The sun., 1912-07-15
System First Was Organized to
Protect Travcllprs-COr-
rupted by Wealth.
ITS AGENTS EVERYWHERE
NcapOlitan Observer Doubts
ViterbO Verdict Will BE
Deathblow to Society.

Its Origin, Customs and Rites" by Fer
dinando Russo and Ernesto Serac. which
was published in Naples q few months ago.
Now that the Camorra trial. with time
record OF fifteen months. has come TO an
end with the convict ion of the more i'm
portant Of the prisoners. a question arises
as to what extent the verdict has torn apart
the fabric Of this most ancient. notorious
and powerful Of all underworld societies
That the conviction of the prisoners has
dealt the Camorra a blow such "a il has
never had before in all its history is I'M
disputed, hut that it has sounded its
death knell. As some reports say. is a
theory almost too vague to be discussed
There are three principal reasons why
the Viterbo verdict does not mean the
end Of the Camorra; first. the Camorra Is
not society. hut IL a system: second. its
existence has been recognized for so long
by all classes that few months or even
years Of disturbance could not seriously
cripple Il. and. third. only two or three os
the convicted men were Camorrists Of i'm
portance and their places already have
been filled by others.
Besides all this none Of the prisoners was
convicted OF being actually a member Of
the Camorra- were convicted of the
murder OF C,locolo and his wife. others Of
being accomplices. and the rest were found
guilty OF criminal association" meaning
association with the murderers of Cuocolo
Every ehort TO prove that the prisoners, or
any OF them. were Camorrists, or tina. anv
such thing "a the Camorra existed friled
absolutely. Even Cuocolo was no, a Ca
morrst-he was a burglar. In fact the
verdict means far more the conviction of
the Neapolitan police OF neg lect Of duty
than the conviction of the Camorra.
IRIS A SYSTEM. NOT A SOCIETY.
That the Camorra is a system nstead Of
society is borne out by the fact that il
has no official recognition other than the
efforts OF the Government-not the police
to destroy il, and that it's ex ist ence ia not
even acknowle lodged by it's supposed men,
bers. Yet when it wishes, the Camorra
makes its power felt to an extreme degree.
then when turned upon by the legal au-
thorities il melts away into nothingness.
Besides being the name OF a society
the word Camorra has become through
word power. When CGmorrist makes a
demand on a gambler for part Of his
winnings the gambler sometimes. but
not often. asks. why" or For WHAT"
The answer is. For Camorra.- which
means. Because I have the power to
take it from you IL you don't give il TO
me-"
Writers disa gree a. TO the origin Of the
name Camorra. as the word is not from
either the Italian language o. tho Nea-
politan dialect. The general belle. is tha,
it is derived from the name Of certain
Spaniard. Gamurra. who in the sixteenth
century esta ablished in Naples society
for the suppression OF robbers and han
dts. At this time Naples was under
Spanish domination and was a haven for
the worst element Of Spanish adventures
ROMANCE IN IT'S EARLY HISTORY.
The early history Of the society is not
without romance. for il was in sense the
outgrowth Of the chivalry of the Middle
Ages. the decline Of which prompted
Cervantes's masterpiece Don Quixote. y
The masses soon felt the need of imi-
tating the aristocracy and having knights
OF their own. From this idea grew Ga
murra q organization. which later became
the .Onorata Societa della Camorra-
the Honorable Society OF the Camorra
This new society soon gained such
recognition THAI il became a great power
The roads between Naples and other
cities and towns were infested by thieves
and highwaymen, who were a constant
danger to the traveller. The aid OF the
CamOrra was soon sought and. the mem
hers OF the society began escorting travel
lers on their journeys. for which services
they were paid.
Certain members Of the Camorra found
IL very easy TO neglect TO protect persons
who did not pay what the Camorrist
considered proper fee for protection.
From this position to one Of insistent
demands and the informing and aiding
OF robbers when the demands were not
met was but step. and the corruption
society. So the once Honorable Society
Of the Camorra was dragged from fits
high position to the lowest depths. finally
losing what slight sense of dignity and
honesty it had managed to show in the
last period OF its glory.
HOSTILE EXPORTS FAIL.
Since the consolidation fifty years ago
Of the various States Of the Italian penin-
sula into the Kingdom OF Italy many
efforts have been made to break No the
Camorra. but all have failed. The Ca
mora has always kept itself within the
boundaries Of the old Kingdom OF Naples.
and 1t Ia n mistake to suppose that il is
even connected with the Malta Of Sicily.
"A the Camorra Of Naples proper exists
to-day II ia composed OF twelve leaders,
one of whom ia the general leader for the
entire city. and lees than thousand
members, who may he likened to ma jors.
captains, lieutenants and the common
sotdiers Of the army. These men are not
thieves, robbers or murderers and are
not banded together for any NJ these
purposes. They merely dominate the
thieves. murderers and robbers. as they
dominate acme other elements of city life.
That there are twelve Csmorrist leaders
in Naples 10 due 10 the fact that the city
Ia divided into twelve QUARTERS. like
American Ald~rmanic districte. and the
Camorrist. being somewhat allied with
politicians. follows tho general political
lines. Some of these twelve leaders are
business men in smal way. selling bran.
grain and other food for horses and run
ming cafes. restaurants and wine shops,
while others are small contractors. horse
dea lers and gamblers. and still others are
gent lemen NJ leisure who have no visible
means Of support. The Camorrist who
In in a legitimate business IL in II for the
sake of appearances, The rank and
Ale Of Camorriats are mostly mon rho
"live by their Wits gamblers or
"steerers' for gambling houses
and other shady resorts. while