The herald., 1895-08-25
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La Mafia's Favorite Weapon

/ During its slow transition from humane
to an inhuman society the bulk of these
men deserted its ranks, giving the lower
classes stronger hold upon its affairs.
Then it became society OF brigands.
! Wealthy people were kidnapped and il
| victim was killed.
| Many wealthy people saw the desira-
bility of continuing the Malta, particular
| ly those of evil inclintions. 1t afforded
protection to their estates and cattle and
gave them the means of wreakng ven-
eeance upon personal enemies. The high
Malta orders and the low Malta executes.
The poor join because OF envy and want.
rhe honest peasant is insulted, half fed
| and given the poorest work by the head
man OF an estate, who usually belongs to
the order. But if this peasant commits
small crime he is suddenly respected and
feared No one insults him; he is given
good work and finds himself elevated fin
ancially and socially. No one dare ILL
treat him, for he has the vas power of the
Malta at his back.
One of the worst evils of the Maiia sys-
TEN is the opportunity it offers for pri-
vate murder. man VINO wishes to put
al enemy out of the way appeals to the
local chief and upon payment of sum
varying from 50 to 500 francs the matter
is taken in hand.
The common method of procedure in a
case Of this kind is this. The chief tres
the victim, VINO of course, is absent and
he is found guilty of the offense. Lots ars
drawn for the eXecutioner or the matter
is placed in the hands of novice to try
his courage ano obeuience. He is attend
ed by score or more OF tho band. When
the victim comes along a shotgun is passed
into his hands. He kills the man, passes
the gun back to the man who gave it
and in turn it is swiftly passed into a
dnzaD honIa finally fu6jnu auo oy-
as if by enchantment. The murderer
has by this time disappeared through the
by streets but soon reappears running
toward; the scene of the murder like the
other spectators.
The weapon invariably used in these as
sassinations is shotgun, the barrels of
which have been sawed off within six
inches of the hammers. The stock has
also been sawed off so that the weapon
can be as easily concealed as a large pis-
tol. This style of learm is used because
the assassin rarely misses when he fires.
1t is usually loaded with three bullets the
size of a 32-cal liper pistol. Ii group of
bullets are placed in each barrel, also d
quantity OF large-sized shot. The assas-
sin always shoots at short range. Such a
weapon was found by the police of
Brooklyn on the scene of an Italian
shooting on May 10, 1893.
One Italian writer who took a compare
lively mild view OF the secret societies of
Southern Italy, speaks of La Malta as
La Fratellanza" He says La Fratel-
lanza neither wishes to rob for greed nor
rise against property, nor stack the
form OF government. To bathe in the
blood OF an enemy or insulter, with
aviditv. savagely, undistured-thia was
its ideal. Its maxim was. sweet is wine.
but sweeter still the blood of Christians -
OF the late Malta the great Alongi
sounds an alarm when he says THIS i:
"Once the first nucleus Of the b, ,osher-
hood IS constituted it spreads rapidly.
recruiting adherents among the Crimi-
nails and evil livers OF every kind. This
force of expansion given the anthropo-
logical and historical circumstances OF
Sicily is f:ightful."
GRANTLAND GRIEVE.