ASSASSINS SHOT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 94, 24 April 1891, Page 3

ASSASSINS SHOT.

MURDER OF HENNESSY AVENGED.

A DAY OF BLOOD IN NEW ORLEANS.

3\W Orleans, March 14.—New Orleane struck the Mafia a deathblow to-day. It rose in its might almost at mid-day and wreaked horrible vengeance upon the Sicilian assassins who relentlessly slow David C. Hennessy, and though there are eleven men dead to - night who were happy yesterday over their victory in the greatest criminal trial the ciby has ever witnessed, the work of blood was accomplished without unnecessary disorder, without rioting, without pillaging, and without the inflicting of suffering upon any innocent man, eavo one, and ho was only slightly hurt). It was not an unruly, midnight mob. It was simply a sullen, determined body of citizens who took into their own hands what justice had ignominiously failed to do.

Tho Chief of Police was slain on Octobor 15th, and thobvery night evidence began to accumulate showing that his death had been deliberately planned by a secret tribunal, and carried out boldly and successfully by tools of the conspirators. The trial lasted twenty-five 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 men, lawyers, doctors, merchants and political leaders—all persona of inlluenco and social standing—quietly met and decided that some action must be taken, and tho people's justice, swift and euro, visited upon those whom the jury had neglected to punish. This morning a call for a masa meeting at Clay Square on Canal-street appeared in the papers, which editorially deprecated violence. Tho significant closing sentence of the call was : " Come prepared for action." Down in a large room on the corner of Bienville and Royal streets there was an arsenal provided by a body of citizens. The call was answered by the populace. At 10 o'clock there was a crowd of several thousand anxious people congregated around the Clay statue. There were three addresses, short, pithy and businesslike, and the assemblage, not unwillingly, was soon keyed to the highest pitch and was demonstrative in its denunciation ot the assassins. Each of the speakers said there had been a great mass meeting months before which had met quietly and dispersed peacefully, so the law might take its course. The law had failed and THE TIME TO ACT HAD COME. W. S. Parkerson, the leader, is a prominent) lawyer here, president of the Southern Athletic Club and the man who led a vigorous reform movement three years ago. ■ Walter D. Deneger, another of the epeakers, is one of the leaders of the New Orleans bar. Other speakers were John C. Wickliff, also a prominent attorney, and. James D. Houston, one of the foremost men of the State. After denouncing Detective O'Malley, who is alleged to have tampered with the jury, the speakers announced that they would lead the way to the parish prison, Mr Wickliff concluding with these words : "Shall the execrable Mafia be allowed to flourish in this city? Shall the Mafia be allowed to cub 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 free I" By this time the crowd was swelled to 3,000 or more, aud before anyone could realise what had happened, the great throng, gaining recruits at every step, was tramping down the etreets to the neighbourhood of the prison, stopping only once, and that was at the arsenal, where doublebarrelled shotguns, Winchester rifles, and pistols were banded out to the 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 and joining the main body, which moved down the rampart to the gaol near Congo Square. Doors and windows were thrown open, and men, vfovc.cn and children crowded on the galleries to encourage those who were taking part and to witness the scenes. Captain Davis refused to open the prison, and the crowd began the work of BATTERING IN THE DOORS. Around on Orleans street there was a heavy wooden door, which had been closely barred in anticipation of the coming of the avenging mass. This the crowd selected as their bust chance of getting in. Neighbouring houses readily supplied axes and battering rams, and willing hands went to work to force an opening. This did not prove a difficult task to the determined throng.

Soon there was a crash, the door gave way, and in an instant armed citizens were pouring through the sinali opening, whiloa mighty shoub went up from ten thousand throats. There was more resistance for the intruders, however, bub it, too, was soon overcome with a huge billet of wood. Then the turnkey was overpowered and the keys were taken from him. By this time the excitement was intense. It was increased when the patrol waggon drove up with a detachment of police, who were driven away under a fire of mud and sbones. THE ASSASSINS SHOT DOWN. A party of seven or eight quickly ascended the 6taircase, and as they reached the landing the aesassins fled down at the other end. A half dozen followed them. Scarcely a word was spoken. Ib was a time for action. When the pursued and the pursuers reached the stone courtyard the assassins darted toward the Orleans side of the gallery and crouched down beside the cells. Their faces blanched, and, being unarmed, they wore absolutely defenceless. In fear and trembling 6hey screamed for mercy, bub the avengers were merciless. Bang ! bang ! bang ! rang oufc the reports of the murderous weapons, and a deadly rain of bullets poured into the crouching figures. Gerachi, the nearest man, was struck in the back of the head, 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 rifles, the bullets entering their bodies and heads. The bloody executioners did their work well, and beneath a continuing fire Cometex and Trahinia, two of the men who bad_ nob been tried, bub who were ; >charged jointly •with the other accused, fell together. Their bodies were literally riddled wifch bullets, and they were stone dead almost before the fueilade was over.

