The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-11
GREAT TRIAL ON.
FOrty-One Members of the Cam
ORA Are Arraigned.
Jury Is Impaneled and Interr0-
cation Begins Promptly.
MURDER OF PETROSINO
Is Expected to Be a Feature of
the Prosecution.
Great Crowd Assemblies About
the Court and Prison.

| Viterho. Italy. March 1.-THE trial OF
the Al members of the NeapollLan
Camorra which has terrorized Italy for
many years. was begun today. A jury
was chosen more readily than had been
anticipated and early in the afternoon
Cavaliero Bianchi, the president of the
court chosen by the ministry of JUS
tice to preside, opened the interroga-
| tlon of the accused. He limited his
questions to an inquiry into their per-
sonal records.
The prisoners are charged with the
assassination of fellow-members in the
Camorra, Gennaro Cuoccolo and his
wife, Maria. Cutinelli Cuoccolo, popu-
larly konwn as beautiful Sorrentina,'-
behind this charge are allegations Of
| mum peerless murders and rObberieS per-
petrated by what is perhaps the best
organized and most desperate criminal
| society of modern times
| The real purpose of the government
is to rid the country of this band 1t
| is believed evidence will be brought
out that will throw light on the as
SasSlnation of the American detective
Lleutenant Joseph Petrosino, at Pal
ermo in March, 1909, after he had been
sent to Italy by the New York police
department to seek information regard
ing Italian criminals.
II was PetroS1nO who arrested Enrico
Alfano, better known as Erricone. the
| alleged actual head of the Camorra, af-
| ter the latter had fled to New YORK
city. The American officer sentenced
| Err1cone back to Europe and he was
taken into custody at Havre. Petrosi
| nos death is believed to have been the
price paid for running down the mall
who for years had defied the authori-
! ties OF his own country.
The murders of the Cuoccolos fol-
lowed by revelations made by one of
| the Gammorists Gennaro Abbattemag-
gio resulted in the present prosecution
which was ordered by King Victor
Emmanuel and pressed by Signor
FAM, tire minister of justice.
Enormous Crowd Out
AT daylight an enormous crowd
gathered in the vicinity of the former
church of San Francisco which has
] been transformed into a court of the
Assizes. Other crowds surrounded the
medieval monastry of Gradi, now
penitentiary, where all but two of the
prisoners have been confined and the
prison of San Lupara, in which the in
| former Abbatemaggie and the one
woman prisoner Maria Stendardo
| have been held.
| There was much excitement when
the vans transporting the accused ap-
peared from under the arched doors
| of the prison. The procession moved
| the people. Precautions were taken
against an attempt to free the pris-
| oners who had many silent sympathi
zers in the throng. With the driver
of each van was seated policeman
| and carbineer. Another soldiers sat
| just inside the doors. Mounted car
| bineers surrounded each van.
! When the doors of the court were
opened, many of the crowd as
could, rushed in. occupying every
available place.
Arrangement of the Court Room.
The gloom of the old walls within
had been relieved by a coat of white
wash. The interior of the building,
constructed in the form of a cross.
lent itself nicely to its new purpose.
At the head of the cross in the place
once occupied by the choir are the
benches for the three judges, the
crown prosecutor and the clerk of the
court The left arm of the cross holds
the seats of the jury. The right arm
contains the big iron cage occupied by
SO of the accused and smaller cage
| in which the infOrmer is isolated from
| his former associates.
Today Abbatemaggio appeared to
| be proud of the distinction of occupy
ing a cage exclusively and did not
seem to be disconnected by the savage
| glances directed at him from the
larger pen. Between the two arms
of the cross are the benches for the
| lawyers and in the nave are seats
for the witnesses. At the opposite end
of the church near the entrance Is
place reserved for the public and ac-
commodating few hundred persons
Over the head of these which was
originally an organ loft is a tribune
for women. The press gallery ex-
tends over the benches.
The prisoners cages stand directly
over the tomb of the famous painter
Lorenzo Da Viterbo, whose celebrated
picture 1.-THE Marriage of the Virgin .
was one of those which made beauti-
| full the edifice.
The building is a lofty one and in
order that the voices may carry bet
ter, a large awning has been spread at
the base of the dome. 1t was noticed
| today that the awning hid the inscrip
tion which has a place in every judi
cial court of italy, "law equal for alp'
and the spectators were quick to point
out that this accidental concealm ent
was a bad omen for justice.
The crowd in the square before the
building was so great that a company
of infantry was called out to REIN
force the carbineers.
Demeanor of the Prisoners
Within, the attention of the on1ook-
ers was absorbed by the appearance
and behavior of the prisoners. All
appeared to be in good health with
! the exception of the priest, Giro Wit
ozzi. who seemed to be i'll and Maria
Stendardo, who limped as she entered.
| Erricone, maintained his usual
calm demeanOr. He is short and slen-
der, Insignificant and rather vulgar
looking. A long, ugly scar extends
from the ear to the mouth His COM
panions give the impression of having
been gathered together as an exhibit
| of all types of degeneracy.
The general pose of the prisoners Is
that of indifference, with a touch of
contempt. The priest, yftozzi, alone
shows. evidences of breaking down and