The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-07

| Wichita is liable to have Dr. Cronin
| affair of its own to talk about.
| 1t is now limited without much reserve
| that an agent of the Italian Malta has vis-
tied the city aud dispatched Frank" the
butcher who 80 mysteriousiy disappeared
nearly ten days ago.
| The Italians shake their heads omni-
ously when the subject of Franks disap-
/, pearance is brought up, and do not hesi-
| tate to talk to everybody about it but the
| newspaper men.
A reporter for the EAGLE sought one
of the leader; of the Italian colony
yesterday, aud asked him for his
views on the subject.
who are you?' he said in mighty good
queens English.
"a reporter for the EAGLE" was the
| response. He became as dumb as an
oyster.
'What do you know about the disap-
pearance of Frank"
''Me no understand Engleece." was the
reply. Me an 1taliona man and Gamma
talk Americana"
They were all the same way. for they
are AS much afraid of the Malta as they
ter from the Internal regions.
Well, Notwithstanding their reticence
reporter learned good deal of their
views from other parties. They are
confident that frank is dead and that the
Malta killed him or ordered him killed.
There is story told. that could not b.
traced to its source, that Frank originally
came to Wichita to escape the wrath of
the Malta. The story goes on to say that
he formerly lived in "a city where the
Malta was pretty strong and that he
fought them on every occasion and pub
liciy denounced them as an organized
band of cutthroats and assassins. His act
i've hostility against them made him u
subject for their enmity and daggers
and he only escaped falling at their hands
by the warning of young man that used
to play with him when he was boy.
Knowing their desperate character he de-
parted at the warning of his friend and
came west where he would be out Of the
reach of the terrible and vind;ctive band.
IL is also said that he got a letter from
the same friend about two weeks
ago warming him Of danger and
there is possibility that he
ably to this warning and that he was
not killed at all. This, however, is not
given much credence by the Wichita Ital.
ians. They believe that he has been MUIR
dered and will not admit any other reason
for his absence. They think that il he
was to leave from any other cause that he
would have made some disposition of his
which it contained. 1t was said that
when he left his shop on the night he was
last seen that he walked down Fourth
avenue with a colored woman. This has
since been denied by one of the colored
boys at the Carey who is alleged to have
seen him with a woman, but he is quite
sure that she was an Italian woman of
swarthy hue and not u colored woman.
This, if true, gives some color OF possibiIi.
ty if not probability to the Malta story. 1t
is possible that if he was marked for the
stiletto of Malta cutthroat that woman
was chosen to decoy him into the murder
ous trap. 1t is moreover stated that
strange and peculiar looking Italian wo-
man was seen about that time in the city
peddling relics supposed to have been
brought over by her from Demascus, she
to have come from that holy
laud.
Franks" little property of meats and
other things have been taken charge of by
the authorities and the perishable portion
Of it disposed Of