Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1891-03-20
TIE NEW ORLEANS RIOT:

The trouble which occurred IN New
Orleans on last Saturday, resulting in
the hanging of two Italians and the
fatal shooting of nine others, is one Of
the instances where patience ceases to
be virtue. Those directly response
be for the death of the Italians. were
of the best class of citizens, and they
have not been lowered in the esteem
of their countrymen by this act.
New Orleans has the misfortune to
be the favorite abiding place, of large
number of the lower order of Italians.
They have quarter of their own in
that city, where the dirk and shot gun
replace the laws that govern elsewhere.
So long as this mode of redressing sup
posed grievances was confined to their
own quarter, the city authorities did
not interfere, as all efforts to prosecute
offenders had ended in witnesses on both
sides rerjuring themselves beyond the
power of jury to determine the guilt
or innocence of the accused.
In this congenial soil, the Malta, an
ancient organization of Sicily, was
transplanted. The Malta is composed
of ut-throats, bounO to secrecy as to
the aims and objects of the organlza-
ton, by blood curdling oaths, but it is
known that its function is to punish by
death, any outsider who may have in
CURED the enmity of its members.
The chief of police of New Orleans,
had aroused the anger Of the Malta, by
attempting to bring ore Of its members
to justice. and true to the purposes for
which it is organized, band of assass-
ms from its ranks, murdered the un-
fortunate officer, somewhat near a year
ago. Thirteen Of them we're appre-
hended and placed IN Jail, and last week
they were brought to trial, but by brib-
ing the jury, a verdict Of manslaugh liter
entailing light sentence, was return
ed.
As soon as this result became known
public Indignation ran high. The day
following the verdict, the citizens or
ganized themselves into avengers Of
outraged justice. and proceeded to &C
eomplish what the law had failed to
do.
Italians all over the country are in
dignant, but this will avail little, as the
work of the citizens committee was
done effectively. This trouble but
serves to bring more fully to view the
undesirableness of many OF
the immigrants of the old world. 1t
shows the base ingratitude Of this class
who fail to appreciate the welcome e1-
tended to them by this country, and
who never have and never will make
desirable citizens. There are thous-
ands of Italians, as there are Of other
nationalities here, who arc an honor
and a credit to their adopted country;
but the wild and foolish threats in re-
gard to the New Orleans episode, will
not serve to heighten the friendly feel
ings of native Americans for them.
The act of the citizens of New Orleans
was not more punishment Of the muir
derers, than warning to the Malta
that though it may be secret organi-
cation whose object is the taking Of
the law into its own hands, and whose
methods of dealing with its enemies is
death, it cannot extend its practices to
Americans with IMMUNITY. This TAX
ing an eye for an eye and tooth for
tooth, while to be deplored, appears to
be the only way of dealing with the
matter. The whole country unites in
saying that the end justified the means
in this particular case