Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-02
ALFANO FENDS SKTLLFULLY
Leader of Camorra is Not So Con-
vineing Under Cross Fire.
FLIGHT TO UNITED STATES
He Says He Went Abroad Because
His Health Would Not stand
Detention in JaII-Did Not
Need Passport.

VITERBO, Italy April Under cross
examination today Enrico Alfino appeared
to less advantage than he did under direct
interrogation yesterday, when his vehement
denial that he was either the head or the
tail OF the Camorra or had guilty knowl-
edge of the deaths of Geunaro Cuoccolo
and his wife, fairly swamped the audience.
He Tended skillfully. but was not so con-
vincing.
III you were innocent" asked President
Blanchi, why did YOU flee TO the United
States? You did not take your flight
when, Immediately after the crime you
were accused. In fact you delayed and
were arrested. But, following your release,
you fled when Abbatemaggio's revelations
began, and in so doing you showed that
you felt that the informer spoke the truth -
Il fled" answered Alfino, because for
the second time was experiencing an at
tack of Intestinal trouble, and feared that
Il would be aggravated by confinement. II
was held in prison for some years pre-
ceding my trial OF my ultimate vindiea-
tiOn I had no doubt"
''And what OF the Camorra today?'' pur-
sued the president.
'Tt no longer exists"
"T'hat assertion" retorted the president,
'1s explainabie when It is recalled that a
rule Of the society obliges Camorrists to
deny to the authorities their affillatlon
with the Camorra. this Reputation Of their
position not implying cowardice i'm the eyes
Of the Camorra."
Passport Not Needed.
Aifano explained his failure TO secure
passport when he went to America by
saying that 1t would have been dangerous
for him to have applied for one
Anyway" he added, "a passport was
quite unnecessary. Twenty dollars is
wholly sufficient to allow one to be ad-
mitted on any steamer without a pass
port In fact, from the moment the
steamer sailed / permitted my true name
to be known and was living under that
name when arrested by Petrosino the
American detective"
Regarding the statement that he had
placed Luiggi Fucci as his puppet at the
head of the Camorra. Alfano said thai
/ this was untrue. On the contrary, Fucci
| together with Abbatemaggio. the informer
and others who had not been arrested
had tried 10 play him false.
Says COnfeasiOn is Absurd.
! The prisoner called the attention of the
court to what he said was an absurdity
! I'm the confession of Abbatemaggio con.
cerning the scene of the murder Of Cuoc
cola He asserted that owing to the
eruption of Mount Vesuvius In 1906, Laws
covered the scene of the alleged assassi
nation and that IT would have been diff
cult for one to have gone from Tore de
Greco TO Cupa Calastro, by which nam,
the narrow strip between two walls o.
lava rocks fronting the sea is known.
The crime Is said to have been com
mitted at Cupa Calastro. II was ridicu
lous to imagine, the prisoner said. tha
he went to Mimi-a-Mare to watch TN
crime.
Counsel for the defense brought out tina
Abbatemaggio was a persistent reader o
detective stsories. The informer inter
rupted to admit that he had read seven
teen volumes from the prison library, tn
works including the memoirs of Petrosino
During the proceedings the priest. Cir
Vitozzi, and Pasquale Gargiulo, anothe
prisoner, both Of whom are in poor health
tainted
The case was adjourned until Tuesday