CAMORRA TRIAL DUEL

Evening Star, Issue 15480, 30 April 1914, Page 1

CAMORRA TRIAL DUEL

Echoes of the almost forgotten Neapolitan Camorra trial at Viterbo were heard on March 11, when a duel took place between the celebrated Captain (now Major) Fabroni (whose nine days' speech, with its masterly unmasking of the Camorra system, was out of the most memorable features of the trial) and a lawyer named Roberto Marvasi (the chief editor of the Naples periodical 'La Scintilla,' which lent its powerful support to the Carabinieri in their attempt to extirpate the secret societies).

I Major Fabroni, shortly before his proraoi tion, put Signor Marvasi in possession of- a. i considerable amount of confidential information, together with documentary evideuee. v.hick, it is alleged, had been hushed up ai the public trial because of its politically compromising nature. Signor Marvasi recently divulged the fact in a remarkable volume, entitled 'The Faith of Fabroni.' This work has become the best-selling book of the season. It reproduces, among other interesting matter, facsimile receipts for regular sums paid by the Camorra- to prominent officers of the local police as bribes for frustrating the fcjeret investigation confided to' special Carabtyieri corps at the direct instance of th» Government. This publication I led to a miliary inquiry, resulting in Major j Fabroni's suspension both from rank ami ! pay for a breach of discipline. As soon as j the decision was promulgated, the Ministry j of the "Interior granted Major Fabroni formal ! permission, which had up till then been withi held, to bring a lawsuit against Signor Marvasi. However, in view of the dilatoriness of the legal proceedings, the adversaries finally agreed that the affair would be better probed at the point of the sword. The duellists fought stripped to the waist in the garden of a villa outside the walk of Rome. At the l&th assault Major Fabroni thrust his antagonist through the breast. After the duel was ended the police invaded the place and seized several weapons other than those used in the fray. The combatants, each attended by a retinue of exalted personages, were whirled away in mote* oars, after refusing to be reconciled.