The record-union., 1891-04-06

York Truth. It is worthy Of a careful
perusal, as it throws much light on the
methods OF the detestable assassins who
brought upon themselves the vengeance
OF the people of the Crescent City:
us there u Malta in New Orleans? This
question, addressed TO any citizen of the
Crescent City, would be undoubtedly an
sWered III the affirmative, unless the
party questioned were u member of il.
| What is the Malta? 1t is Il secret. oath
boand society, established for the sole
purpose OF committing crime-not crime
for crimes sake, bat crime for the beneti t
OF the society or the individual members
| thereof. 1t is known as the Malta among
outsiders, but among the members it is
called Stoppagliera. The name is derived
from the Italian word stoppare, mean
ing TO stop up with tow, and it refers to
the secret character Of the organization,
ana To the fact that what is done or or
dcred by the association must be sealed
up III the breast.
1T is also Il significant reference TO
the word 'stoppaccio,' which means the
wad rammed in upon the charge Of a
gum It's name is significant of it's DIR
poses and methods. 1t has its regular
officers, and signs and signals The sig
nal is peculiar whistle, which cannot be
! described. The sign is made by holding
the left hand, closed, III front of the BODY
| las If graSping the muZZle OF gun or
! the neck OF Il bottle) and bringing the
/ open palm Of the right hand down uDon
! the top of the left
! Its objects are robbery and murder.
/ The society desire sum OF money 4
! prominent Italian receives q note direct
1 ing him TO put Il specified sum in a GER
/ tam place. The amount is graded with
Preference to the amount the victim is
! judged to be able TO raise: it has pOne as
Z u .lD TF a
money is forthcoming, well and good. If
not, the society meets, a detail is made,
and-there is an Italian funeral. Dozens
! OF such cases can be specified. There is
now confined in an asylum a wealthy
New Orleans Italian, an auctioneer. a
man liked and respected by the people Of
! that city, who was driven insane by the
Matia's demands upon him. Should an
individual become obnoxious to the
/ society or q member of it. the process is
| equally simple. n meeting is called, the
| sentence of death is passed. the members
! TO execute it are detailed, and the work is
! done. 1t may be days, it may be weeks,
but 1t is done. The doomed man is
! dogged until favorable opportunity
offers, and he is killed. There is no haste
about the work. Ii is not done until they
| DelIeVe that there Is a certainty that the
asSaSSlnS can escape detection. Some
! times, though very rarely, the knife is
used; but the favorite weapon is what is
| called in New Orleans the Malta gun
In the central police-station at New
Orleans now are several OF these guns,
! picked up by the police on the spot after
| assaSSlnatlonS by order of the Malta.
-Four OF these guns were found at the spot
after the recent shooting of Chief of Police
Hennessy, besides two long ones, and
those carried away by the assassins
How Go we know such a society ex-
J lists, and what is its strength? The evil
! dence is indisputable. Every police
| officer in New Orleans, from Chief of
Police Caster (Hennessy's successor),
! down, says so. Every member of the
| detective staff Ito which Chief Caster be-
| longed for years., will tell Won so.
! Colonel Thomas n. Boylan, twice Chief
! OF Police Of New Orleans, and now and
for years the head of the largest detective
agency In the South, says so. Father
Mannoritta, the priest in charge of the
Italian Catholic Church here. informed
Chief OF Police Caster that such a society
existed, and that it was composed, in
New Orleans, of about three hundred and
sixty members, eighty of whom were
known TO be escaped convicts from
Italy. Is 1t likely that this minister OF
God would tell a deliberate falsehood
upon these tellow-countrymen Of his?
The records OF the criminal courts TEEN
with cases which show every evidence of
.
In October. 1874, Pedro Groges was
shot and killed by band of assassins.
W no they were was never ascertained
IN October, 1855, the body of a man
known as Riley a native of Italy, was
found in the woods at the foot of Poydras
street, with nineteen stab wounds in it.
In july, 1873, young Italian, name
unknown, WIS found dead on Metaric
Ridge, with his head and body riddled
with bullets, showing that at least three
or four persons had shot him at once. In
November, 1874, one Nicola was found
dead III the woods back of town, with Il
dozen mortal stab wounds, made by
knives OF different sizes. In June, 1875,
Andre Bonnetto was found dying on the
floor Of No. 80 Hospital street, riddled
with buckShot, the number showing that
more than one load had been fired into
him. In March, 1879, Joseph Malfataro
was found dead, shot in the back, and
the CRIME was traced to an organized
band, whose members could not be
| Identified. In July, 1881, Antonia La
broussa was waylaid and assassinated at
| the corner of Exchange alley by Giatana
Ardetta, Nergence Nassio, and one An
naceo. AS the murderers ran off they
dropped their Malta guns, and they were
recovered by the police The murderers
were positively identified on the trial but
Malta money saved them. In May, 1890
party of six or seven Italians were way
lad on Esplanade avenue, as they were
going home from unloading a ship, about
Il O'Clock at night, by a party OF ten or
| fiteen men, and were shot. None were
killed, but nearly all were badly wounded
Again the police picked up the Malta
guns on the scene. The ProvenZanos and
their friends were arrested and tried:
again an acquittal.
The world is familiar with the assas-
sination of Chief OF Police Hennessy, in
| october, 1880; how a house was hired
near his; how band of aSsaSsins laid in
wait for him; how an dCd1t-cou7Ter ran
ahead to signal his approach; how he fell i,
almost ON his own doorstep, riddled by
the hail OF lead from the guns of eight or
! ten men. Again the police found the dia-
! bolical Mama guns. Again there was a
| trial; and with that trial and its results
the world is familiar. The guilt of the
accused was proven by witnesses
ClrcuInstantlai evidence was added To the
testimony OF those who saw it. The State
piled Pellon upon OSSa. One of the de-
| PENDANTS broke down and confessed. But
the Malta corruption fund again damned
the channel OF public justice and the muir
| derers were acquitted.
''These are not all the cases. They are
only sample ones, taken from various
years, showing how far back organized
assassination has extended. Many more
can be cited. In every case it was
more than one assassin who did the work.
and through them all ran the same men
and their successors who are popularlv
| supposed to belong TO the Malta
But one piece of evidence remains.
| The prisoner who broke down in tho