Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1891.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 124, 27 May 1891, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1891.

The great, though of oourse only temporary, interest given by the New Orleans lynching oase to the organisation of the oi'iminal associations of Sicily, oolleofcively knowu as the Mafia, has induced The Times to make furtber enquiries respecting ifc, and a letter whioh it publishes irom its Rome correspondent contains a large amount of more detailed information on tho subject than has yet come under our notice. Ifc appears that fche Mafia is not a complete tmd single organisation, bufc a secret understanding of Sicilians for robbery, murder, "vendetta," aud revolt against the present or any organised Governmeut. In one section of fche islaud ifc takes oue form, and in another a very different one ; iv certain districts ifc fceuds to form tho brobhorhood of blood and vendetta; in others fche cooperation of catfclo thieves, brigand bands, or blackmailors, generally innocent of auy oafcbs or by-laws, bub knowing eaoh othor by the subtle sympathies of low organisations, aa the animals understand eaoh obher, for enmity or friendship, and all bound together for protection aud aid by tho knowledge that 'fcho Government is impotent agaiusfc thorn, and fchafc bho Mafia is always able to; punish auy defeofcion ot* tre-ason against its' interests. The Mafia has its grades as clearly defined as those of tho nObility, -and also its own special oode, " Wbioh establishes as the first duty of a man to' do' himself justice wibh his o,wn hands for all injuries reoeived, and stamps with infamy and, holds up to publio execration aud publio vengeance whoever appeals to justioe or assists its operations," Wifch a publio senfcimeufc of this kind—for ifc musb be remembered thab it permeates fche whole community — it i is easy to understand thafc fche detection and punishment of orime is exceedingly difficult. To Bhow. the extent of fcho ramifications of fche sooieby we quote fcho following from au Italian writer on fcho subjeot. He defines it as "tho union of people of every rank, of every profession, of ovory Horfc, who, without any apparent bond, are always united for their mutual interests, without auy consideration of law, justice, or order ; ifc is a mediaeval sentiment of him who believes fchafc ho can provide for the custody of his person aud property by liis own powers and personal influence, independent of the aotion of the authority and the law." Here and there the Sooiety fofms orimiual olubs, in some oases bound by the mosb fearful oaths, bufc in general it is simply fche confederation of thbße who are too criminal to hesitate at any means to satisfy their desires, and thoso who are too weak fco boar the cousequeuoes of defiance, and in these two olasses, ifc would seem, is the greater part of the population of Sicily comprised. The Government now and then deteofcs and punishes the lowor, bufc never the higher, powers. The brigand of bho mountain gets his oluo from tho solid oibizen; the brigand is always shot iv fche end bub the oibizen escapes. The aristocrat of orime whispers a word fco bhe defendant and ib flies bo the ear of his oublawed accomplice, bub for bhe orime only bhe latter oau be called to accouub, and then tho social and personal influence of tho former is givon to fche utmosb fco prevent jusfcioe from being done. Gabble stealing and tho levying of blaokmail ar e fche commonest of occurrences, bufc by n 0 means the worst. The ultimate and inevitable development ia into assooia. tions of oriminals organised for a n y orimo and sworn fco obey the orders of a chief, who is naturally the worst of fche band, with au obedience unhesitating aud unquestioning. To quote again from tho wribor referred to above;— " These associations have immediate ohiefs and saeoret protectors, these last being driven to proteot the oriminals by timidity, for self proteotion, ambition, sympathy wifch the Mafia, or all tiiese oauses, together. Tbey belong to the olass whioh obtains its influenoe by rank or riohes, and whioh, passionately ambitious ol domination, impat enfc of insult, unscrupulous in its struggles for power, influonoe, or gain, mor*i impbioable in its hatred and ferocious in its vendettas, has a whole history of antagonism and rivalries by inheritance, The relations between patron and olient have no limits { every man who has need of assistance to assert a right or to do a deed ol violenoe finds a plaoe at once amongst tbe olients, and gives his strength to the association, and acquires a feeling of ihe most oomplete unity with all its undertakings. * * * From the moment that an individual Bbows himself reokless of the law, ready io strike, irasoible, brutal, and has committed a couple of crimes, esoaping punishment, be has won the highest title fco the proteotion of some personage, to in fluenoe, and the general respect of bis equals, He is looked np to with deference and fear by •moat, and beoome- the oentre ot attraction to the neophytes of crime, • • * This is a sketoh of the ohief of an assooiation ol oriminals. All those who have an objeot to gain, by giving proof of indiff&renoe and of courage, wifch no scruples, after a oertain novitiate, long enough t j convince tha ohief thafc they will obey faithfully the statutes, beoome meuihefs. Those statutes are, with slight differences, as follow: Obedience, blind, prompt, unhesitating; absolute sileno6 as to fche membership and their enterprises j assistance, moral, material, and peouniary, to oolleague*, espeoially whon they ure in prison; reference of all questions to fche ohief, and never to appeal to the law. The transgression of ono of these laws is fcreasqn, and fche ohiefs have no variety of penalties, but apply one, quiok, sure, exemplary and terrible— Jeafch. * * It is true tbat before resorting to assassination for little mafcters, fchey exhaust fche ap pliances of intimidation, but when it iB a question of punishing a person who jb auspooted of Bpying ott fche soqiefcy or betraying it to justico, or who has injured a' member, or another group, of fche Mafia, fche only and infallible means is murder. This sometimes becomes a means of gain in itself, taken by oontraot. Whoevor has need of freeing himself of an enemy has only to apply fco the brotherhood, whioh for a prioe agreed on, from 60 te 600 franos, undertakes the affair."

Such are the men who have emigrated iv thousands to Amerioa, and ifc is wifch oriminals of this olass that sooiety iv New Orleanß finds itself face to fnoe. Bufc in addition to boing murderers of the most cold-blooded type, there appears to be no affair too trivial for the Mafia to take undo}.' its proteotion. Is there au auotion P The bidders must pay the Mafiotes for their abstention from bidding, or withdraw if a Mafiote meaus to purchase Ib there a contraot to bo awarded P The contractor must pay a percentage ou his gains. «'The net is flue enough to catoh anything, and few are strong enough to break through ifc." Will the Ameiioans have auffioient strongth to perform thiß feat, or will fchey, now fchafc they havo had a tasto ; of the power of the Mafia to Bet the law at defiauoo by bribing or threatening juries, allow themselves to become more and more entangled in the meshes Until they are absolutely powerless to eeoapoP