Show VENGEANCE fl iI i I I I I i ten SiciliaBs fare i 1 i i Lynched IN NEW ORLEAl I I I j I j I For the Murder of Chief of I I i Police Hennessey THE CLAY SQUARE MASS MEETING Shall We be Ruled by the lafaThe Scene at the Iarish Prison A DetermIned Deter-mined liolj An Appeal to ItaFy for Ad NEW ORLEANS March 14New Orleans struck the Mafia a death blow today It rose in its might almost at midday and wreaked a horrible vengeance upon the 4 Sicilian assassins who relentlessly slew o David C Hennessey and though there are eleven men dead tonight who were happy yesterday over their victory in the greatest criminal trial this city has ever witnessed the work of blood was accomplished without with-out unnecessary disorder without rioting without pillaging and without the infliction inflic-tion of suffering upon any innocent manse man-se one and he was only slightly hurt I was not an unruly midnight mob I was simply a sullen determined body of citizens citi-zens who took into their own hands what justice had ignominiously failed to do The chief of police was slain on October 15 and that very night evidence began to accumulate showing his death had been deliberately de-liberately planned by a secret tribunal and earned out boldly and successfully by the tools of the conspirators The trial lasted twentyfive days and though the evidence seemed conclusive the jury currently charged with having been tampered with failed to convict Last night a body of cool headed lawyers doctors men merchants mer-chants and political leaders all persons of influence and good standing quietly met and decided some action must be taken and the peoples justice swift and sure be visited upon those whom tha jury had neglected ne-glected to punish This morning a call for a mass meeting on Clay square on Canal street appeared in the papers which editorially c edi-torially deprecated violence The significant signifi-cant closing sentence of the call was Come prepared for action Down in a large room on Bienville and Royal streets there was an arsenal pro vide by a body of citizens The call was answered by the populace At 10 oclock there was a crowd of several thousand a anxious people congregated around the statue They hardly knew what was going to happen but they seemed ready to go to any length and while there were of course many of the lower element in the throng a large proportion were leading people of the town There were three addresses short and pithy and businesslike and the assemblage assem-blage not unwillingly was soon keyed up to tho highest pitch and demonstrative in its denunciation of the assassins Each of the speakers said there had been a great mass meeting months beforewhich had met quietly and dispersed peacefully so the law I might take its course The law had failed I The time to act had come tme W S Parkerson the leader is a prominent promi-nent lawyer here president of the South era Athletic club and the man who led the vigorous reform movement three years ago Walter D Denger another of the sneakers is one of the leaders of the New Orleans bar John C Wickliff also a prominent prom-inent attorney and James D Houston one of the foremost men of the state After denouncing Detective ONalloy who is alleged al-leged to have tampered with the jury the speakers announced they would lead to the parish prison Mr Vicklifl concluding with these words Shall the execrable Mafia be allowed to flourish in this city Shall the Mafia be allowed to cut down our citizens on the public streets by the foul means of assassination Shall the Mafia be allowed to bribe jurors and let murderers go scot free I By this time the crowd had swelled to I I three thousand or more and before anyone could realize what had happened the great I throng gaining recruits at every step was tramping down the streets to tho neighborhood neighbor-hood of the prison stopping only onco and that was at tho arsenal where double barrelled shotguns Winchester rifles and pistols were handed out t responsible and respectable citizens in the party The starting of the crowd had an electric effect on the city Soon the streets were alive with people running from all directions direc-tions and joining the main body which moved down the rampart to the jail near Congo square The doors and windows wore thrown open and men women and chil dren crowded on the galleries to encour g t uuu wuu HnJ IUUI pan auu lU VlI ness the scenes When the main crowd from Canal street reached the prison there lad already collected there a dense throng all eager to take a hand in whatever might happen When the vanguard of armed citizens cit-izens reached the prison which is many squares from Canal street that grim old building was surrounded on all Olil Sheriff Viller when he heard u movement was on foot to take I tim prisoners armed his deputies and then started on the hunt for Mayor Shakespeare The Italian consul and Attorney At-torney General