The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-06

I
Washington avenues. OMalleY was next seen
walking rapidly up st. Charles avenue. Were
II possible for any doubts TO exist TO the ac-
quaintance and sympathy, or even closer bond
OF Fellowship existing between these two men,
It must he dspelled by the above recital as
showing the first thought and effort for Selig-
mann when O'AaIey realized the danger eX-
pressed 10 the laundering touss OF She Popular
indignation.
ExIsTEEcE OF TEE MAr;A.
The extended range Of our researches has
developed the existence OF secret organization
styled the "Mafia" Evidences come from sew
eral sources, fully competent in themselves to
attest It's truth, while the fact is supported by
long record OF blood-curdling crimes, il being
almost impossible TO discover the perpetrators
or secure witnesses. AS if to guard against ex-
posure, the dagger or stiletto is selected as the
deadly weapon to plunge into the breast
or back Of the victim and silently
do its fearful work. Revenge was their
motto. Jealousy and malice speedily found
a solace IN these methods, while the burning
vengeance of the vendetta sought satisfaction
in the lie blood of an enemy. The officers Of
the Malta and many of its members are now
known. Among them are men born in this city,
of Italian origin, using their power for the bas
est purposes, be 1t said to their eternal disgrace
The larger number of the society
is composed of Italians and SIcilians,
who left their native land in most instances
under assumed names to avoid conviction and
punishment for crimes there committed; and
Others were escaped convicts and bandits, out
laws in their own land, seeking the city of New
Orleans for the conRenial panionShip Of
their own class.
SWIFT RETRIBUTIoN IN ITALY.
These men knew the swift retribution of the
law of Italy, for hundreds have been shot down
at sight by the military in the mountains Of
Sicily without second thought. To-day there is
recorded in the Office Of the Italian consul
in this city the names of 1,100 Italians
and sicilians landed here during several
years past, showing the official records of their
crimiDalty in Italy and Sicily. Hundreds Of
them are among ustoday. We doubt not that
the Italian government would rather be rid
Of them than be charged with their custody
and punishment Such is the well-known char
Gcter of part of the Italian colony, it is called
who are domciled in this city and vicinity.
A CONTINUAL MENACE.
1t cannot te questioned that secret ovganza-
tions whose teachings are hostile to the funda-
mental principles Of the government of the
United States must be a continual menace to
the good order of society and the material wei
fare of the people. Whether under the
name of Malta, socialist, nationalist or
whatever it may be, whether located in New
Orleans, Chicago or New York, meetings Of
their members create and disseminate seditOus
opinions with manifest tendency toward tVert
acts whose commission partakes OF the rankest
treason. We may say that many societies
created and chartered for the laudabe purpose
of exercising a healthful influence in various de-
partments of the body polite enjoy
of good results. But in marked
contrast 10 all those is the Maf1a, whose every
thought and act is in opposition to law and
order, as contemplated by every nation of the
civilized world, and in open defiance of the
statutes of this state and nation and the cher
ished traditions Of our people.
LAW AN EMBLEM OF WISDOM.
The law is truly regarded as an emblem OF
the wisdom of all the ages, and its just execu-
tion the safeguard of society by the punishment
,fNb fyu &c
the will of the people In the condemnation oi
crime; but where this lofty principle is con
demned by the practice of assassination for re-
venge or Spite and concealment under mos
binding oaths renders powerless the efforts o.
the law to reach the chief actors anc
secure witnesses, it becomes the duty o
the people in the exercise of theil
sovereign rights TO issue their decree of CON
the power of the Malta is broken-it must bt
destroyed as element of danger, creation
Of leprous growth in this community. Taking
into account the mass of evidence
presented, which is only partially sum
married. in the foregoing, it becomes our
painful ddty to make declaration most severe
in its reflection upon the action of some of the
jurymen. We are so deeply impressed with the
facts OF the case that the moral conviction is
forced uEOn US that some of the jurors i'm
paneled to try the accused on charge of the
assassination Of the late chief of police were
subject to money influence to control their de
cislon.
AT LEAST THREE BRIBED.
Further than this we may say it appears Ger
tain that at least three, IL not more, of that
jury were so uhduly and unlawfully controlled
Some of the jurors themselves have testified il
most emphatic terms that if IL had not been fol
the persistent and we'll directed efforts of three
| of the jurymen, most conspicuous from the
time that the, jury was impaneled
| the verdict would have been materially
| different from that rendered This is a sad anC
| terrible commentary from their associates OF
| the jury as against those whose every actor
| was intended tomake them controlling power
1t is certain that a special effort of the counse
for the defense was to select for service on that
| jury such men as were of acquaintance and vel
| under the influence of Detective O'Malley anC
| his assistants notably those talesmen who wert
| on the detectives agents list.
A STRANGE PROCEEDING.
What can be thought when three of the juror
| were accepted with only some unimportan
| question, or the clerk told to swear" then
| without question, a proceeding almost unheart
! of in trials for capital otfenses, but it has it
meaning as we'll as other instances have theil
| significance. One of the jurors, young in years
was, by his own statement, so susceDtible oth'
| influence of a dream that he changed his mind
| between night and morning. Others Of the jurl
plainly stated that their age and lneXperienc
| did not qualify them to assume the responsi
| bilities of jurymen in that case Impatienc
! prevailed toward the close, and IL is thought b,
several CT the jurors to have hastened the conclu
! SION Surely remarkable jury but fully com
| petent to render remarkable verdict. 1t ha
| gone to tne people, whose intelligence an,
| virtue enable them to discern between trutt
and falsehood, to decide between right ant
| wrong.
THE LYNCHING.
| A thousand words are devoted to discuss
ing the immigration question, and then tn
report deals with the lynching affair as fol
| lows:
In the presentation of the main features
! given to us as evidence, condensed as far as pos
| sibe by the selection of the most important pol
| tions of the inquiry. we have referred mainly
to the evidence bearing upon the trial OF th
| nine accused in section "B' of this honorabl
court, but directly connected with a.
those circumstances are the terrible
events transpiring on the 14th day of Marci
last events which in themselves may b
charged as directly traceahe to the miscar
riage of Justice as developed in the verdic
rendered on March 13. We are deeply impresse
with the serious charge delivered b.
| your honor to this body on the sub
! iect, and at no time since hay
| we lost sight of the necessity for thorough
| investigation of all the conditions anteceden
to it. We have engaged ourselves most assdu
| ously with the examination of large numbe
| of witnesses, embracing those who were
present at the meeting on Canal street, in the
vicinity of the Parish prison, as well as severa
| hundred of our fellow citizens taken from ever.
rank and class Of society
SATURDAYS GATHERING.