The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-03-20
THE AVENGERS.
ELEVEN SICIIIAYS-THE HEiNESSEY
ASSASSINS-KILLED BYA MOB.
The Action Endorsed by the CONNER
ciaI Bodies, the Mayor and the
Leading Citizens OF New
Orleans.

New Orleans, March 14.-New Orleans
,trncx the Malta a death-blow to-day.
n rose in its might almost at midday
and wreaked a terrible vengeance upon
the Sicilian assassins, who relentlessly
slew David G. Hennessy, ana, tnouSu
there are eleven men dead tonight VINO
were haDpy Yesterday over their victory
i'm the greatest criminal trial the Guy
has ever witnessed, the work OF ploou
was accomplished without unnecessary |
disorder, without rioting, without Pill |
laying and without the intliction of sur !
ferinG uDon any innocent man save one, |
aud he was only slightly hurt. u was
not an unruly, midnight MOP. IL was
simply sullen, determined popy 1i
citizens, who took into their own hands
what Justice had failed to do.
THE MAFIA'S CrlM.
The Chief of Police was slain on Oc-
tober 10, and that very night the EVIL
dence began to accumulate, showing
that his death had been deliberately
pIanned by a secret tribunal and carried
out boldly and successfully by the tools
of the oOnspirators. The trial lasted
twenty-five days, and though the evil
denee seemed conclusive, the jury, cur
rently charged VIII haVlag 19Sh TAM lam
night body of cool-headed men, law
Vers, doctors, merchants and political
leaders-all persons or influence ana
social standing-quietly met ana de-
cIded that some action must be taken,
and the peoples vengeance VISITED
upon those whom the jury had neg
lected to PUNISH. This mornings call
for a mass-meeting at Clay Square, on
Canal street, appeared III the papers,
which editorially deprecated violence.
'Fhe signihgant closing sentence of the
cali Wasi INCOME Prepared for action;
Down in large room OF HienVl!le ana
Royal there Was an arsenal, when had
been provided by the body or eltizens
The call was answered by the PoPuIace.
At 10 o'clock there was crowd OF
several thousand anxious people con-
gregated around the Statue. They
hardly know What was going to happen.
but they seemed ready 20 so TO any
length, and while there were, OF course,
many Of the lower element in the
throng, q large proportion were the
| leading people OF the town. There were
three addresses, short and pithy, and
busIness-iike, and the assemblage, not
unwiline!y: vas soon keyei up 10 a
nunciatiOn of the assassins. Each oil
| the speakers said there had been great
| ass-meeting months before, which
mad met Quietly and dispersed peace
| fully so that the law might take its
course. The law had failed. The time
| to act had come,
| w. s. Parkerson, the leading speaker,
! is prominent lawyer here, the tresl,
dent of the Southern Athletic Club and
|
| form movement three years ago. w al
! ter d. Denegre was another of the
Sneakers, He is the leader of the New
! Orleans bar
John G. Wickliffe was another speak
err. He is prominent attorney
! Another speaker was James ID. Houston,
| one of the foremost men OF the state
After denOuncing Detective O'Malley,
who is supposed to have tam pered with
| the Jury, the speakers announced thai
! they would lead the way to the Parish
! Prison, Mr.. Wickliffe concluding with
these VoFdSl "Shall the eXecrablt
| Malta be allowed to flourish i'll this city?
| Shall the Malta be allowed to cut down
our citizens on public streets by fou
means of assassination? Shall the
Malta be allowed to bride jurors to let
murderers go scot free"
By this time the crowd had SWelled t.
three thousand or more, and before any
one could realize what had happened
the great thrOng, gaining recruits al
| every step, vas tramplng down the
streets To the neighborhoGd of the prls
on, stopping only once, and that was
at the arsenal, where dOuble-barrel shoi
| guns, Winchester rifles and pistols were
handed out to responsible and respect
able citizens In the party.
The starting OF the crowd had an cleo
trio effect on the city. Soon the streets
were alive with people, running from
all directions and joining the mair
body, which moved sullenly down tt
| the lall, near congo square. lIOOTS AM
windows were thrown open and men
women and children crowded on the
galleries to encourage those who were
taking part and to witness the scenes
When the main crowd from Canal stree
reachedkf prison there had already
cOllectedNeaere a dense thrOng, all eagel
to take hand in whatever might happen
When the vanguard of armed citizens
! reached the priSOn-which Is many
squares from Canal street.-the grin
lg,ll htrll Il tFzCr l1IY- n a al
sides.
Capt. Davis refused the request t.
open the prison, and the crowd began
the work Of battering in the Jail doors
Soon there was crash, the doors gave
way, and In an instant armed citizens
were pouring through the small open
ing, while a mighty shout went up from
10000 threats in glad acclaim. TheI
the turnkey was overpOwered and tht
! keys were taken from him.
The inmates of the Jail were ready u
direct the way to where the Italians
were.
go to the female department" som,
one yelled, and thither the men, will
their WtncheSters, ran. But the doOl
was locked. In a moment the key wa:
produced. Then the leader called TO
some one who knew the right men, anC
a volunteer responded, and the doc
deserted, but an old woman, speaking
as fast as she could, said the men were
upstairs.
A party of seven or eight quickly as
cended the staircase, and as they
reached the landing the assassins flee
down at the other end. Half a dozeI
followed them. Scarcely a word wal
spoken. 1t was the time for action
When the pursued and their pursuer'
reached the stone courtyard, the forme
iarted toward the Orleans side of thu
gallery and crouched down beside the
cells. In fear and trembling, they
screamed for mercy. But the avengers
| we're mercileSS.
Bang, bang, bang, rang out the re
ports of tho murderous weapons, and d
deadly rain of bullets poured into thu
} crOuching figures.
Gerachf, the closest man, was strucl
in the back OF the head, and his body
pitched forward and lay immovabl'
on the stone pavement. Romero fell tC
his knees with his face in his hands
and in that position was shot to death
MonaStero and James Caruso fell to
gether, Cometez and Trahina fell to
gether, their bodies literally rlddleC
with buckshOt. Macheca, ScOtfede anC
old man Marchesi ran into their cells
thith6r half dozen men followed anC
slew thems
| Polietz, the crazy man, was locked III
i'll a cell upstairs. The door was nunt
open and one .of the avengers taking
aim, shot him through the body.
Bagnetto was caught in the first rusl
| upstairs, ana the IlrSI NOlIey Oh DullSG'
pierced his brain. AS soon as the bloody
work was done, Mr.. Patterson ad
dressed the crowd and asked them t.
dispense. This they consented to de
with ringing shout, but first they
made rush for Park erSOn, and lftin!
him bodily, supported him IN thei
shoulders, while they marched up the
street. The avengers came back in
body to Clay Statue and then separated
| There was intense suppressed excite
ment; but from one end of the city t.
applauded.
-0'Malley, the detective, who wOul'
have shared the fate of the assassins, /
he had been caught, disappeared, an(
10 not expected to return, and member
of the jury are in hiding.
THE KILLING ENDORSED.
In the afternoon a meeting of the Cot
ton Exchange was called, and the fol
lowing unanimously adopted:
"WHEREAS, The deplOrable admins
tration of criminal justice in this city
and the frightful extent to which tn
bribery of juries has been carried, rem
dered it necessary for the citizens q
| New Orleans tC Vindicate outraged jus
tice; therefore be it
"ReSOIUed, That while we deplore a
all times the resort to violence, we con
slider the action taken by the citizen
this morning to be proper and JUST
fable"
, MResolutions of similar purport Wer
i . H. - 10