Rogers joined in pursait u but his honor does not reach his office until noon and he was not to be fount at any of his regular haunts The governor had not I heard of the uprising and had no time to nct and the police force was too small to i 1 offer much resistance to the army of avengers Superintendent Gastcr had I ordered an extra detail of officers to be sent to the jail and a small crowd kept the sidewalks side-walks around the old building clear until the great multitude swelling all the time like a mighty roaring stream surged around the door and crowded the little band I of blue coats away Captain Lam Davis was on guard at the main entrance with a scant force of deputies They were swept away like chaff before the wind and in an instant the little anteroom leading into the prison was jammed with eager excited men Meanwhile the prisoners wero stricken with terror for they could hear distinctly the shouts of the people without madly demanding their blood Persons who were charged with crimes other than complicity in the murder of the chief also shared in the general demoralization demorali-zation Some of the braver among the representatives rep-resentatives of the Mafia wanted to die fighting for their lives and pleaded for weapons with which to defend themselves and when they could not find these they sought hidingplaces The deputies thinking think-ing t deceive the crowd by a ruse transferred 1 I trans-ferred the nineteen men t the female department de-partment and there the mirerable Sicilians trembled in terror until the moment when the doors would yield to the angry throng nn the outside Captain Davis refused the request to open the prison and the crowd began the work of battering in the doors nd on Orleans street there 3v was a heavy nwooden door which had been closely barred in anticipation I ot the coming of the avenging mass This the crowd selected as their best chanco of getting in Neighboring houses readily I supplied axes and battering rams and willing hands went to work to force an opening This did not prove a difficult task to the trembling but determined throng Soon there was a crash the door gave was and in an instant armed citizens were pouring through the small opening while a mighty shout went up from ten thousand throats in glad acclaim There resistence for the intruders however but it too was soon overcome with a huge billet of wo 3d which the men carried Then the turnkey was overpowered and the keys taken from him By that time the excitement was intense none the less so when a patrol wagon drove up with a detachment de-tachment of policemen who were driven away under a tire of mud and stones I When tha leader inside tho prison got I i possession of the keys the inside crate was promptly unlocked and the deputies in the I lobby rapidly got out of harms way The avengers pressed into too yard 01 tOO wnito prisoners The door of the first cell was opened and a group of trembling prisoners stood inside They were not the men who were wanted and the crowd very quickly though with remarkable coolness burst into the yard Peering through the bars of the condemned cell was a terrorstricken terrorstrcken face which some one mistook for Scaffedi A volley was fired at the man and he dropped but none of the shots struck him and it was subsequently found ho was not one of tho assassins The inmates of tho jail j were ready to direct the way to where the Italians were Go to the female departments some one yelled and thither the men with their Winchesters ran but the door was I locked In a moment a key was produced Then the leader called lor some one who knew the right men and a volunteer responded speeded and the door was thrown open The gallery was deserted but an old woman said the men were up stairs A party of seven or eight quickly ascended the stair case and as they reached the landing the assassins fed down at the other end Half a dozen followed them Scarcely a word was spoken It was a timo for action When the pursued and pursuers reached the stone courtyard the former darted toward the Orleans stiv nt sifln nf lilA rrillprv nnH crouched down beside the cells Their faces were blanched and being unarmed they were absolutely defenseless In fear and trembling they screamed for mercy but the avengers were merciless Bang bang I I bang 1 rang out the reports of the murderous weapons and a deadly rain of bullets poured into the crouching figures Gerachi the closest man was struck in the back of the neck and his body pitched forward Romero fell to his knees with his face in his hands and in that position was shot to death Monastero and James Caruso fell together under the fire of half a dozen guns leaden pellets entering their bodies and heads The bloody executioners did tneir work well and beneath the continuing con-tinuing fire Comotez and Trahinia two of the men who had not been tried but who were charged jointly with the other