The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-03-20
Justification of the Lynchings.
(C~nc;nI 20 tho W,rlI \


BosroS, March, l6.-Maior E. T. Man.
ming, city clerk of New Orleans, was in
Boston at the time of the murder Of Chief
Hcnnessy last October. He then said to
the World representative that the people in
Now Orleans were law-abiding and would
await the result of judicial proceedings
against the Malta, but if the justice should
miscarry, the people would take the law
into their hands and wipe from the face
of the earth the infamous band
Mr. Manning's words were prophetic, as
the events Of Saturday show.
By singular coincidence Mr.. Manning
is again in Boston. He was found to-day
by the World representative at lounS's
Hotel, eagerly reading the accounts OF
the wholesale lvnchng in New Orleans
sit is hard to say when mob law is JUS
tiGable," said he, "but if an occasion
ever demanded it, it was the abortive
result Of the trial of these men for the
murder of Chief Hcnncssy.
LET me tell YOU something about the
Malta. In the first place it is a society of
murdcrers, of paid assassins For sums
of money, ranging as low as So, twas pos
sible to get an enemy or Il rival put ont
of the way.
''The Malta had never been molesled till
Hcnncssy came into Office. New Orleans
had never had Chief Of Police who
dared TO attack it, When the Malta said
man must die his death was swift and
sure. 1t was never known to fail.
murderer might escape the penalty of the
law, but never the decree Of the Malta
The records of the city show that twenty
five murders have been committed, known
to be due to this terrible Society, and in
not one case has the assassin paid the
penalty of the law. Witnesses did not
dare to testify. Jurors feared their own
lives if they brought in verdict of guilty,
and the police were stricken powerless
with fear.
"Bcsidcs these twenty-five cases there
arc countless other instances where dead
men have been found in the streets, the
victims of the unseen thrust of stilctto
in the hands of member Of the Malta
"a man was once struck down in a
public street in broad daylight and
with crowd of spectators near. The
assassin gave the sign OF the Maha and
not Il man could be found to testify against
him.
"Thls was the state of affairs when
David Hcnnessy was appointed Chief OF
Police by Mayor Shakespeare. Hennessy
was bright, clean, courageous man, and
he determined to root out this gang OF as
sGssins. He had the entire confidence OF
the city government, and he went to work
in earnest. He associated one OF the
| Piukcrtons with him and sent men TO Italy
and Sicily to learn the antecedcnts OF
some of the men then i'll New Orleans.
"Thcn it was decrecd that Hcnnessy
must die. He had such means Of learn
ing their duings that he knew he was Il
marked man. He told me once that the
order was out for him and he had to be
| .well-hceled wherever he went. tie had
collected evidence enough to clean out the
entire gang when he was murdered.
sHc lived long enough to tell the Mayor
who killed him. The Mayor called meet
inr of his council and it was decided that
he should appoint committee OF safe,
ty of fifty members to have charge OF
bringing the assassins to justice. The
idea was to clean out the Malta, root and
branch The city appropriated for the pur,
nose $4,000 and citizens subscribed
enough more 10 make 1t SoO,O0u.
~The committee was made up OF the
leading men of the city. 1t went to work
earnestly collecting evidence. After the
ca Sc was made out it called mass-meeting
of citizens in front of the City Hall. The
committee then told the people what had
been done. 1t then asked if the prose-
cution should be continued TO the bitter
end. There were 1900 people there and all
but two voted to so on with the work.
"The chairman of the committee then
said that this should be done. They
would proceed fairly and then try to bring
conviction through the courts. All the,
asked Of the people was to view matters
calmly and as far as possible without
preiudices until verdict was reached
/ II the Malta should proceed unfairly anc
4 by intimidation attempt to influence ths
4 jury, then the committee would bring the