The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-05-03
N 9HlI'5H 0F
I.aE.jL NlHl
Thousands of MurdererS Tn
Toying American Llbertv
LAW USELESS WEAPON
SiciIians Deal Death With
Mysterious Hand
Fools resort to law.
The noor resort to force:

Ian cOuplGt lellS luS olAS4AA' SO0F
meaning Of La Malta. \ tremendous IN
crease in the number OF immigrants from
Sicily and a woeful increase in nunpei
Of undiscovered murders among Sicillans
an over this country seem colncldehI-
Every man. woman and child who halls
from Sicily is under the shadow OF thls
awe inspiring secret organization, whose
Inception and conclusion seem assasslha-
tion and assassination only
If one is connected with that oatn
bound band one shrinks from even whls-
rering its name If one is not connected
with ii one breads its fearful potential
fly and accordingly maintains a discreet
silence. 1t is typical of the Sicilian never
TO resort to the usual offices OF the Ia"
TO punish. Vengeance is wholly private
undertaking with your Sicilian.
The radical change that the Mafia makes
In a people naturally voluble Is an IN
teresting psychological study. From Volu-
hilitv 10 tacturnity, the change is instan-
taneous once the dread topic is touched
For this reason the police authorities OF
New York and New Orleans, by many
regarded al the centre Of Mafioso, declare
that never has there been q convection
of murder where this organization was
even remotely connected with the crime.
1t is practically impossible to obtain a
conviction in a Siclian murder trial il
the essential evidence is TO be wrung
from fellow coUntrymen. Even the
closest relatives and dearest friends OF
the victim, so far from assisting the au-
thorities in establishing the fact OF a
murder and delivering up the assassin,
will do all that cunning and fear OF re-
curing disaster can compel to hamper
the officers Of the law
Only those who have come into init
mate relations with the Sicilians in this
country can have any conception of the
terrorism Of the Malta. Stealthy muir
ders without number stand to its credit.
The revolver and the stlletto are the faV-
orite weapons. Rarely is poison resorted
10. The assassin chosen to commit the
murder must be protected, hence brawls
are not part Of the scheme Of eXecu-
ton The sudden affray growing out OF
a game Of cards is seldom traceable to
Mafian origin.
The Turing into security is always a
part of the plan. 4 shot through an open
window at midnight. a sudden thrust with
q dagger in cellar, are the customary
modes of procedure. With repeated oc
curences of this sort right under theil
eyes. the Sicilian colonies in the purlieus
of the metropolis, in the little towns OF
PENNSYLVANIA or along the leyees in New
Orleans are the unfathomable depths the
police vainly try to plumb. Each yeai
sees the number of felonious assaults
among this class Of our population grow
ing in arithmetical proportion as the i'm
migration increases.
In the last five years the number OF
Sicilians coming hither has grown from
I3000 to $1,000 a year. The immigration
officials 90 not dimerentiate the Sicilians
from the Italians coming from Southern
Italy in their tables of statistics, for th'
classes are homogeneous. The Malta
IL must be remembered, is distinctly {
Sicilian institution. In Calabria and tha
part of Italy denominatod The heel O.
the boot the Camorra and other secre
and potential organizations have thei
root and branch. but the Malta is no
affiliated with them
II is impracticable to try to set fortl
ders or attempted murders chargeabl
TO the Malta But. generally speaking
at least one case a month is upturned IL
this city and half as many in New Or
leans. In 1895 for example. the indict
ment hook of the District Attorneys of
flee of this county showed ninety-thret
italian stabbing cases alone. many of
which terminated fatally. OF these sever
%ere outright murders. bearing ever,
outward indication Of the Mafias handi
work. Each year shows a proportional
increase in crimes Of this kind. just a
each years statistics show an increas
in the number Of Sicilians arriving here
The real origin of the Malta murders i
20 be found in conditions inherent in Sici
ly and deep rooted in the past. Al Paler
mo and Messina the very existence Q
such an organization is denied. So, also
is the bEigandage ot tradition denied. We
both are there. in Sicily so subtly elusiv
Of detection, so cunningly disguised. tina
only by patient search and slow growing
confidence inspired by cautious action cal
the outsider discern the indubitable evi
dences Of it.
The real nature Of a condition whicl
IS SO deeply rooted in the Sicilian charac
ter is not clearly indicated even in tn
books Of so close an observer as Mario
Crawford. whose "Corleone' throws
fascinating light on this theme Primari
". IL may be said that intolerable power
ty. suffering and privation in their acute
forms are enough to engender hatred q
anything connected with power and law.
IN Sf,s4f faa
~ holding has become so onerous tina
life has become intolerable for the masse.
The fecundity Of the Sicilian women
proverhiai; the natural increase OF. popu
lation Increases the privation Of the SUI
vfvors; phylloXera has attacked and raw
aged the Sicilian vineyards. and the grow
ers cannot afford the expensive fore!g
graftins; the orange and lemon cror
cannot longer compete with the Florid
and California products. protected =
they are by duties. and olive oil. the onl
native product left. has suffered frol
cottonseed oil and bogus products. III
sulphur mining industry Of Sicily hs
suffered, too. from competition with 9th,
sources OF the worlds supply.
Hence the incentives Of inmigrstlo
70 America are patent. Information cor
veyed to those At home from those WI
have found living less problem her
than In Sicily have attracted thorsand
in addition TO those inherently dissati
fed
In Sicily every one garbed in the un
form Of authority has stood as a mon,
nent OF repression. Every wealthy lar
owner has hed his private guard. Ever
peasant on his way TO market carries +
rife slung in front OF his saddle In II
fields and vineyards the same prepare,
ness is TO be found. The peasant hat
the very word authority. The same spir