accused ac-cused fell together Their bodies wero literally riddled with bullets and they were stone dead almost before the fusilade was over When a group of the assassins was discovered dis-covered on tho gallery Muchera Scaffcdi and old man Marchesi separated from the other six and ran up stairs Thither half a dozen men followed them and as the terrorstricken assassins ran in their cells they were slain Joe Machera gwho was charged with being the archconspirator had his back turned when a shot struck him immediately behind the ear and his death was instantaneous Scaffedi one of the moat villanous ef tho assassins dropped like a dog when a bullet hit him in the eye Old man MarchesI was the only man who did not get killed outright He was struck on the top of the head while he stood beside Machera and though mortally wounded lingered all the evening Politz the crazy man was locked up in a cell up stairs The doors were flung open and one of the avengers taking aim shot him through the body He was not killed outright and in order to satisfy the people on the outside who wore crazy to I know what was going on within 1 rr 1 Lie u us uiuggcu uuwu sums and through the doorway by which the crowd had entered Half carried car-ried half dragqep he was taken to the corner A rope was procured and tied around his neck and the people pulled him up to the crossbars Not satisfied that he was dead a score of men took aim and poured a volley of shot into his body and for several hours his body was left dang ling in the air Bagnetto was caught in the first rush upstairs up-stairs and the first volley of bullets pierced his brain He was pulled out by a number of stalwart men thiough the main entrance to the prison and from the limb of a tree his body was suspended although life was already gone Just as soon as the bloody work was done Mr Parkerson addressed the crowd and asked them to disperse This they consented to do with a ringing shout but first they made a rush for Parkerson and lifting him bodily supported him on their shoulders while they marched up street The avengers came back in a body to Clay statue and then dispersed Immense crowds rushed from all directions direc-tions to the neighborhood of the tragedy while the streets in front of the newspaper offices were blocked with people anxious to seo the latest bulletins There was intense suppressed excitement but from one end of the city to the other the action ot the citizens were applauded OMalley the detective who would have shared the fate of the assassins if he had been caught ha disappeared and is not expected to return and members of the jury are in hiding The I atmosphere has been considerably purged ana tuougn mere is j Ull urovvu on uauai street tonight the trouble seems all over The Italian consul declined to say tonight what action if any ho will take The prison was surrounded until dark by a motely multitude but the police found no difficulty maitaining good order The bodies oi some of the slain were removed i this evening Caruso was married but i leaves no children and Machera Romero has wife a wife and family Comitez leaves a wifeMarches Marchesi died this eveniug at 7 oclock The coroners jury presented a simple finding find-ing They did not say who shot the men Matranga Sunxeri Natalie the boy Marchesi Patrno John Caruso Pietzo and Incardona are the eight men who escaped es-caped punishment Caruso hid in the yard Natalie concealed himself in the washbouse and was discovered and his life spared I Sunxeri and Pietzo hid in the doghouse and Incardona in the vault while the jail officials I offici-als spirited Matranga and Patorno out of harms way Seliginan foreman of the i jury was arrested this afternoon as he was attempting to leave the city I A meeting of the Cotton exchange this afternoon was called to order by President I Chafe who stated he had been called upon by a large committee of members with a request that he convene a general meeting eetn for the purpose of adopting suitable resolutions reso-lutions endorsing the action of the citizens in the deplorable event of the morning Chaffo said inasmuch as all were familiar with the events it was not necessary to dilate upon them They knew the facts and the necessity of therfsituation The following resolutions were then unanimously unani-mously adopted Whereas The deplorable administration administra-tion of criminal justice in this city and the frightful extent to which the bribery of juries has been carried rendered it necessary neces-sary for the citizens of New Orleans to vindicate outraged justice Therefore be it Resolved That while we deplore at all times a resort t violence we consider the action taken by the citizens this morning to bo proper and justifiable Resolutions of similar purport were also adopted by the Produce exchange Sugar exchange and stock exchange At a meeting of the stock exchange the action of Foreman Selipman of tho