Baron Fava to Mr.
Olney.
[Translation.]
Embassy
of His Majesty the King of Italy,
Washington, August 19,
1896.
Mr. Secretary of State: I have this day
received from the consulate of Italy, at New Orleans, La., in
authenticated copies, the inclosed affidavits, taken at the office of
said consulate, whereby (inclosures 1 and 2) Gioacchino Calcagno, uncle
of Lorenzo Salardino, who was lynched on the night of the 8th instant,
near the court-house, in the village of Hahnville, St. Charles Parish,
La., Gregorio Guarnieri, Giuseppe Ventola, and Vincenzo Lorino, all
declared, under oath, in presence of the witnesses required by law, that
the aforesaid Lorenzo Salardino had never become an American citizen;
and (inclosure 3) Giuseppe Baratta, Francesco Pinzino, and Carlo Graffeo
declared, likewise under oath and in presence of witnesses, that
Salvatore Arena and Giuseppe Venturella, who were lynched in the place
above mentioned together with Lorenzo Salardino, had never become
American citizens.
In sending these affidavits to your excellency as a supplement to my note
of the 13th instant, it is my imperative duty to renew, in the name of
His Majesty’s Government, the request which I had the honor to make of
you by my other note of the 11th instant with regard to the measures
that were taken for the immediate detection and subsequent trial of the
persons who instigated these murders, and of those who so
[Page 399]
brutally murdered three
Italian subjects who were in the custody of the American authorities and
under the protection of the American laws.
Be pleased to accept, etc.,
[Inclosure
1.—Translation.]
Declaration of Gioacchino Calcagno.
Royal Consulate of Italy at New
Orleans[, August 14,
1896].
In the reign of His Majesty Humbert I, by the grace of God and the
will of the nation King of Italy, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and ninety-six, on the fourteenth day of the month of
August, in New Orleans, at the royal consulate of Italy, before me,
Carlo Papini, acting consul, assisted by Mr. Giacomo La Rosa, acting
as chancellor, personally appeared Gioacchino Calcagno, son of
Guiseppe Calcagno, deceased, a native of Campo Fiorita, about
forty-seven years of age, an agricultural laborer, residing at La
Place Plantation, Louisiana, who declared, under oath, that he was
an uncle of Lorenzo Salardino, son of Vito S., a native of Campo
Fiorita, about thirty-three years of age, an agricultural laborer
and barber, who was lynched on the night of the 8th instant, near
the court-house, in the village of Hahnville, St. Charles Parish,
Louisiana; that he was intimately acquainted with him, having known
him from his infancy, and that he knew, from long association and
from conversation with him, that the said Salardino had never become
an American citizen.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponent and ratified by him, was signed by him, by the
chancellor, and by me, the acting consul.
- Gioacchino Calcagno.
- Giacomo La Rosa.
- C. Papini, Acting Consul.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the
original.
[
l. s.]
C. Papini, Acting Consul.
New
Orleans, August 15,
1896.
[Inclosure
2.—Translation.]
Declaration of Gregorio Guarnieri.
Royal Consulate of Italy at New
Orleans[, August 13,
1896].
In the reign of His Majesty Humbert I, by the grace of God and the
will of the nation King of Italy, on the thirteenth day of the month
of August, in New Orleans, at the royal consulate of Italy, before
me, Carlo Papini, acting royal consul, assisted by Mr. Giacomo La
Rosa, acting as chancellor, personally appeared Gregorio Guarnieri,
son of Stefano Guarnieri, deceased, a native of Campo Fiorita,
thirty-three years of age, a fruit seller, residing here, who, under
oath and in presence of Rosario Maggio, son of Pasquale Maggio,
deceased, of Cefalù, a barber by trade, and of Luigi Lucia, son of
Vincenzo Lucia, deceased, of Bisacquino, an innkeeper, both
witnesses whose names are hereunto subscribed, declared that he had
been intimately acquainted with Lorenzo Salardino, son of Vito
Salardino, a native of Campo Fiorita, about thirty-three years of
age, an agricultural laborer, who was lynched on the night of the
8th instant, near the court-house, in the village of Hahnville, St.
Charles Parish, Louisiana, since their early childhood, and that
they came to America together; that, although they had been
separated, the relations between them had always been of an intimate
character, because Salardino had frequently visited him. Deponent
further declared that he knew, from conversations had with him, that
the said Lorenzo Salardino had never become an American citizen.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponent and ratified by him, was signed by him with his
mark, owing to his inability to write, and was signed with the
written signatures of the witnesses, of the chancellor, and of me,
the acting consul.
|
Gregorio his × mark Guarnieri. |
|
Rosario Maggio. |
|
Luigi Lucia. |
|
Giacomo La Rosa. |
| [l. s.] |
C. Papini, Acting Consul. |
[Page 400]
Subsequently appeared Giuseppe Ventola, son of Pietro Ventola,
deceased, a native of Terlizzi (Bari), a dealer in fruit,
thirty-three years of age, who, being duly sworn, and in presence of
the aforesaid witnesses attesting the personal identity and legal
capacity of the deponent, did depose and say that he had been
intimately acquainted for about 17 years with Lorenzo Salardino, son
of Vito Salardino, of Campo Fiorita, about thirty-three years of
age, who was lynched on the night of the 8th instant near the
court-house in the village of Hahnville, St. Charles Parish,
Louisiana; that after the said Salardino’s arrival here they had
always lived together, and that he was sure that Salardino had never
become an American citizen.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponent and ratified by him, was signed by him, and the
witnesses, by the chancellor, and by me, the acting consul.
