Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-03-26
rnE MAFlA.
The Bloody Society Of Death aud Its Muir
der OF Chief Bennessy.

sanguinary recompense OF every injury
Is part OF his religion. AS quarre
arose between this Sicilian and that; a
vengeance was threatened and attempt
cd, friend bound himself to friend IN
society for mutual protection. Thu
one day--a day so distant down th
centuries that only the merest whisper
Of tradition concerning II can be hear'
was organized the dark brotherhoo'
Of the Malta. As It grew, as new re
cruits, fearing some private enemy an'
fleeing from some personal vendetta
| joined IL for protection: the Matia be
came, on its own part and on that OF III
members, aggressive. Its earlier policy
was protection 10 its members and re
yenge OF their wrongs Its later az
tions, born Of the pride OF secure
strength, we're OF an Initiative sort. /
| took part in Siciiian politics and a
one time controlled the island II hat
its orders or councils in Rome, on the
mainland and all over Italy. The gov
ernment began 10 fear it and many were
the laws and frequent the attempts tc
extirpate the bloody brotherhood OF the
Malta. The only result was TO drive IT,
in It's meetings and action, into deeper
obscurity. II did not die but grew and
iourished.
The members OF the Malta were
greatly feared. No one knew certainly,
that Is no outsider, Of its membership.
II was the secret of the order, this mat
ter Of membership, and preserved with
many dire oaths. To violate the Malta
oath and name member TO an outsider
was death. This punishment was many
times inflicted.
So no one. not OF the Malta, knew GER
tainly that Pictro or Juan or Romero
or anyone else was Malta But as is
common In such cases it was many
times suspected A man supposed to
belong TO the society was feared and
respected. Should he be drunk or dis
orderly In a wineshop the fact that he
was believed TO be Of the order was
enough to secure him from arrest or
interference. No peace officer was
anxious TO incur the enmlty Of the
mysterious but deadly Malta They did
not last long-Those officers whom the
order hated. a dark night, a lonely
walk the dull glimmer Of a stiletto
and the officer was dead-stabbed to the
heart from behind.
New Orleans Is composite OF all
nations. Among the rest is a colony Of
Italians, and these dark-browed Eme-
gres come too, mostly from Sicily,
They are not OF the best types and
frequently have left their country for
their country's good and TO the vast dis
advantage OF the city OF New Orleans,
wherein they settle. Bandits and bri-
gands for whom a price was offered,
condemned felons who escaped their
bonds; all furtive dark-eyed despera-
does, with red headgear and broad rings
OF brass and gold in their ears-these
were the sort who came.
These wolves brought the Malta. The
bloody oath was taken and the roots OF
the society implanted In America.
Not much was known OF the Malta
here, The Italians settled in colony
by themselves. There are now some
%, 600 OF them. They add to their
ranks some 1900 year They have
their churches. their newspapers. their
trading booths and bazaas separate and
away from the rest OF the people Of New
Orleans one may live in their quar-
ters and never hear any language but
italian for q month. Their frontier is
as clearly established about their pos
sessions In New Orleans as If IL were
marked by law.
New Orleans is not we'll governed
city. 1, is lazy, sluggish and dirty, as,
indeed, are most communities ii torrid
climes It's police force Is small and
far more efficient II was Just the
place for the Malta 10 flourish and It
did grow and spread and wax strong.
Nor WAS IL idle For this cause or
that reason, In the divers years OF its
New Orleans existence, il has sentenced
and executed over 100 men.
The only change from the methods OF
fatherland was the substitution Of a
loaded with handful OF slugs
as a weapon in place OF the ancestral
dagger. The streets OF New Orleans,
and especially in the italian quarter,
are narrow and vilely lighted at night.
They present places which would sug
gest assassination at a glance. The
hidden killer can here 90 TO work and
unless the veriest bungler, be almost
certain Of safety and success.
So the Malta throve in New Orleans
and went its bloody courses. Its victims
were, with but tho or three exceptions. |
Italians, or what in New Orleans is the |
same thing, Siciians. Outsiders did
not complain, and Italians did not dai.a !
Once they went outside of their own |
nationality and attempted, In |
1860. the life OF the clerk Of the criminal |
SQUIRT. This would not do, The valo- |
Tile Americans cared not how many OF |
heir own sort the Malta daggered or
shot, but IL must keep its blood stained |
hands from others. So mob of |
quickly formed, charged |
through the Italian quarter and killed |
some twenty-five or thirty italians |
without much care OF effort expended /
IN the selection.
This was enough. The Malta con-
,luded that the assassination OF Ameri- |
'ans came too high and abandoned the !
business as profitless and costing more
han it came 10. They kept up a fur
i've shooting and throat-slitting how
syer. among themselves with great
'pirit. For this. as was said, no one
AIRED.
There was one man In New Orleans.
IN American, whom the Malta hated
This was David G. Hennessv. chief
Of police. He was IS
ears Of age. and lived ia New Orleans
rom childhood and had studied these
sicilian brigands ana bandit Italians a.
10 other American had. More than
ne crime had been brought TO the
Italian door by David c. Hennessy aud
more than one son OF Eneas wears
etiers to-day because OF this officer.
Among others he captured that cele-
rated Italian outlaw Esposito and
hipped him back to the theatre Of his
rimes and the scene Of his subsequent
Xecution. For this. among the rest
vas he loathed and hated by the Malta.
But life Is not all serene and uniform
.mong the Italians in New Orleans
They have their two factions-the Pro
anzanOs and Matranvas These
Italians, or a large portion. work a.
tevedOres on Che docks, and these dock
gorkers are Of the two clans named
hequent are the fights and broils that
ccur between members Of these twol
riders. Finally the Matrangas. who
re all said TO be members Of the Malta
D one way or another. supplanted the
'rovanzsnos and drove them from the
rharves.
Then crme a great crime.
Last spring as a wagon load OF Ma
rangas were driving home in the
loom they were ambushed By a band
{ their enemies armed with guns.