Hen nessey jury who is a member of the cx o 4 A = change was discussed The following resolutions wero quickly adopted WHEREAS J M Seligman a visiting member of this exchange has by his action ac-tion in the Hennessey case evidently contributed con-tributed to defy justice ignore the laws and scandalize the community be it resolved re-solved that he is hereby expelled from the I exchange Seligman has also been expelled from the Young Mens Gymnastic club This afternoon after-noon the coroner impaneled a jury and after viewing the bodies rendered a verdict in accordance with the facts The following acorlanc lowing is given a a clear statement of the actuating causes which led to the tragedy enacted this morning On October ISJO about 1 oclock at night as D C Hennessey the chief of police of the city of Now Orleans was going from his office to his home he was waylaid and shot to pieces by a band of Italian assassins armed with such blunderbusses as could only have been made and used for the purpose of assassination Tho indignation indig-nation and excitement were such that mdb law and lynching were about to be resorted to The entire community felt that in the endeavor to reach the guilty parties innocent inno-cent Italians might be sacrificed To allay excitement and assist the constituted authorities the mayor of the city appointed a committo of fifty representative citizens to take charge of the investigations and to aid in the trial an conviction of the assassins assas-sins The committee entered upon their work and at n mass meeting subsequently held in front of the city hall the actions of tho committee were ratified and they were encouraged to continue their labors to secure a prosecution and trial by the courts After months of preparation and a trial which continued three weeks and in which distinguished counsel assisted the able district attorney thajury was charged to have been bribed and corrupted and in I the face of evidence establishing the guilt of the defendants rendered a verdict of I mistrial as to three assassins Scaffedi IMonastrio I and Politz and acquitted the three assassins Marchora Marches and I Bagnetto Three more were on trial and I were acquitted because of insufficient evidence evi-dence these being Matranga Incornona I and the boy Marched The acquital of Ma chrea the chief conspirator and of Mar chesi and Bagnetto and a verdict of mistrial as to Politz Scaf fedi and Monasterio fell like 1 I thunderbolt upon tha community aud impressed law abiding citizens with the conviction that tho laws have been violated ated that their verdict invited ssussina tion and the grafting of the Italian Mafia upon American institutions The feeling grew strong that for self preservation the people must assume the authority which they had delegated to the courts and which tho courts were powerless to enforce This uprising of the people to secure the punishment pun-ishment of the assassins who struck down their chief officer of police in the nighttime night-time with premeditated assassination was orderly and the people dispersed quietly as soon as their work of vindication was done donThe The leaders in todays movement representing repre-senting the best citizens held a secret meeting tonight and discussed the occurrence occur-rence of the day and the action to be taken in the future It was decided there should be no more bloodshed but that the men who have not yet been tried for murder as well as those who suborned the witness and jury shall be vigorously prosecuted before the courts of the city Juror Selie man was released this evening there bei gas g-as yet no legal warrant for his arrest The States will say tomorrow editorially edi-torially Yesterday the cancer which for years has been gnawing at our social system sys-tem the hideous Mafia was once for all amid torrents of blood fiercely rooted out by the peoples strong arm and with the peoples instruments The evils which remain re-main to inflict our community the vicious jury system and suborners living among usare not of tho deadly character which demands heroic treatment Let the constituted con-stituted authorities move against the jury who have outraged justice and insulted common sense The TimesDemocrat will say 1 The paralysis of the past two years was due to the settlement in New Orleans of lawless bands of men hailing mostly from Southern Italy who brought with thoni to this country I coun-try the pernicious ideas or the murderous methods which have planted conspiracy and assassination societies in their assassinaton quondam quon-dam home Tne short sharp and decisive I drama of yesterday had in it moreover 11 warning for another class which they will do well not to disregard We refer t jury fixers who are experts in getting at tales men and jurymen and in filling the jury box partially or wholly with men pledged to consult above all things the interests of criminals j crminals |