The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18
A MASSACRE OF MALTA.
Concluded from First Page.

the Matiagos, who had offended them in
some way or other, and riddled the entire
party of six with bullets. The authorities
determined to put an end to this vendetta
business, which was getting too frequent
among the Italians of New Orleans, and
which had resulted in forty or more mur-
ders and assasslnations, and vigorous
efforts were made to track and capture
the criminals. Six men were arrested for
the crime and tried. During the trial one
OF the principal witnesses, an Italian, was
assassinated. The trial resulted in a con-
Vlctlon, but there was so much perjury
that the judge granted new trial.
Chief OF Police Hennessy, who was q
witness in the first case. set TO work TO
collect all the evidence in regard to the
Malta, the Stopaliagieri and other Italian
assassination societies in New Orleans and
to the numerous vendettas and murders
committed by them. As there'was feud
between the Italians growing out of the
Dlatiago affair, he found it possible to
secure ample evidence of the most sensa-
tional character and he promised such
developments as would break up the VEN
delta in New Orleans forever.
HenneSsy we'll understood the risk ne
was running. He was q man OF phenom-
email courage and fearlessness, but he
deemed it well, from the many threats ne
had received, to guard himself. and never
went without one or more officers with
him. Unfortunately he dismissed his
bodyguard a few days previous to the
night OF his murder, either believing he
could protect himself or that the threats
amounted to nothing. The assassins evil
IDENTITY knew this and made their prepare
tons in the same cowardly way that all
their crimes had been committed-shoot-
ing from ambush on a very dark night and
at q safe distance. The murder was COM
mitted with such blunderbuses as could
only have been made and used for tile
purpose OF assassination.
THEM iignation and the excitement were
such that mob law and lynching were
about to be resorted to. The entire COM
munity felt that in the endeavor to reach
the guilty parties, innocent Italians might
be sacrificed. To allay excitement, and to
assist the constituted authorities. the
mayor OF the city appointed committee
OF fifty representative citizens to take
charge of the investigation and 10 aid in
the trial and conviction of the assassins.
This measure arrested violence. The COM
mittee entered upon its work and
at mass meeting subsequently
held in front of the city hall
the action of the committee was
ratified and it was encouraged TO continue
Its labors To secure prosecution and trial
by the courts. After months OF prepare
ton and a trial which continued three
weeks and in which distinguished counsel
assisted the able district attorney, a Jury
charged to have been bribed and cor
rupted in the face of testimony establish
ing their guilt, rend red verdict OF mis-
trial as to the three assassins. Scaffedi,
Monasterio and PolietZ; and acquitted the
three assassins, Macheca, Marchesi and
Bagnetto. Three more were on trial and
were acquitted because of insufficient evil
dence, these being Matranga, Incardoni
and the boy Marchesi.
The acquittal of Macheca, the chief con-
spirator, and of Marchesi and Bagnetto,
and the mistrial as to Polietz, Scahedi
and Monasterio fell like a thunderbolt
upon the community, and impressed law
abiding citizens with the conviction that
the laws had been violated, that the ver-
dict invited assassination and the en-
grating OF the Italian Malta upon Ameri-
can institutions. The feeling grew strong
that for self-preservation the people must
assume the authority which they had dele
gated to the courts, and which the courts
were powerless to enforce. This feeling
increased until it found vent at the mass
meeting this morning ut 10 o'clock. This
uprising OF the people TO secure the
punishment of the assassins who struck
down their chief of police in the night
time with p.emeditated assassination was
ordered, and the people dispersed quietly
as soon as their work of vindication was
dOna