Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-03-21
AWFUL RETRlBUTION.
The Dago Assassins of New Or
leans Massacred in jail.
A Mob IT Determined Avengers Break
Into the Parish Jail and Shoot
Down Eleven Sicllians.
Death Blow TO tho oath-Bound Society OF
Mafn-Not a Dissenting Voice In
All Now Orleans to tho
Work of tho Mob.

New ORLEANS, March 16.-New Or
leans struck the Mafia death blow
Saturday. 1t rose in its might almost
at midday and wrealSed terrible ven
geance upon the Sicilian assassins who
slew David G. Hennessey, and though
there are eleven men dead who were
happy Friday over their victory in the
greatest criminal Grial the city has ever
witnessed, the work of blood was ac-
complished without unnecessary disor-
der, without rioting, without pillaging
and without the infliction of suffering
upon any innocent man, save one, and
he was only slightly hurt. 1t was not
an unruly, midnight mob. 1t was sim
ply determined body of citizens who
took into their own hands what justice
had failed to do. The chief of police
was slain on October Is, and that very
night the evidence began to accumu-
late, showing that his death had been
deliberately planned by a secret tribunal
and carried out boldly and successfully
by the tools of the conspirators. The
trial lasted twenty-five days and though
the evidence seemed conclusive, the
jury, currently charged with having
been tampered with, failed to convict.
Friday night a body of cool headed
men, lawyers, doctors, merchants and
political leaders, all persons of influence
and social standing, met and decided
that some action must be taken and
Justice, swift and sure, visited upon
those whom the jury had neglected to
punish. Saturday morning n call for a
mass meeting at Clay square appeared
in the papers, which editorially depre-
Gated violence. The significant closing
sentence of the call was: Come pre-
pared for action" Down in a large
room on Bienville street there was an
arsenal which had been provided by
the body of citizens. The call was an
swered by the populace. Atten o'clock
there was a crowd of several thousand
around the statue.
There were three addresses, short,
pithy and business-lilse, and the assem-
blage was soon keyed up to high pitch.
w. S. Parllerson, the leader, is a promi-
nent lawyer here and the man who led
the vigorous city reform movement
three years ago. Walter d. Denegar,
another of the speakers, is one of the
leaders of the New Orleans bar. John
c. Wickliff is also prominent attorney,
and James D. Houston, one of the fore
most men of the state. After denoun-
cling Detective O'Malley, who is sup
posed to have tampered with the jury,
the speakers announced that they would
lead the way TO the parish prison.
By this time the crowd had swelled to
5000 or more and before anyone could
realize what had happened, the great
throng was tramping down the streets
to the prison, stopping only once and
that was at the arsenal, where double
barreled shotguns, Winchester rifles anG
pistols were handed out. The starting
of the crowd had an electrical effect or
the city. Soon the streets were alive
with people, running from all directions
and joining the main body, which moved
down to the jail, near Congo square.
When the vanguard of armed citizens
reached the prison, which is many
squares from Canal street, that grin
old building was surrounded on al
sides. Sheriff Villers, when he hearC
that a movement was on foot to taxi
the prisoners, armed his deputies anC
then started on a hunt for Mayo
Shakespeare.
The Italian consul and Attorney Gen
eral Rogers joined in the pursuit, bu
his honor does not reach his Office unit
noon and he was not to be found at an.
of his regular haunts. The police fore
was too small to offer much resistanc
to the avengers. Superintendent Caste
ordered an extra detail of officers to b
sent to the Jail. They were swep
away like chaff before the wind and il
an instant the little ante-room leadin
into the prison was jammed with ez
cited men.
Meanwhile the prisoners were stricR
en- with terror, for they could hear dis
tinctly the shouts of people without de
manding their blood. Innocent an
guilty alike were frightened out of thei
senses and the prisoners who wer
charged with crimes other than CON
licity in the murder of the chief ais
shared in the general decentralization
Some of the braver among the repre-
sentatives of the Malta wanted to di
fighting for their lives and they pleade
for weapons with which to defen
themselves. and when they could nj
find these they sought hiding places.
The deputies, thinking to deceive til
crowd by ruse, transferred the min
there the miserable Sicilians tremble
in terror until the moment when I'll
doors would yield to the angry throu
on the outside. Capt. Davis refused I'll
request to open the prison and the crow
began the work of battering in IL
doors.
Around on Orleans street there was
heavy wooden door which had bee
closely barred in anticipation of Il
conf G of the avengingmass. This til
crowd selected as their best chance {
getting in Neighboring houses readi
supplied axes and battering rams ar
willing hands went to work to force {
opening.
This did not prove difficult task
the determined throng. Soon there WI
a crash, the door gave way and in an i
-@an+ arp,ad nitizana XVart. non vi