Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-03-20
NO. II.
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
AN IuFrL scr or VENGEANCE.

| Nv = ~ T. N'I Of ENGkiNtE.
The Citizens Of New Orleans Take the
Law into Their Own Hands, aud xiii
~ Italians 10 Avengc the AsSnSs,nn.
ties Of the Chief OF Police.
There was a great tumult in New Orleans
last Saturday, when the cowardy assassin
alton Of Chief-of Police Hennessv was
avenged by the killing Of II Italians. mem
bers OF the neiarious Malta, by a mob led
| by lawyers and merchants. men of the
highest wealth and standing, so strong that
the authorities made no show of resistance.
and succumbed before it, Indeed. the Off
GERS of the law threw up their hats and
cheered the mob while it was executing its
| murderous work
1t will be remembered that Hennessy. a
| young man, upon being made chief of po-
lice, began a vigorous movement against
the vicious and criminal element which had
Overrun the city and defied the law, Hen
messy pushed the prosecutions against Ger
tain Italians, and for this incurred the en-
nifty of the Malta, an oath-bound murder
GUS society, long formidable in Sicily, and
transplanted to this country by Siician
immigrants Hennessy was shot down by
concealed assassins near midnight Of Octo-
ber 10, as he was about TO enter his own
house. To a friend who had found him
helpless from his wounds he whispered that
the dagoes' had committed the crime
Several Italians were seen fastening away
from the scene of the assassination. The
mayor appointed a committee of 80 to fer
ret out the crime and aid in extirpating the
Mata. The result was that nine members
OF the organization were arrested
The trial of these Italians has been in
progress for a MONTH and last Friday the
jury brought in verdict of not guilty
against nine of them, and disagreed as to
the other three. When this decision was
announced about the city there was great
indignation. The press unanimously de
nounced the verdict and declared that the
jury had been bought. The grand Jury had
already found indictments against tive men
charged with tampering with the jury, and
other indictments were expected. The ex-
element over the verdict reached fever
heat by night and three or four secret
meetings were held to consider the stua-
ton The trial had cost the city over
$50, 900, had lasted more than a month, and
none of the prisoners had been convicted.
call was drawn up, signed by 40 men of
high standing lawyers, doctors and mer-
chants, for mass meeting to be held at
the Clay statue on Saturday at 10 o'clock
to remedy the failure of Justice The call
closed with come prepared for action.
At the appointed time 1000 people had
gathered about the monument, and hun
dreds were on their way to the scene.
Stirring speeches, denouncing the action of
the jury, charging that it had been bought,
and calling for action, were made by W.
5 Parkeson, Walter Denegre and John &.
Wickliffe, all leading lawyers, and the lat
ter also the editor of the Delta.
BY the time that the speeches were over
the mob numbered 5000 people, and all
started on a dog trot for the parish prison.
In the crowd were POO men armed with
rifles and revolvers. Three teams con
tained ladders for storming the prison and
battering rams were at hand When the
crowd reached the prison it was seen that
it was as thoroughly organized as a military
body, with Mr.. Parkeson as commander,
and Mr.. Wickliffe and Mr.. Huston, the lat
ter ex-sheriff and manager of the Demo
cratic party in the state for years, as lieu
tenants. The armed men were drawn up in
front of the prison and squads were detailed
to surround it to prevent any escape of the
prisoners The surrender of the prison
was demanded, and refused by the sheriff,
but after little work one of the entrances
was beaten down. The leaders stood at
the door and only 30 men, the first who
had volunteered, were allowed to enter the
prison. The sheriff then gave up all show
of resistance. There were ~ Italians in
the prison, those arrested in the Hennessy
case, and the others implicated in an as
sault case. Some of the Italians were in
the cells. Nine Of them were shot down or
clubbed to death with the guns, and to sat
isfy the crowd outside two were hung, one
to a tree and the other to a lamp post
After the slaughter was over Mr.. Parkeson
again addressed the people, urging tEcm &c
return to their homes without further de-
monstration.
The leaders in the movement held Sc
cret meeting Saturday night and discussed
the occurrences of the day and the action
to be taken in the future, 1t was decided
that there should he no more bloodshed, but
that the men who have not yet been tried
for the murder, as well as those who sub
orned the witnesses ard the jury, shall be
prosecuted before the courts of
the city
Seligman, the foreman of the jury that
failed to convict the Italians, left the city
night. He had been discharged
from his firm by his own brother, and had
been expelled from the stock exchange, and
from the social organizations of which he
was a member