When the group of assassins was discovered on the gallery, Macheea, Scafledi, jjjfld an old man Marches! separated from the Other six and ran upstairs. Thither half-a-dozen men followed them, and as the feerror-atricken assassins ran into the cells they were slain. Jo Macheea, who was charged with being the arch-conepirator, had his back turned when a shot struck him immediately behind the ear, and hie death was instantaneous. Scafledi, one of the mosb villainous of the assaesins, dropped like a dog when a bullet hit him in the eye. Old man Marchesi was the only man who was nob killed outright. He was struck on the-top of the head while he stood beside Macheea, and. though mortally wounded, lingered all the evening. TWO STRUNG UP. . Pollitz, the crasy man, was locked up in a cell upstairs. 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 were crazy to know what was going on within, he was dragged down stairs and through the doorway by which che crowd had entered. Half-carried, half-dragged, he was taken to a corner. A rope was provided and tied around his neck, and the people pulled him up to the cross-bars. 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 tho body was left dangling in the air.

Bagnetto was caught in the firsb rush upstairs, and the first volley of bullete pierced his brain. Hβ was pulled out by a number of stalwart men through 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, vuth a rousing shout, but first they made a rush for Parkerson, and lifting him bodily, supported him on their shoulders while they marched up the street. The avengers came back in a body to the Clay statue and then dispersed.

Immense crowds rushed from all directions to the neighbourhood of tho tragedy, while the streets in front of the newspaper offices were blocked with peeple anxious to sco the latest bulletins. There was intense suppressed excitement, but from one end of the city to the other the action of the citizens was applauded. O'Malley, the detective, who would have shared the fate of tho assassins if ho had been caught, has disappeared, and is not expected to return, and the members of the jury are in hiding. ITALIANS AROUSED. New York, March 14. "L'Ecod'ltalia,"oneof the representative Italian newspapers in this cicy, issued an extra edition on the New Orleans killing. The story was followed with an editorial which said: " Without words we want satisfaction full aud complete. If our Minister at Washington has not at this hour made his word tjood, 1,000,000 Italians residing in the United States will know how to do it. if the massacre that v/e have witnessed in this free republic is allowed to go unpunished we will denounce it as an assassination."

The newspaper invited all Italians to a mass meeting and closed with the warning: " Death to assassins—death to those that allowed such butchery !" Although the meeting was set for Tuesday night, the excitement grew so intense during the day it was decided to hold the meeting as soon as possible, and it will bo held to-morrow night. Late to-night a number of prominent Italians forwarded telegrams to the Italian Embassador at Washington calling bia attention to the murders at Now Orleans and demanding that he take proper steps in the manner and give to it the recognition its imporDance deserves. THE MAFIA. The Mafia is a Sicilian secret eociety primarily organised by a convict of that name several hundred years ago, who escaped from prison. It flourishes on blackmail, like the highbinders, and, like them, it exacts a terrible oath from its mombers and dooms to death those who fail to obey its orders. Inspector Byrnes, of New York, says of the Society: " The Mafia is distinctly a Sicilian society, and I wish to state here that there is a great deal of difference between the Italians and the Sicilians who make America their home. The latter, as a rule, come from the dangerous class of their country. They are outlaws. They cannot return to the land of their birth, because id many instances a. price is fixed upon the heads of more than one of them. They were criminals in" their own country, and they continue their career of crime in the home of thoir adoption. Before 1860 the Mafia was si powerful political organisation. It was secret and had rites, symbols, passwords and the other features of such societies. It degenerated into a criminal league in which bandits, robbers, counterfeiters, murderers and others of tho criminal classes were united. Expelled from their country, these men have come to tho United States. They form an organisation similar to that of the anarchists. There is a silent understanding between them. The greatest criminal in their number is their leader."