The Holbrook news., 1912-02-16


 as the profoundly depressed
 conditions of economic and in- teIlectual poverty subsist, but they and the world at large will never be able to understand how, in spite of the high degree of civilization of our mod ern times, the Camorra can easily com init daring robberies, assaults, atro- cious murders and other excesses of inconceivable ferocity and still have the almost complete certainty of be- ing left systematically unpunished, re- lying partly on it's members secrecy, which is the very gospel of this crim- tnal association, partly on tEe weak ness of public officials. For every hun dred Camorrists that are caught there are other thousands who will come to the front. As happens on the morrow of a deadly battle where the etat majeur has been dispersed by the Ehrapnel, the cadets are promoted in masses to the higher ranks; and the Camorra's cadets, bolder than ever. are eager to excel their leaders. Five years ago a great lady of Naples drove out to take the air in the Villa Nazionale, that strip of park by the sea She was blithe and smiling, for royalty was to drink tea with her at five. There came riding by big man, all gold chains and dia- monds, on a young horse. He was De Marinis, boss of one of the election districts of Naples, a plumed chief of the Camorra. Was the great lady's coachman at fault? In any case, there was a collision and the mighty politician was rolled in the dirt. He got to his feet, cursing-oh. a black stream of blasphemy bubbled from his mouthl He cursed and spat into her carriage.
 As much of it as could be told the great lady told the duke of Aosta. That indignant prince vowed to pull down this toppling insolence.
 What the duke of Aosta did was to go straight to the king. When his majesty was heir to the throne he lived for many years in Naples. None better than he knew the power of the Camorra; none better than he knew that his ministers looked to 1t for governmental majority in Naples; but he said: Stamp them out If you can. am with you in this fight" And king and duke planned the war on the Camorra. There was no pretense of | trusting the magistracy of the police | -rat-ridden. both. with Camorra cor ruption. The work was given to the | army. Notably 1t was given to the police-more notably still to | Capt. Fabroni of the Carabineers, a smart young Roman officer, all brain and pluck
 And the chiefs of the Camorra took he air of the Villa Nazionale on their all horses, they talked politics and srime in the smart Cafe Jortunio. in he Galleria; they supped at Santa Lu- ;ia and took their ease. They neither new nor cared that Fabroni, captain ,f the carabineers, was at work. Es- oecially they did not know that Fab 'oni had loosed among. them a soft ooted Roman hound-one Capezzuto. n and out of the dark holes of the Jamorra this devil of a man slipped sometimes posing as a criminal, a fu- ,itive, a beggar, till they laid the oath If the Camorra on him and told him hings best untold. But the true work le did was to find traitor. And what ! traitorl
 Get a camorra Chief.
 The great chiefs of the Camorra were quite at ease. Erricone Alfano. Vho had been the chief since 1893. esigned that high post and contented himself with his district leadership of he Vicaria- He even made a trip to lew York. where he was feted and Fucci reigned in his stead. Then the blow fell. One night the {, gathered in over two SeOro