Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1911-03-16
Al BLACKHAAOERs ON TRIAL
MOST NOTABLE PROSECUTION IN
HISTORY OF ITALY.
Light May Be Thrown on Murder
of Gotham Detective
Lieutenant.

Viterbo, Italy, March 13.-The trial
| Of the Al members of the Neapolitan
! Camorra, which has terrorized Italy
for many years, has begun. A jury
was secured more readily than had
been anticipated, and Cavaliero
| Rianchi, president of the court chosen
by the ministry of justice to preside,
opened the Interrogation of the &C.
cused. He limited his question to an
inquiry into their personal records.
| The prisoners are charged with the
assassination of fellow members in the
Camorra, Gennaro Cuoccolo and his
wife, Maria CutinelH Cuoccolo, popu-
larly known as the Beautiful Sor.
| rentina.' Behind this charge are al
| legations of numberless murders and
robberies perpetrated by what is per-
haps the best organized and most des-
perate criminal society of modern
times. The real purpose of the gov.
eminent is to rid the country of this
band. 1t is believed that evidence
will be brought out that will throw
light upon the assassination of the
American detective, Lieutenant Joseph
Petrosino, at Palermo, in March, 1909,
after he had been sent to Italy by the
New York police department to secure
| information regarding Italian crimi-
nails.
| It was Petrosino who arrested En-
rico Alfano, better known as Erricone,
the alleged actual head of the Ca
mora, after the latter had fed to
New York City.
Sleuth Was Marked Man.
| The American officer sent Erricone
! back to Europe and he was taken into
custody at Havre. Petrosino's death
is believed to have been the price paid
for running down the man who for
years had defied the authorities of his
own country.
The murders of the Cuoccolos fol
| lowed by revelations made by one of
the Camorrists, Gennaro Abbatemag-
| gio, resulted in the present prosecu-
ton, which was ordered by King Vic
| tor Emmanuel and presented by Sig
| An enormous crowd gathered in the
vicinity of the former church of San
| Francesca which has been transformed
| into a court of the assizes. Other
crowds surrounded the medieval
monastery of Gradi, now penitentiary
where all except two of the prisoners
! have been confined, and the prison of
San Lupara, in which the informer
Abbattemaggio and the one woman
prisoner, Maria Stenardo, 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 proceeded
to court amidst angry murmurs of the
people. Precautions were taken
| against an attempt to free the pris-
oners who had many silent sympathiz-
of each van were seated a policeman
and carbineer Another solder sat
just inside the door. Mounted car
bineers surrounded each van When
the doors of the court were opened
as many of the crowd as could rushed
in occupying every available place
The crowd in the square before the
court building was so great that a
company of infantry was called out
to reinforce the carbineers and police
in maintaining order.
Priest Sits by Prisoners.
Within the attention of the onlook-
ers was absorbed by the appearance
and behavior of the prisoners. Giro
Vitozzi, the priest, who once secured
Erricone's freedom by telling the au-
thorities that another man had con-
| fessed to the murders under the seal
of the confessional, was allowed, when
the proceedings opened, to sit outside
| the prisoners cage. Abbatemaggio
was permitted the distinction of being
the only one of the prisoners to go
from prison to court without hand
| cuffs
When the jury had been sworn
President Bianchi questioned the pris-
oners closely concerning their careers.
This examination concluded, mass Of
documents were presented by CavaI
Zero Santero, kings procurator, who
has charge of the prosecution.
| The most interesting paper which
figured in today's proceedings was a
report from the New York police de-
partment concerning the arrest of Err
ricone in that city and what the Amer
lean detectives have been able to learn
about him and his associates. The re-
port was signed by Joseph Petrosino.
The defendants originally numbered
43. Of these three are fugitives, who
have been released under surveillance
and one, Giro Alfano, a brother of Err
| ricone. died in prison.