THE CAMORRA

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7851, 13 July 1911, Page 7

THE CAMORRA

REMARKABLE REVELATIONS A TRIAL OF ITALIAN SUSPECTS. A MILITARY OFFICER’S EVIDENCE. Bv Telegraph—Pross Association—Copyright (Received July 12, 9.20 p.m.) ROME, July 12. Interest in the trial of the Camorrists at Viterbo has been revived by tho remarkable revelations made by Captain Fabbroni, a young and distinguished officer, who is a Knight of the Crown of Italy. He had mad© inquiries into the operations of the Camorra as a captain of 'Carabineers, and gave his evidence with great clearness and confidence.

He showed that the corpses of Cuocolo and his wife, with whoso murder tho accused are charged, had been marked with the imprint of revenge in order to inspire fear. He stated that Errlcone, the leader of tho Camorra, who is in custody, invented a system of each branch of tho Camorra having a figurehead and an additional real head. Those disclosures led to an uproar in the cage in which the prisoners sat.

THE CAMORRIST DECALOGUE. The witness continued his evidence, and stated that the chief injunction of the Camorrist decalogue was ‘Never confess, even if to help an accused member.”

' Betrayers of the organisation, he said, received punishments ranging from beatings and razor slashes to murder. Ho declared that Ahbatemaggio, who had given information in the present case, had already been condemned to death, and it was impossible for him to escape if ho left the prison. PLUNDER, BLACKMAIL, AND MIJRDER. Captain Fabbroni said that the Camorra’s object was to despoil everyone within its clutches, from the prostitute or sneak thief to the highest official. Errioono had been subsidised by the Naples Illumination Company in order to prevent the theft of its wires and other implements. Other Neapolitan companies had similarly soenrod immunity from plunder. The system, he remarked, recalled the times when landed proprietors supported brigandage in order to secure their own safety. CAMOURIST MURDER. FIERCE FIGHT WITH POLICE. ROME, July 11. The police .at Naples, in attempting to arrest Grandullo, the successor of Erricono as head of the Gamorrists, were led into a fierce conflict. .An inspector was killed, and a policeman is in a critical state through blows from bludgeons. SENSATIONAL DOINGS TUMULT IN THE COURT. ALMOST A FREE FIGHT. (Received July 12, 11.5 p.m.) VITERBO, July 12. Captain Fabbroni, os an instance of the prisoners’ influence over thieves, recalled the case of a cabman who overcharged Father Vitozzi (one of the accused), who said that the cabman would regret it. The same evening three Camorrists beat the cabman and compelled him to apologise and return the overcharge to Father Vitozzi. The society’s chief usher, the witness said, was one Danua, a cobbler, who drove youths to the houses of light women, and who accompanied them to gambling hells, thus completing their ruin. .

Captain Eabbroni said that Enicone had been tried for complicity in such oases.

The accusers’ lawyer, Signor Bovio, interrupted, ’ saying “Erricono was acquitted.”

Captain Eabbroni: “Yes, hut the president of the court was the brother of the lawyer who is now defending Erricono.”

A terrific tumult followed this answer.

Erricoue jumped about in the cage howling like a hyena, i

Signor Bovio protested that the Neapolitan judges had been insulted. Captain Fabbroni retorted: “You forged documents in Paris in connection with Rapi’s defence.” At this jucturo the Carabineers had difficulty in preventing a free fight among the lawyers and witnesses. Captain Fabbroni resumed his evidence and traced the growth of the Camorra’s power from 1860, when Garibaldi handed over to it the maintenance of public order on the plea that the Society was best acquainted with local rascaldom.