Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-02-20
CAMORRA OF NAPLES.
a DREADED ScOURCE OF LIFE IN
THE ITALIAN CITY.


Merchants of Naples in Their Desper-
ate Efforts to Free Themselves from the
Rule of These Organized Criminals.
The Camorra, that dreaded scourge
Of Neapolitan life. has come into re-
neWed prominence through it's activity
at the last elections, and all Italy is
shuddering in anticipation of new de-
velopments in the history of this band
OF criminals.
For years Italian statesmen have
been trying to stamp out utterly the
Camorra and the other murder socie-
ties which are so abominable feature
of Italian life. The society nearly won
at the elections because the Italian au-
thorities had allowed themselves to
be lulled into the belief that they had
altogether overthrow the power of
the Camorra and that there was moth
ing more to be feared from it. Awak-
enlng to the danger at the last mo-
ment, strenuous efforts were made to
gather together the people in favor
OF law and order and to induce them
to combine against the Camorra and
defeat it with their votes.
The attempt nearly failed because
the people had become thoroughly
terrorized by the Camorra and would
rather pay blackmail than run the risk
of assassination. The voters believed,
too, that Camorra officials were in
charge of the polling booths and that,
despite the presence of the sol1iers
and police, they would take steps to
inform themselves of the identity of
every vote cast They believed, in
fact that there would be nothing Sc
cret about the elections, and many
preferred not to antagonize the Ca
mora by voting against an organiza-
ton which had shown it's ability to
wreak so terrible a vengeance.
Feudal times, say these Italians
once returned to Naples and Rome,
and bands of armed retainers roamed
the streets, as in the olden times
Rich ani prominent men frequently
paid blackmail to the Camorra until
they faced ruin from the extortion
practised upon them. Complaints
were met with threats of death. and at
last one of these men, seeing that in
any case death must be his lot if he
remained in his bondage. determined
to make firm stand for his personal
liberty. Gathering together the re-
mains of his fortune, he expended a
pert in the rapid fortification of his
house and in the hire of a number of
daring men from distant part of the
country. These men, all of whom hat
e. and feared the Camorra, he armed
with the best weapons available, and
then sent his defiance to the Camorra.
The main council of the Camorra
net, considered the case of the re-
calcitrant merchant, and, without
wasting much time on the matter, SEN
fenced him to death for his disobe-
that the sentence of death was carried
out
Meanwhile the threatened merchant
had organized a little private Camorra
of his own, and one of his spies was
present at the meeting at which the
death sentence was pronounced. He
returned to his master with the names
ot the six men detailed for the execu-
tion, and the next morning four of
the would-be assassins were found
dead. The other two were killed the
next night.
This was the first real blow of re-
taliation that had ever been dealt to
the Camorra. Another meeting was
held and more men were detailed to
kill the rebellious merchant. This
time the assassins were more eau
tious, but. nevertheless, three of them
died before next dawn and the other
chosen one, apparently unwilling to
pay at a game in which their adver-
sary was so manifestly adept, pre-
cipitately retired to the country. The
merchant never went out without an
escort, and was so carefully guarded
that he was able to pursue his busi-
ness unmolested. The result of this
was that his affairs again began to
prosper and his bank account to in
crease. With the money he added
both to his Notifications and his pri-
vate army until his defiance of the Ca
mora grew into an undoubted sue
cess
Other merchants gained courage by
his eAdihpie, ana themselves employed
anti-Camorra guards until there were
soon six powerful merchants, each
with his own army of retainers to de-
iend him from the Camorra.
On one occasion the six merchants
joined forces and attacked the Ca
mora in it's stronghold. The local
newspapers and the police, being dom
mated by the Camorra, reported this
affair as mere street riot, but Nea-
politans say that it was a riot in which
the Camorra lost 10 of its ringleaders.
After that the Camorra lost some of
its prestige of fear. Little shopkeep-
crs who had formerly trembled before
The Camorra's collector now refused
10 pay. Several collectors were even