The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-20
AGAIN THE MALTA.

The Italian minister has called on
Secretary Olney to direct his attention
to the fact that three more subjects
of King Humberta have terminated
their careers in this country at one end
of ropes at the other end of which were
the quick and unrelenting hands of
group of American citizens. With all
due formality of diplomatic phrase
Minister de Fava will ask the secretary
what his government proposes to do
about it. There will be the explana-
lions made by Secretary Blaine to the
same minister, after the enraged citi-
zens of New Orleans, led by Parkin-
son, had burst open the parish prison
doors and shot to death a lot of Ttali-
ans, few not yet naturalized, mem.
bers OF the Malta, who had, or were
suspected to have, murdered the chief
of police for some real or fancied in
jury. Uncle Sam paid some $4,000 then
to the families of those who, fortu
nately for their survivors, had not yet
declared themselves Intentional citi-
zens of the republic. He will. prob
ably, after due elaboration and inyes
igation, pay something to the fam
lilies of these three, provided they
were, at the time of their taking off.
still subjects of his majesty the king
of Italy
Whenever an Italian assassinates
another, or murders one of another
race, it is the fashion to charge it TO
the work of the Malta, as such crimes
some years ago We're laid at the doors
of the Molly Maguires in the mining
regions of Pennsylvania The Malta
is, or was, an association of Sicilians.
formed for the purpose of protecting
the smugglers who tried to eyade the
tariff laws, and, in so doing, had fire.
quent altercations'with the revenue au-
thorities, In which the handy stiletto
was convenient means of producing
silence on the part of the incriminat-
ing officer. So orthese practical free
traders brought odium on themselves.
instead of on a bad law, and the name
of their society IS made to cover the
murderous action of every vengeful
italian in any part of the world.
The three Italians who were taken
from the jail of st. Charles parish. in
Louisiana, and summari1y executed
had committed the offense of murder
ing American citizens. AS long as thew
only run their stilettos into each other
society there does not disturb itself
more than to put the remains under
ground sans ceremonie So depraved
had public sentiment become that the
assassin had come to be regarded as
somewhat of public benefactor who
was not to be disturbed in his land.
able work of diminishing the numbers
of an undesirable element by the
minions of the law. AS long as they
killed each other, society refused to be
even moved to arrest and try the Of
fender. One reason for this was the
secrecy with which these deeds were
usually done, making their detection
very difficult and their punishment
rare.
1t is with this fact that local senti-
ment justifies it's acts when the inva-
sion of nativism by the stiletto rouses
society to self-defense. The secrecy of
the crime and the readiness of others
to establish an alibi,s together with our
rule of the presumption of innocence,
have made convictions so difficult that
the public takes the administration Of
what 1t deems Justice into its own
hands. and strings the suspect to the
Nevertheless, the offense is against
law, order and social existence, and
must not be tolerated or condoned.
FORT RIDGELEY MONUMENT.