Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-26

with the trlal OF SiiIci"'
which will begin in ItaL- early in March.
the Italian government will take the first
decisive step toward the final suppress
sion of this long existing organized out
lawry. For nearly 400 years the Canon
ristas have dominated Italy in high
handed manner, robbing. pillaging and
numbering. according to the orders oi
their chiefs, and their victims have had
no redress from law nor king. At
various times the Camorra has been
utilized by certain government officials
to carry out INSCRIPTIONS scenes.
The Cammora is a semi-secret band
whose object is Illicit gain. Itsmembers do
not work regularly, but rather live at
the expense of the workers. The society
has a rendezvous in every large town in
central Italy, where recruits are col
lected. Naples, which is the center of
Camorra, has at least dozen stations
where the various bands meet and trans
act business. Candidates for member
ship must be young men who first have
distinguished themselves by strength and
daring. They must show a clean record
as to character, as no one accused of
dishonesty could be admitted. The honor
of Camorra is the honor of thieves, per-
hdpS. put it makes few concessions for
past ofenseS. A candidate must swear
that there is nothing against him, and,
furthermore, that his wife. sister, or
any woman of his family has not been
guilty of prostitution
Having taken oath to these facts, he
also swears absolute fidelity TO the order,
whether he is admitted
Oath of Fidelity to full membership or
IL A. o-1 not. These oaths arc
~ taken upon quantity
formed iron cross. which has been used for
centuries for this purpose. 1t is said
that III of these crosses were made in
the seventeenth century. They were dis
tributed among the chiefs and handed
down from one to the other in office.
1t is doubtful if there arc more than a
hundred of them now in use in Italy, and
these are held in superstitious reverence
and may not be lightly handled by I'M
authorized persons
The candidate submits to years pro-
baton under the tutelage of an old
Camorrista wit hthe designation picciotto
q onore If he gives satisfactory proof
or his obedience and bravery he is adj
vanced to the rank of picciotto d 81
sarro. He may spend several years in
ills lain. oIly dIltI performing a Io0t
involving some real danger or loss of
life and liberty is he admitted to the
full rank of CamOrrista. Each Canon
rista carries two knives of peculiar form.
BY these the members of the society
recognize each other The strictest dis
cipline is enforced. Disobedience is pun
ished by fogging. suspension or eXpul-
sion. Treachery. even on the part of an
expelled member, is punishable by death.
Each section of Camorra is under the
absolute control Of a chief selected by
the members who. assisted by a treas
urer. handles all the funds of the band.
The members pay all the money they
collect into a common fund. and it is
shared alike. The means by which they
secure money Seem impossible of belief.
Every little village has its Camorrist col
lector and every farmer. shepherd or
poor fruit vender pays regular tribute to
him. \ Camorrista may, and frequently
does. carry on some legitimate business
from which he makes usurious -.profits
because of the terror which his organ
IF a CamOrrSta sets up shop in a
village outsider dare compete with
him
The poor of Italy suffer almost uncom-
plainingly from Camorrist oppression be-
cause they have
Poor Uncomplaining' been accustom-
in Their Suffering. long The farm.
CT with half a dozen sheep will find his
choicest lamb assessed. The fruit grow
er will yield each year the pick of his
crop, and even the poor woman making
lace will pass over without a protest
her finest piece Of work if it is demanded
by Camorrista. To refuse might re-
suit in the death of some member of the
family.
The weather. people make more effort
to protect themselves and all their vigi-
lance is needed AT any time two or
three Camorristas may suddenly sweep
down upon a man and carry him off
captive. Only heavy ransom will Sc
cure his freedom. If this is not forth
coming within a reasonable time the
Camorra knife is keen and sharp. and
the mans family may some morning
awake to find his corpse at the front
door.
An American going to visit an Italian
gentleman residing in an old villa not
far from a railroad station was surprised
last summer when his host met him &C
companied by three servants. each carry
ing carbines and several revolvers. The
Italians take 1t as a matter OF course
that they must protect themselves against
the bandits, VINO are SO Dold tnat some
of them do not hesitate to have the word
'.bandido' engraved upon their visiting
cards The Italian bandit acts under
Camorra orders and turns all his re-
ceipts into the general treasury. In re-
turn he receives the protection of his
order He prides himself upon being a
gentleman, and invariably treats his pris
oners well during captivity and adheres
honorably TO the terms of the ransom.
The Camorra always is ready to pro-
vide assas sins when a sufficient sum for
the service is paid into their treasury.
The hired murderer is absolutely a
butcher so far as any conjunction re-
garding taking human life is concerned.
always / obey my chief. What he tells
me- that | do, recounted q CamorriSta
in his cups in a Neapolitan saloon. This
knife l have plunged into the back of
man in the night time. In the morning
wash the mans blood from it by the
blood of the OK ! slay before breakfast
to supply us with meat"
Around Naples the organization of Ca
mora is so complete that it is impossible
TO secure
Conviction of Bandits convi c II