The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-09-18


 habituated to use of the knife, it fol- lows that duels are incessant among the members of the Mafia. No seconds are employed, each. being confident Of fair play. On meeting at the appointed spot, they first argue on the reason of their quarrel, and it is point of eti- quette that during the argument no in furious terms shall be used Should one of the duellists be convinced that he was in the wrong he apologies, and there is an end of the matter; other wise, one invites the other to draw and the duel proceeds, Formerly it was the custom for ore of the combatants to bring a pair of knives, which were stuck in the ground, and each man, bending at the same moment, seized a knife at haphazard. But now the trusting chivalrous spirit Is disappear ing, and each man brings his own knife
 Then the combat commences, the men advancing, reateating, leaping and twisting like cats till one is wounded. The victor immediately cries, Throw down your weapon;" and when he sees that this is done he pockets his own 'AAAihS etiNt ullo tO iGip tilS NOULoNd man, or, if the latter is mortally hurt, to receive his last words Not seldom is this extreme case kiss of reconeili- ation is asked and granted; but it is rarely that a man is killed on the spot When seconds are employed a fifth man is chosen as umpire; in this case also the preliminary discussion invari- ably takes place. If a duel ends in inn mediate death, the High Mafia proceeds to the spot to hold an Inquiry. Should they find that there has been treach- cry, they pass sentence on the murder CT, and very often the sentence is death. If the duel has been fairly fought, q ceremony takes place in some church to make peace between the sur yivor and the family of the dead man; and if the affair is arranged it is inn possible for the police to obtain any in formation from the relations of the vic- tim. When wounded man is taken to a hospital the Mafia finds means to have him watched and prevented from betraying the name of his adversary Members of the Mafia are proud of leaving a hospital without having de- nounced their enemy; and when a man tioo oiSu III lioSpltdl N1thouI DGll HE his murderer, the Mafia pronounces him to be "a man." in the contrary case he is dubbed as .'one who com menced like a man and ended like a traitor
 It will surprise no one who has heard anything of the prevalence of the art of tatooing among Italians to learn that it is a favorite fashion with the Sicilian Mafia. The members of that association adorn their bodies with en- blems of their loves, their hatreds, their scorn and their religion. Above the heart of the notorious brigand Botinda- ri was tattooed the figure of a woman surrounded by a frame, and the words. Holy Mary, pray for me!' Another man tattooed on his side the boast that he had killed his enemy without assis- tance. A symbol ofrevenge was tat tooed on the body of a young man whose father had been murdered; it was in the shape of a heart, with the motto, This thou must eat" the heart, of course, representing that of the murderer.
 The members of the Mafia rather de- spise firearms, thinking it cowardly to kill man from distance; and the weapons tattooed or their bodies are generally daggers and knives. One old convict in a Sicilian prison has tattooed on his person a pyramid of skulls, the symbol of a church dedicated to exe- cute persons. A frequent figure is the head of Saint John, whom the Mafia consider to be the especial protector of convicts. The figures of the patron saints of the various towns are often found; Saint Agatha for the Catani- ans the Madonna for the people of Ira oani, Saint Rosalie for inhabitants of |. Palermo, while the Infant Jesus or the cross is used by the inhabitants of Monreale A list of the sacred em- | blems thus employed would be list of | all saints.-Macmillan's.