The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17
HOW THIEVES ARE TRAINED.
Babies In Naples Are Taught to Neg
and SteRI-Orgnnized Gangs.
From the London Dailv Now.

hHu SteNl-Orguni2ed Gangs.
From the London Daily News
An interesting account of the way in
which young children are prepared to en-
ter the Camorra is given by DR.. de Blasio.
NeapOlitan physician who has been
studying the habits of criminals The
Camorra at Naples, like the Malta in
Sicily, is an organization of criminals
and associates of criminals that is cen
turtles old. The Camorra begins its work
with the infants who are abandoned by
their parents or who are lent out to the
impostors who beg in the streets of Ma
pies. These children, for the most part
those of persons in prison, are taught to
beg Tor the end of cigar or a sodo. and
lnIeSt the cafes. In winter they sleep in
holes and stables, in summer on the
church steps, under archways or on the
benches in the public gardens.
When they are six or seven years old
they are instructed in begging and thieV-
ing by older children. At ten years OF
age the little Camorrista, or little thief
becomes cantatOre Singer He must
know how to improVise a song to the
girls, and reply with an eXtemporaneous
verse 70 the verse OF companion or Of
an antagonist. In Naples there are two
armies OF cantatOri, one belonging TO the
streets in the older part of the city. and
one to those of the west end. They CON
stitute the neophites of the Camorra.
and compete in public, passing their e,,-
dLnlh&llonN DN hlSEl IN lQe SIreGiS. IACN
choose Tor the subject of their chants
anything that takes place in the city, and
very often the object Of derisive songs
is an old man or poor idiot.
The better class hear these SCOTS. but do
not interfere, and often laugh al the wit
which is scarcely ever missing The two
bands are naturally great rivals, and once
a year at least they defy each other to
a series of battles in which stones are the
weapons, and at the close OF the FRAY
knives too often come into play This
practice of battles with stones among
boys can be traced back as far as 1925 FOR
Ell that period the Duke of AIya caused
thirty stone throwcrs' to be arrested in
Naples. The war cry of the boys is An
leila, Amelia, the derivation Of which is
challenge in the form OF a verse to which
the enemy responds likewise.
Then the young boys commence the at
tack. The paSsers-by flee. but at no great
distance stand old and young men. who in
cite the rival bands, and if necessary res
cue one or the other of them from an
arrest by the police. Two years ago there
was famous battle OF this kind in Piaz-
"a Mercato, which ended in a night be-
tween the police and the stone throwers.
during which the trans were stopped for
some time. The duel ceases at the first
drawing of blood-a slight scratch receiv-
ed by one OF the members of the two par
ties puts an end to the battle. The wound
ed boy is surrounded by his friends and
taken to his mother, real or adopted to
be bound up and nursed. The songs sung
by the boys have always a chorus and
generally there are two sOlOists who sing
a verse in turn which is ended by a re-
frain sung by the chorus, a mere "Ah
oh! All Oh!' In poetical form these youths
express the knowledge they have of fbe
worst evils and vices of human life but
the verses are realistic and without the
least CLEAN Of sentiment