| Show ITALIAN CRIMINAL CLASSES PERHAPS the notable new orleans tragedy has ban rendered the crimes crimea committed by italians in this and other countries more conspicuous than formerly be this as it may a number of deeds of surpassing horror have lately been perpetrated in which italians have been the principals paU some fights they have had bad among themselves have been characterized by the most moet frightful atrocities but Buit their own conflicts conf liota are not of so much concern to the general public as are am the instances where their murderous at atto acts to are directed against other people the account of a tragedy that has just occurred at southwort southport Bouth South port an english watering place to in bloodcurdling blood curdling in its ite details an italian named cimmino attacked a landlord named sawyer with a knife the man who WM was assal as flailed led de fended bended himmele with a chair which was soon goon smashed sawyers wite wife and daughter came to his relief when the italian drew a revolver and fired all three of his victims were mortally wounded in this country of late similar scones scenes have been enacted the butcheries but cheries committed by the brutal classes 0 italians are rendered all the more repugnant because they are almost invariably associated with the use of the knife or dirk from an attack with which the bravest people instinctively shrink there is a natural dread of meeting death by the process of stabbing cutting and ing such a method inspires much more terror than the bullet recent developments show that novelists nov eliete who have associated italian heavy villains of their tales with the stiletto and secret assassination have had some foundation for such portrayals the mafia revelations providing a tithe of them can be relied upon as correct indicate that secret murder is a thriving business villainous organization recently the correspondent of the london times at rome borne gave an interesting statement of the principles upon which the mafia is founded and which inspire its operations it is stated that the society has its grades as clearly defined as those of the nobility at the roots of it is a principle of morality called emerta which to is recognized as the first qualification this abstraction of morality establishes as the first duty of a man to do himself justice with bis big own hands bands for all injuries received and stamps with infamy and holds up to public execration and public vengeance whoever appeals to justice or anal assists lits its he operations n so be strong a hold has this principle that even the honest common people regard it as a virtue to bide an assassin or to decline to testify against him the code of the emerta being that when one man Is dead we must think of the living one and that giving evidence Is good as long as it does not harm the neighbor under the operation of f these two convenient principles it would be almost impossible to secure evidence for the conviction convict i of assassins were it not for the free use of money by the police the lowest member of the mans mafia is the who is the friend who hides hide or feeds or I 1 side aids the active agent of crime and sometimes bribes or threatens the jury when the criminal is in brought to trial the next grade is the Z malandrino who is a positive criminal often of the worst type and is the organizer and director of bands of brigands brigande bri gands out he lives honestly has a bust bufa ness is regular in hi hilife and Is ie a citizen in full possession of his rights and privileges legee he protects and aids the brigande brigands bri ganda gands and cattle stealers steamers ste alers and highway robbers with whom he is in connivance ni vance and assists in disposing of the booty to his bis own pecuniary advantage the matis man a being largely made up of murderers and cut throats the very existence of any community which gives them mem shelter is in menaced the obliteration of such a sinister nister si organization is a serious question in this country it is a work made more difficult of attainment by the fact that it receives aid and comfort from a class clam of americans who will engage in any scheme no matter how nefarious which will insure them success in moneymaking money making |
