Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-08
CORpE'S COMMENTS.
The italian Consul at New Or
leans Is Caustic.
HIS CRITICISM OF THE GRAND JURY.

That Body Charged with GarbIing aud
suppressing His statements-A Slap
at American Political aIethods-The
Slaughter of March IL Declared to
Have Been Premeditated-Appeal to
the United es-NationaIity or the
vietims-O' 0IaiIey in Print.
New ORLEANS, La, May s-Signor Pas
quail Corte, the Italian consul, yesterday
addressed the following letter to the fore
man Of the grand jury, w. H. Chaffe:
"SIR; am surprised to see printed in the
report Of your honorable body published
in the papers to-day a great alteration of
certain parts of my statements. made not
only before you, but especially of those
made to Mr.. Lafaye and another member
of the grand jury at my residence, and not
under oath of secrecy If, as it is publicly
asserted, some members of the grand jury
were in the mob, and that body is trying
to excuse their actions, it does not concern
me personally, but l cannot allow my
statements to be altered or partially pub
lished with the object OF drawing infer
ences contrary to my deductions.
Rather severe on the Politicians.
at Is my opinion that solidity should
exist between good elements in order to
guard against bad ones, and in this sense
1 was asked by the two gentlemen if there
are any Italian criminals in this city. Ibid
not hesitate to reply, without giving the
number, that there are not as many as
there are of other nationalities, but l
added that it would be difficult to get rid
of them, either because the most of them
are naturalized Americans, who have the
support of politicians and certain author
tiles, or because extradi1ions were too
costly in the United States
The Undesirable Immigrant.
Referring to the arrival of certain unde-
sirable immigrants on the steamship En-
tella, VI. Corte says he told Mr.. Dafaye:
II was surprised that the parties dele
gated expressly by the mayor to examine
into the condition of the immigrant, did
not notice that 81 passengers landed,
while the list called for only s32. This
explains to me how easily fugitives from
justice could be introduced into this
country If authorities incompetent in
Office or in such matters were intrusted
with said Investigations. And it is part
ly to this undue mingling of outsiders in
the temple of justice that l ascribe the
bloody tragedy
Political Murder Alleged.
But the agreeable silence, the studio
reticsnce and other accompanying irregu-
larities will never destroy the truth of the
facts incurred, and which denounced 10
my government viz: That an extra Judi
cial body appointed by the mayor, from
the beginning premeditated, as it APP
peared in the appeal, the killing of the
prisoners; that the same body assem- bled
on the night of the 18th of March to take
in cold blood tie necessary steps to kill,
for political purposes, defenseless but
fearful adversaries.
Nothing Done to Prevent the Massacre.
about twenty parties, among them
some representing the law and order, exc
cuted said project; that innocent Italian
blood was shed; that not only nothing
was done by the authorities TO prevent it,
but few officials contributed directly or
indirectly in order to accomplish the
work, aud finally that the names of the
participants in the killing, as well as
those Of the in5tigators are of public noto-
riety. Respectfully, p CoRTE,
Consul OF Italy.