The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-27
.CAMORRA SECRETS BROUGHT ID LIGHT Italian Government Is Pre- pairing for Great Trial THE LEADERS PART Romantic Career of Couoccolo and His Wife, "'the Beautiful Sor-
 rentina," Full of Crime
 and Blood

Viterbo, Italy, February 1s.-The volu- minous documents with the aid of which the government hopes to convict Enrico Alfano and 40 of his associates of murder and thus rid Italy of the leading spirits in the dreaded Camorra, reveal that Gen. naro Cuoccolo and his wife 'the beau tiful .sorerntina," the killing of whom led to the roundup of this band, had roman tic but far from worthy careers.
 A part of the story which will be laid bare when the trial opens on March Il may now be told.
 The victims were about of an age The husband at the time of his death. it is known, was 42. They lived in the Via Nardrones. opening into the plazaa San Ferdinando, only a few steps from the royal palace, In pretty fourth-foor apartment which might have been fur nished for bride.
 Here, after the discovery of Cuoccolo's body at Torre del Greco, the police found the lifeIess body of the wife. It was stretched on the he'd on q charmingly fur- nished c,iamper and the pink sill ri. ssi- gown was perforated. indicating the po- sition of numerous wounds. Among them was the characteristic dagger cut known as the '.fregio" The wound is given to one who has broken an oath. If inflicted on an honest woman or a girl it Is made by a slash on the cheek, but if given to woman of doubtful character, 1t is al- ways on the body. In the case of Maria Cutinelli Cuoccolo the assassins left the mark of an evil life.
 Then began the police search for the records of both victims. Cuoccolo in his youth, it developed. had been condemned for theft. swindling, opposing the police and other offenses. He was put under surveillance, but for ten or twelve years before his death he had not been before the authorities and apparently had be- come respectable. He was accustomed to define his situation by saying:
 Even if I have married a beautiful woman. of not illiberal habits, I am con tent, as she is faithful wife and, any way. my marriage was the result of a VOW. At the age of 30 was i'll of ter rible disease and vowed to San Gennero, my patron, that if I recovered to rescue some unfortunate woman from sin and make her my wife San Gennero heard my prayer and I have maintained my word Since then I have been tranquil and home loving and have only once risked compromising myself when, in the Galleria Umberto I boxed the ears of En- IlCO AlldHO-Cdlleu CTlCUDe
 Strangely enough this boast of Cuoc- colo gave the first clew of the alleged in stigator of his death. The oft repeated story reached the ears of clever de- tective, one Ipholito, and led him to inves- tigate whether the murders might not have been due to the hatred of Erricone and his companions. It seemed improba- ble that the dangerous and violent head Of the Camora, having quarreledl with Cuoccolo to the point of hacing his ears boxed in public, should not have had his revenge sooner or later.
 Erricone denied that Cuoccolo had struck him and swore that he had never even known the murdered man. Nevertheless, the police persisted on this clew and developed that instead of mending his way years before, Cuoc- colo was in full active, service in the Camorra.k limiting himself, however to two departments of crime, that of or ganizing thefts and taking the lion s share of all operations.
 Both he and his wife had fame among criminals as clever organizers. At the same time there are papers in the po- lice archives which show that on va rious occasions they acted as police spies. In fact, papers written in pen cil have been found with the two de- nounced thefts and crimes arranged by persons affiliated with. the Camorra, These papers, which the police found, and had thought were kept absolutely secret, were, through the connivance of certain persons. inspected by the Camorra and were ethe cause of sus- picion of the Cuoccolos and of hatred against them. s.i.7t sas41$.
 Having established the double dea1- ing of Cuoccolo, as 8 brigand and po- lice spy, through which he had earned the suspicion of the Camorra and the personal hatred of Erricone, the police had to prove his death was at the hands of his criminal associates This was a long and tedious task but finally Erricone and several friends who were discovered with him at the Mimi A'Mare on the night of the murders were arr rested. Public opinion -appiauded the police and there was great astonish- menti when soon after all the prisoners were released on the grounds that the evidence against them was insufficient.
 Popular indignation was lntense The police were openly accused of unwil- lingness to strike the Camorra and 1t was charged that they, shared the profits of the Camorra in crime. Now 1t appears that the release of Erri- cone and his gang was due to the in-
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