The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23
AMERICANS WATCH
 CAMORRA TRIAL

Rome April 22.-(Special. )-Many Amer jeans have attended the Camorra trials at Viterbo and it is said two New York kept close watch on all the suspicious looking men in or near the courthouse. The hope is entertained that some light will be thrown on the assassination of Police Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, the New York detective, which occurred in attributed to the Camorra, which in turn
 has been called the Mafia. the Camorra, the Black Hand and the Italian Vem- gerichte The name "Black Hand" was purely an invention, there being no such organization in Italy. | The Camorra, which is now so prom nent in the public eye, had its origin 12o years ago in the filthy dungeons of old Naples, where it originated as a | blackmailing association amongst the prisoners themselvesI Thence 1t spread outside until its very name become a by word and terror to law-abiding folk. 1 All had to subscribe to it's funds, or suffer death!
 | Mostly the victims were poor people, whose taking off attracted but little at l tention. A cabman refused to hand over a percentage of his takings, a small shop keeper declined to be blackmailed. Each was found stabbed to death and on each body was a tell-tale mark, two knife slashes in the form of a cross, as sign | that the murder was the work of the Camorra, and not the outcome of mere private vengeance. Or the victims face ] would be branded with a capital "S'' showing that the dead man had himself been a Camorrist who had incurred the vengeance of his associates by giving in- | formation to the public.
 1 Occasionally, too, Camorrists flew at | higher game. Thus, Micali, the Glad stone of Italy, was assassinated for dar- | ing to attack them; and Italy's foremost | journalist, Signor Notorbartoo, was mur- dered for exposing the Csmorra. The or-
 ganization has been variously known as ''The Black Hand"
 | The Pope, who is proud of the fact | that in his younger days he was a plain
 country priest, Is opposed to all favors of
 extravagance. Hence he recently sug- gested that children on first communion l day dispense with outward display h order that the mind and heart may dwell fundividedly on the fact of the first re- ception of the sacraplent He ad$erted I 10 the fact that the children of the poor have often been sad on first communion day because their attire compared mea- gerly beside the more costly garb of their more fortunate companions. Many pas l tors are therefore, recommending that
 the children dress plainly when about 70
 receive the Lords supper.
 |
 | It Is 50 years since the crown was of l fered by the first Italian parliament to Victor Emmanuel, King of Sardinia, and | accepted by him. The jubilee of the apni- versary was celebrated throughout the peninsula by ceremonies. The most con spcuous was the opening of two interna-
 tional exhibitions that of art in Rome
 and that of industry in Turin, while a
 third an exhibition of Italian portraits, has been organized in Florence
 l Turin will demonstrate to visitors the
 extraordinary progress in industry which | has been made during these 50 years in Italy Socialist agitation and anarchist activity are dangers which vary in mag nitude from time to time, but they are always there, and, with the development of manufactures and labor-saving ma chinery and the continuance of low
 wages they are not likely to disappear. That is one of the main difficulties of government, another is the state of civii zation in the south resulting in the pre- I ference given to the Camorra system as against regular government.