New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-09-04
Il WELLSPRING or CRIME.
Hoe Naples Rears Up Lascbrca'crs
U'hO Emigrate to This Land.


Naples. Aug 2l.-The action taken by num-
Der of representative high class Italians in
New-York in offering TO assist the Network
Folice in putting an end to the BLACK Hand
and the series Of violations Of the law commit
ted by Italian criminals is distinctly in line
with the efforts now being made here at home
q suppress the criminal tendencies Of two great
Neopolitan societies. the Malta and the Camorra,
The better classes Of Italians express themselves
to Americans as thoroughly Inundated by the
reputation which has been earned in the United
States by the lawless element which emigrates
thIther. The Italians. as nation are peace
able and law-abiding people. 1t is chiefly In
Naples and the surrounding country where the
most thorouGhgoing indifference to law and
morals exists. strong effort has been on
foot here for some years to change these condi-
tons. but so far with little result. IN the mean
while criminally inclined Neapolitans emigrate
to New York on each outgoing vessel.
American visitors to this beautiful city are
Immediately brought into personal contact with
its indescribabIy bad social conditions. 1t is
most fortunate foreigner who can spend a week
in Naples and fail to fall into one or another OF
the thousands of traps set to catch him Re-
Gently two American women, travelling alone
spent q night in a fashionable Naples hotel On
leaving in the morning they failed to pay to the
hail waitress ana 10 the porter WAdl INC SCI
wants considered sufficient fees In spite of an
argument with these servants, the two Amerl-
can women left the hotel with their baggage.
on opening their trunk In Rome that night they
found that the entire contents had been de-
stroyed by the injection through the keyhole OF
a destructive acid. Application for redress sent
to the Naples hotel brought only the answer
that the proprietor would not hold himself
countable for what his servants might do.
young American woman. left by her friends
to spend the afternoon In Naples as she desired,
engaged one Of the multitude of hackmen who
are lined up along the curb near each hotel for
an hours drive through the poorer" parts of
the city. The hackrnan drove the girl through
a series OF back alleys, each TANNED with quar-
relling. half naked humanity. and then sudden
ly pulled up along the curbstone of populous
street Reckoning to fellow idling IN the door
way OF q butcher shop, the hackman refined In
his horse, while the butcher out 10 the car
rage. Jumped in, drew short knife, hit the
American girl on the forehead with the hiIt and
cut her purse from her waist The crime
committed in broad daylight, In the midst OF a
crowd OF people, with policemen In full view.
but the frightened American victim could get
no help from the bystanders.
She was driven back to her hotel, where she
made a complaint giving the number of the
mildly Interested They deprecated the offence
but could do nothing II was the third crime OF
the kind that visitors to their hotel had reported
in week IF should report the case 20 the po-
lice" they said, I'VE would either be fire to-
morrow night or one Of US would be assaesi-
mated Anyway. the police would do nothing
They are members of the same society"
One of the rules of this society is that all
private difficulties between citizens must be
T,rfJro tc1x cy,1 NTH
1t Is in vain that information is given to the
police. because many OF them belong 10 the
society AS result, Naples has a murder
record that is out of all proportion to its popu-
lation- criminal census of a few years ago
showed that the number OF murders committed
in Naples for every 100000 population was 2453
In Lombardy the same year the ratio was o.
The Malta often is guilty OF numbering whole
families to avenge an insult to one of its
members
Throughout certain parts OF Italy the Malta
10