Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-24
Famous Trials
THE cAMoRRIsrs.

What finally broke most of the power and blackmailed all Italy for more than 500 years. was the trial in 1911 of the Camorra for the Cuoco'o murder. This society had its Headquarters in Naples and numbered many thousands. The police were powerless to prevent any thing that these brigands did 'and all honor is due to Erminio Capizzuti for eventually bringing them to justice.
 This was not done In a week Or a month, but took him more than two years He lived as a Sardinian and be- came friendly with Gennaro Abbatemag- gio. g coachman whom he knew secret ly to be a Camorrist. Winning his way into the coachmans confidence he at last became a "member" of the society. His first Assignment" was to rob an English lady of 8 dog and then return 1t and claim the reward. For this he re- caived about twQ-hundredth nart of | the reward. Pretending to Abbatemag- | gio that ha wanted higher and more dan gerous work he asked the names of the l leaders, whom he had never met. | That" said Abbatemae aegio "T could not tel. I even know of the Cuocoln | l ] en r7v oath"
 What is this oath?" said capuiz- zuti
 "Ah! It Is something terrible" and he reneated 1t:
 .T swear on my honor to be faithfu to the Camorra, as the Camorra is psathful to me. As my flesh is now burned and dron of my blood is now split. SO may my bo7v be consumed anf al my blood shed if I ever break faitr with or leave the Camorra."
 But. dcs-ite this terrible oath he dii tell how the gang had crant up behind the stool nigeon Cuocolo and stabbed and beaten him to death on the street. and then went to his apartments ant i murdered irtss wife Maria
 | Al this information was sent hv th srv to the minister Of justice Fort7 iCamorrists were arrested. AbhatAmar rio was held as informer and on Marcl g. 1o11 thev were n1aced on trial.
 The nrisoners were all nlaced in a hi, Ecare, and the inforner in q seoarat, one This by the way. hn considered 0~reat honor and thought himself thf main man Of the case The su7noset leader of the capg was Fnrico Alfane who was arrested in Rroo'lvn bv De teetiva Joseph Petrosino. The detectiv was 1otAr assassinatad at Palermo an tha crime was laid to the revenge of tn gan-
 Tn the trial. over 700 witnesses wer heard. hut not rouch was learned fror their evidence Tho men accused of tn murder were Dorado Sortini. Nirnl Morra Antonio Cefrato. Narino di Ge par6 Giusepri Sa'vi and Enrico Alfan'
 while Giovanni Rant and all the other
 were accused of being instigators of tn
 crime
 The president of the court was Riar chi Annonr the nrisoners was a pries
 Giro Vitozzi in his clerical garment;
 Among the 42 prisoners of whom man
 died before the trial was ended. ther was but one worna~. Maria Stendard Throughout the trE I the accused ger
 Some of them raged while on other O. r at the judge.
 The evidence produced was mostR-
 trying 10 prove the whereabouts of U criminals at the dates of the meetins : and the day of the murder. Denia II were hurled wholesale and in some il
 stances but for the alertness of the ge1
 darnes, riot would have broken out e one case Alfano yelled: "Abbatemaggi l. you deserve 30 years in prison you f. self.''
 Testifyfng against sortino as one
 the actual assa ssins of Cuoeolo. Abb 5 tena sgio said that Cortino had said e Ii erything in his evidence falsely Wh, J. Sortino protested otherwise, Abbatema
 gio said with bow and mock defe
 ence:
 f "Ah. well, I sunpose you know bett .e than do, you were there" At Viten on July 8. Bianchi pronounced the dre; 'e words of guilty Sortino "
 convicted of both murders; Mo
 "a, Cerrato. Genarro, guilty of u t murder of Cuoccolo; and Salvi guilty 2 the murder of the dead mans wife. Tn a were all sentenced to 30 years impri
 onment together with the accessorie
 Alfane and Rafoi. Another, Marlin
 when he heard the sentence pronounce le drew a blunt instrument from his DOC it ct and sawed away at his throat. er was removed from the court in a dange
 ous condition. All others received f
 five years imprisonment, with the e Il. ception of Vitozzi, who was sentenc
 to seven years,
 ie Only seven were discharged. Rapi ce la his eyes on the ground, moaned, and b.
 lowed like a wounded animal Cerra
 was removed in Q state of collapse. Ot h CTS only n1urmured long "Addios," a rt seemed to leave the court with regr = while all heaped terrible curses on t
 head of the informer Abhatemage 'e This ended the remarkable trial. whi T. lasted in itself over IS months a
 which took fiys years to bring about.