The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-11-22
THE lAFIA.
The Death Dealing Order at
Work i'll New York City.
An Italian Appeals to the Police
for Protection.

Mario Gindice Says Re Mas Been Pur-
sued for Years by Members of the Order,
Who Killed His Wife and Are Now
seel1in; His Lifc-Other Crimes OF the
BEafa-Beins Investigated.
New York, nov. 21.-Marzio Gin
dice, an intelligent italian, went to po-
lice headquarters in this city Friday
and asked for protection from the
agents of the assassination society
known as the Malta, who have sworn TO
kill him. The man declares that he Is
being bounded, and he IS in receipt
daily of murderous threats and warn
ings. He told his story to Detectives
Formosa and AlOnce. The former Is
one or Inspector McLaughhn's Italian
detectives.
When Antonio Flaccomio was mys-
teriously murdered in front of the Coop
er Union a few years ago, Superlntend-
ent Byrnes made the discovery that the
Malta had agents in this country, and
that the order was furnishing in several
of the cities of the United States. The
assassination of Flaccomio was laid at
the door of the Malta. Several arrests
were made. but the arrested parties had
to be let go.
1t is known that branches of the secret
order are very strong in New York. Bos
ton, Providence, Chicago, st. Louis and
other cities.
Gindice asserts that his wife, who died
a year and half ago, was poisoned by
agents of the Malta, robbed, and her
body stolen from the grave where he had
it inferred and buried elsewhere. so that
he could not find it. His wife left
property in Italy, he says. and in order
to gain possession Of this the Malta l.
seeking his life and that of his eleven
year-old son. This is not the only reason
he gives, however, for the Malta want
ing to murder him. His father is an
Italian nobleman.
In 1860 a murder was committed in
the parish where his parents lived. His
father was a wealthy man, against
whom the lower and criminal classes had
a great hatred. To cover up the real
murderer his father was arrested and
| thrown into prison, where he was kept
| for three years, notwithstanding that he
was innocent of the crime. At the end
| of three years he was let go upon his
paving a large sum of money. Several
/ Italians who were identified with the
/ Malta bore a grudge against the elder
| Gindice, which has been transferred to
! the son.
| He has been bounded now for several
/ wears and threatened with death. lie
| has gone from one place to another to
escape assassination. Francisco Morto-
relli, bandit who is now in Italy, sent
three men here to kill him a few years
ago. The men, he says, are Augustine
! Mortorelli, Francisco'5 brother; Rigc
| Gindice, Marzio's own stepbrother, and
third man, whose name he does not
| know.
Augustine Mortorelli, he says, is al
the head of the Brooklyn branch of the
Malta. 1t was there that his wife died
last year. She had been sick fifteen
DAYS. The Malta, he said, tried to palm
off one of their members as a doctor
but he discovered the fraud Shortly
before his wife died an Italian priest
came to the house and ordered every
one out of the room. The priest sen
him out for medicine. While he wa:
gone he alleges that the priest induced
the diving woman to give him $500
which he said he would send to hel
brother, a soldier in the Italian army
When his wife died. her body turned
reddish hue, but the attending physi
clan gave a certificate of death from
pneumonia. The money which his wifi
gave to the priest was never sent to he
, brother.
Gindice says that he knew nothing o
the money affair until few month
ago, when he received a letter from
friends in Italy telling him of the con
fession made by Luiga Guairina, al
I Italian, who was living in Brooklyn a
, the time of his wife's death, and VIII
,, went back to Italy, where he died. II
confessed that Gindice's wife had bee
poisoned by agents of the Malta. II
, also confessed that the same persons VIII
L..
were sworn to Kill her husband.
About a year ago mis- eleven-year-ol
son. Michael, was slashed across the fac
by some unknown parties and by som
means poison was injected into tn
, wound. The lad recovered. however
He has the scar on his face. The detet
tives are Investigating.