The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-13
Italian Government Trying TO
Wipe Out Band of TerroHStS

Rome, March 13.-The trial of fifty
seven members OF that great band of
terrorists, the Italian Camorra, marks
the most determined effort Italy has
ever made toward removing a society
whose depredations. criminal and po-
litical, have for generations, spilled
the blood and threatened the peace of
her citizens. For years, the Camorra,
or Black Hand Society, as it is better
known in this country, has been a rec
tognized scourge to the Italian govern
ment and to wealthy Italian citizens:
yet so strong is the fraternal sympa-
thy among its members and SO swift
and awful the revenge that has over
taken all who NEEDLE with its affairs,
that it has set at naught all attempts
to bring it to Justice
The crime for which these men are
being tried was perpetrated nearly five
years ago. and the story of those pa
tlent years of investigation. fraught at
every step with death and hampered
Handlers, is one that rivals the history
of dating and diplomacy. that led to
the disarmament of the Molly Ma
CURES, that famous band that so long
terrorized the Pennsylvania mining
district.
For years, Senorita La Sorrentina
was the reigning beauty of the under
world of Naples. Her exploits and
amours were known far and wide, and
it was often whispered that persons of
high repute. looked with favorable
eyes upon the beautiful Italian. On
the night of June 5th, 1906, her house.
which was situated in the central por-
ton of the city, near one Of it's busiest
thoroughfares, was entered and she
was slain while asleep. When the
crime was discovered, it aroused the
entire country. Suspicion centered on
her husband, Signoe Guocolo, who was
strangely absent at the time, and poss-
es of Italian police sought him every
where. Hardly had these emissaries
of justice started in their search, when
the body of the supposed murderer
was discovered by peasant, hidden in
some bushes, that fringed a lonely
road not far from Naples.
This turn of the case brought the au-
thorities face to face with murder,
mysterious. ruthless and deliberate
The populace were clamoring for &C
ton. Day after day passed without
the shadow of clue that would lead
to the perpetrators of the crime, and
it was at last agreed upon by the au-
thorities, to lay the mystery at the
door of the society whose history.
whether true or false. was studded
with such grimes. and an official an
nouncement was made that suspicion
lead to the Camorra
To strengthen the charge an arrest
was made of several members of the
society. including it's alleged leader,
Signor Erricono. The papulace, how
ever, refused to accept this action as
a bona fide attempt to clear up the
mystery. and as the days went by, and
no shred of evidence appeared against
the accused men, the clamor for an
arrest gave way to an equally strong
public demand that the accused be re-
leased. After fifty days of incarcera-
ton, the accused Camorrists were al
lowed to go free, and in a short time
the murder of the beautiful La Sorren-
tina and her husband passed into his
tory.
Though Erricone and his compan-
ions were free to pursue their way un.
molested and two murders had ap.
| 80. Al,
tected Italian crimes, secret forces
were at work to uncover the mystery
The authorities at Rome became in
terested. 1t was found that the muir
der at Naples bore many points of
similarity to other crimes that had
been perpetrated in the past. An in
vestigation was quietly started and
soon enough evidence was uncover
ed to warrant the suspicion that some
organized band of criminals was impli
Gated, and. Sergeant of the Carabun
Teri, Signor Capezutto was chosen to
run the murderers to earth.
Quietly and with the utmost eau
ton, CapeZuttO set about his task
The trail led to the Camorra. Cape
quito Joined that body and was taken
into favor by its leaders. Bit by Bit
he picked up threads of evidence. He
learned that a man named Abattem
aggio. formerly high in the counsels
of the Camorrists, had been expelled
by that society, and was supposed to
be familiar with the murder of Cuoco
10 and his wife. Abattemaggio was in
Jail and there the detective joined
him. Gradually he wormed himself
into the good graces of his fellow