Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-19

| STABBED ~ THE EACH
! fall. = leading italian newspaper ez-
] plains that the chief motive for these
crimes is not cupidity or desire Of plum
I lCr, but either vanity-that is, & false and
exageoratcd scrsr of honor-or morbid
+ jealousy or runcor. Every year Italy fights
"a great battle with herself, which costs
: 900 lives and gains her nothing but
shame Many such crimes are supposed
to tc committed b. the notorious CamorrL
and Malta societies. u i estimated that
I,O00,CJO murders have been committed
during tac past decade.
The Cnmorra in its Talmy days was, &c
cOrdint- TO IiccIethOrn, ''an association OF
thieves, TlGrdcrCrs, blackiCgs, gamblers,
blackmailgrs, C1tCrtioECrs, highway rob
bers and assaSSins.". Heckothorn insists
that 1t had its beginning in the prison OF
/ Naples
There was il Is said, IN the prison Of
Fano q socinlistic genius named Antonio
GiaparclH, who, finding that on tho ar
rival Of Il fresh prisoner only a few Of the
previous inmates profitCd ~ the plumber,
conceived the idea of forming an Orglniza-
ton which should systematically under
take the job Of fleeing the newcomers
and share equally in the proceeds The
realization OF the idea proved that An
tonic lad. in common parlanca, great
head. fer after the organization of the So
ciCty tie r85bng WAS much moro thor
oughly and systematically done, and all
the members shared II the benefits. Tho
gU0i features OF the order commended 1t
to the judgment Of other prisoners, ana
soon ali those iucaTcCT3ted In the castle of
EanO were members CT tho new order
When times became quiet, cunsprat0Ts
and hauditti were released q few at
time. and as the terms of other prisoners
expired they, too, departed, and by their
manner Of life soon rendered themselves
Candidates for incarceration elsewhere.
Remembering the success of the prison or
der in Fauo, the robbers and murderers
who speedily found lodgings in the pris-
ons of Naples, Florence, Milan, Geneva
and Rome Thought OF the benefits con
fsrrcd upon themselves and their friends
= the society OF Iano, and consequently
brarl 'ics Of the order were established in
the prison : OF every large city in Italy, and
before $50 every prison had Camorra
society
No long time elaTsed before the bright
intel!ccts Of the prison orders fancied that
the usefulness of tho society might be ex-
tended beyond the prison walls. In ISIS
n merchant tIoinl, Il humble business in
one Of the poorer quarters OF Naples was
visited by stranger who requested con
trisurion for the CamorTa. The mer
chant refused. stating that he knew moth
ING OF the Camcrra, never heard the word
before and finally ordered his iGportUnate
visitor out Of the shop. Every store in
that street received Il call from the mys-
FERROUS stranger. and every srOrckeeper re-
fused TO contribute On the following
morning there was a sensation in the
neighborhood for the first merchant was
found dead in his bed with hall "a dozen
stilctto wounds in his body and placaTd
on his breast inJimatinS that he had been
executed by the Cauor-a. y day or two
later another stranger, as mysterious as
rho frsr. went through the street with a
similar rpuucst for contributions. Several
OF the sro!ekeepers paid, but the next day
one who had refused was found dead IN
der circumstances which recalled the first
assassination, and with u similar placard.
Tho story was told al! over Naples, and
people began TO spccl. late as to what the
Camorra might bc. The7 soon learned,
for within a few months ageI.tS OF the So
Cicty visited every store in Naples, de-
Inaudin. contributions for the order In
most cases the money asked for was paid.
When i was uot. the unwilling victim in
spired rev terror and secured more ready
compliance with the demands OF the black
mailgrs : general panic prevailed, and
within a year the hand that was extended
"ith TIE mystic words for the C1morra'
was never held ont in vain
The period between 1S2S and 1913 was
the golden age Of this nlu-derous society
in Naples-indccd throughout Italy-and
IL Is ilconcCivable TO what extent this
nefarious taxation was levied Every form
of business was forced TO contribute Ey-
cry individual business transaction, when
not done in secret, paid a tax The agent.