San
Francisco, New York and New Orleans in
this country, is terror in New Orleans
both to Americans and Italians 1t was i'm
possible to convict the members. On several
occasions the murders were committed with
several Italians standing around, but when
brought into court they would deny having
seen who did it, Last fall a fight took place
between two factions of the New Orleans Malta
the ProYeRsas and the Matrangeras, in
which four of the former were slain. Chief Of
Police Hennessey was then at Che head of the
police force, and he determined to break up the
organization. He sent to Italy and got the re-
cords of the Matrangera members Of the Malta
and spent long time in getting Zip the EVIL
dence to convict them. He was warned re-
peatedly by letters signed by the Malta that
he would be slain. lie did persist and one
night last winter, as he was going home from
his Office he was fired on by ten Or fifteen
Sicilians, who, armed with muskets cut short
SO as to be concealed under their coats, were
standing under shed on the street near his
home He was a daring man, an Irish
American and very popular, and his death
stirred the city profoundly. His last words
as he lay on the ground riddled with bullets,
were uttered to man who ran to his assistance
and they were these, "The Malta have killed
me as | expected"
THE REFUSAL OF a TERRORIZED JURY TO
CONVICT.
A Law and Order Committee composed of
prominent citizens, was appointed by great
mass meeting a day OF two after the assassina-
ton to take charge of the case and investigate
the murder. The City Council voted ST., 900
for the purpose. At first the Committee
showed disposition to resolve itself in Wig
lance Committee but wiser counsels prevailed
and it was determined to see that there was a
trial and if the murdererS were not punished
then lynch law was to be resorted to-
month ago the trial commenced and on Friday
last it was concluded. There were nine men
of the seventeen indicted by the grand jury,
put on trial, including Joe Macheca, who the
evidence went to show was the leading spirit
of the conspiracy to murder Chief IIennessey,
OF the nine tried, from four to six witnesses
testified that they saw them either in the
crowd of men who fired on Hennessey or fly
ing from the spot after the shooting. The
short cut guns found along the street, dropped
as they fled, were identified as having been in
their possession. These witnesses were not
impeached. The jury rendered a verdict of
acquittal for Macheca, Incardona, Matran-
4I,o +,uo Nav
Bagnetto, and it could come to no verdict
regarding t he others. 1t had been rlmor-
ed for some days that some of the jury had
been brbed and the grand jury had already
indicted Charles O Malley, detective, and
another man. for tampering with the jury
The excitement among the people was intense
and the explanation by the foreman of the
Jury of the cause of the verdict of acquittal-
that they did not believe the States witnesses,
only made it greater. The Malta had not beelr
idle during the trial. Father Manoritta, a
Roman Catholic priest, who had been attend
ing the trial as a spectator daily, received a
letter signed 'sThe Malta Society NJ. NJ c.
warning him to stay at home as his presence
there 'dd not do the Society any good" He
had made some remarks aboutthe Malta in the
Provensas trials not favorable to them. lie
stared to show the warning to the district
attorney, but refrained through fear. By
some it was thought the Malta had terrified
the iury rather than bribed it,
pRpPARING FOR AN EXECUTION BY THE
PEOPLE.
That night the Law and Order Committee
assembled. 1t resolved to call a meeting of
the people for the next morning at 10 O'Clock,
and declined to call any meeting at night be-