Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21
VERY EXCITED ITALIANS,

VERY EXCITED ITALIANS.
They Meet in Cooper Union and Denounce the
Recent Lynching.
The great hall of Cooper Union in New York
was packed with 5000 Italians of New York and
| vicinity last night, called together to denounce
the lynching Of their countrymen in New Or
leans, and outside, notwithstanding the driz-
cling night. more than as many more were
unable to gain entrance to the hall where the
speaking WIS going on and resolutions were
being adopted amidst great excitement The
hot blood of Italy, fired by the memory Of the
New Orleans affair, could not be restrained out
side the building. and shortly before 9 clock
the crush outside the doors broke in and num-
Der of people were injured in the rush, and it
took the $50 policemen present quarter of an
hour to drive the new arrivals out Of the hall.
The meeting was opened promptly at 8
o'clock. The presiding officer was Signor A. de
Angelo The speeches were nearly all in Italian
and the denunciations of the New Orleans
tragedy were almost terrifying in their vehe-
mence. Hardly a sentence but that WAS APP
plauded to the echo and especially when the
speakers spoke Of the necessity for satisfaction
for the killing. The meeting was an orderly
one, barring the great excitement shown. To
pacify the crowd without it was addressed from
hall was draped with American and Italian flags
and festoons of black crepe. Among those on
the platform that looked down upon the gath
ering were DR.. Louis ROversi, chief editor of
FL Progresso; b. Clambelle, editor of Cristofero
Colombo; Prof. Colabrese. DIR. La Peute, Vim
| cez Porcas and George Francis Train.
CRITICAL MOMENT.
When the president, De Angelo, stepped to
the front of the platform and raped for order
there was a lull in the noise of the hall He said
quietly and impressively: Italians A
moments silence; then a roar of bravo" as of
one voice the roar of the ocean burst from the
thousands of Italian Threats. The applause was
resistless in its vehemence for fully five minutes
And SO 1t was through the entire meeting
| Every man was excited to the highest pitch.
| But word seemed necessary to transform
| them into demons. The committee in charge
| seemed to realize this, and, to their
credit, took every precaution to avoid any
trouble.
That there was danger from this source was
| evident just rs the meeting was about to close.
The resolutions were being read. when several
| persons in different parts of the hall rose and
asked to be allowed to speak These requests
| were promptly refused by the chairman. The
men who wanted to speak then appealed to
| their fellow, asking if they meant to sit there
inactive. and urging them to act and avenge
the wrongs done in New Orleans.
RIOT ExcITERs HUSTLED OUT.
The instant they began to talk in this way the
prominent men on the platform sprang into
the aisles and urged the audience to be quiet
| and orderly. Meanwhile the police had taken
the riot exciters in hand and hustled them out
| OF the hall. 1t was critical moment. and the
leading men of the meeting acted none too soon
They admitted after the meeting that had
| they allowed any Of those in the audie nee to
have spoken for five minutes bloodshed would
have followed, as the men present could have
i hoo Gn hat ha,.A
| started a riot almost without knowing why.
As soon as the resolutions were adopted the
| meeting was dismissed, and all present were
| urged to leave the place quietly, and they
obeyed.
The resolutions adopted after rehearsing the
circumstances Of the lynching declare.
That the American citizens of Italian birth
and extractions, assembled in mass meeting of
| indignation at Cooper Institute, do hereby APP
| peal and apply to the authorities of the United
| States for apprehension and immediate punish
ment OF the signers Of said manifesto which
| called out the mob of the city of New Orleans
| and OF all and every participant in the
assassination Of the eleven Innocent unarmed
| and unprotected Italians while confined in the
parish Jail in the said city, on Saturday last,
| the l4th instant:
That all Italians of New York await with
| calmness and frmness the reparation which
our government has requested from this repub-
lie and that full justice be made in this case
1
United States
That these resolutions be forwarded to the
President Of the United States and to the
Italian premier at Rome, that the outrage COM
mitted at New Orleans be not left uupunished
MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA.
Ameeting of Italians called for the purpose
Of protesting against the killing of their fellow
countrymen at New Orleans was held in Phila-
delphia yesterday afternoon. The chairman
Emanuel Naeidie, made two short speeches
| upon the same lines. in English and Italian, in
which he said they we're there not to protest
| against the United States government but
| against mob law. I'VE as Italians he said
do not recognize any such thing as the Malta
There is no such thing. 1t is simply bugbear
We denOunce any such organization as this Sc
cret society, II it exists. but it does not. We
are here to obey the law and we think Italians
will make as good citizens as any other nation
| atty"
The following resolutions were then read and
adopted by standing vote, every Italian in the
room rising with uplifted hand:
Resolved. That we denounce the assassina-
| ton as being cruel and cowardly in the extreme
| as without warrant and cause, and as being
most disgraceful to civilized community
Resolved, That we stigmatize and condemn
| the New Orleans authorities for the lack of
| government which led to the killing by a mob
| OF those helpless unfortunates, who were then
under the supposed protection of the law.
Resolved. That we heartily applaud the
prompt and energetic action DISPLAYED by the
italian and United States governments.