|
Giuseppe Ventola. |
|
Rosario Maggio. |
|
Luigi Lucia. |
|
Giacomo La Rosa. |
| [l. s.] |
C. Papini, Acting Consul. |
Also appeared Vincenzo Lorino, son of Luciano Lorino, a native of
Bisacquino, an agricultural laborer, thirty-four years of age,
residing here, who, likewise in presence of witnesses and under
oath, did declare that he had been well acquainted with Lorenzo
Salardino, of Campo Fiorita, an agricultural laborer and barber,
thirty-three years of age, who was lynched near the court-house in
the village of Hahnville, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, on the
night of the 8th instant, and that he knew, from a statement made to
him by the deceased himself, that he had never become an American
citizen.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponent and ratified by him, was signed by him and the
witnesses, by the chancellor, and by me, the acting consul.
Vincenzo
Lorino.
Rosario Maggio.
Luigi Lucia.
Giacomo La Rosa.
[
l. s.]
C.
Papini, Acting
Consul.
I certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the original.
[
l. s.]
C. Papini, Acting Consul.
New
Orleans, August 15,
1896.
[Inclosure
3.—Translation.]
Declaration of Giuseppe Baratta.
Royal Consulate of Italy at New
Orleans[, August 13,
1896].
In the reign of His Majesty Humbert I, by the grace of God and the
will of the nation, King of Italy, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and ninety-six, on the thirteenth day of August, in New
Orleans, at the royal consulate of Italy, before me, Carlo Papini,
acting royal consul, assisted by Mr. Giacomo La Rosa, acting as
chancellor, personally appeared Giuseppe Baratta, son of Pietro
Baratta, a native of Cáccamo, about thirty-four years of age, a
farmer, who, being duly sworn, did depose and say that he was
intimately acquainted with Salvatore Arena, son of Angelo Arena,
deceased, twenty-seven years of age, and with Giuseppe Venturella,
son of Salvatore Venturella, deceased, forty-eight years of age,
both natives of Cáccamo, the same who were lynched on the night of
the eighth instant, near the court-house, in the village of
Hahnville, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, and whose names appeared
in the local papers as Decino Sorcoro and Angelo Marcuso; that
Salvatore Arena arrived in this country December 8th, 1891, and
Giuseppe Venturella three years ago, and that neither of them had
ever become an American citizen. The deponent (Giuseppe Baratta)
added that he knew this to be a fact, because he had arrived in this
country together with Arena, had always worked with him, and had
afterwards been his partner, together with two other persons, in
cultivating a piece of land.
He further declared that he had known Venturella since his arrival,
and that for nearly two years he had been his partner in working the
aforesaid piece of land.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponent and ratified by him, was signed by him, by the
chancellor, and the acting consul, in the presence of Carlo Graffeo,
son of Giorgio Graffeo, deceased, of Piana
[Page 401]
dei Greci, merchant, and Salvatore Alfano, son
of Vincenzo Alfano, deceased, of Bisacquino, merchant, witnesses
attesting the identity and legal capacity of the deponont.
|
Giuseppe Baratta. |
|
Carlo Graffeo. |
|
Salvatore Alfano. |
|
Giacomo La Rosa. |
| [l. s.] |
C. Papini, Acting Consul. |
Subsequently appeared Francesco Pinzino, son of Tommaso Pinzino, of
Alimena, twenty-one years of age, a laborer, and Carlo Graffeo, son
of Giorgio Graffeo, deceased, of Piana dei Greci, merchant, both of
whom were duly sworn. Pinzino thereupon declared that he had
personally known the aforesaid Salvatore Arena and Giuseppe
Venturella, who were lynched; that he had known Arena for move than
two years, during which time he had worked near the plantation on
which deponent was; that he had known Venturella since the time of
his departure from Palermo, having been a passenger on the same
steamer with him, and that he also knew, from conversations had on
the occasion of the last election, that neither of the deceased had
ever been naturalized as a citizen of this country.
The second deponent, Carlo Graffeo, likewise stated that he had known
both the deceased for about two years and a half, and that he also
knew that they had not been naturalized as American citizens.
In testimony whereof this instrument is issued, which, having been
read to the deponents and ratified by them, was signed by them, by
the chancellor, and by the acting consul in presence of Luigi Lucia,
son of Vincenzo Lucia, deceased, of Bisacquino, an innkeeper, and
Giovanni Polizzi, son of Giuseppe Polizzi, deceased, of Cáccamo, a
laborer by occupation, witnesses attesting the identity and legal
capacity of the deponents.
- Francesco Pinzino.
- Carlo Graffeo.
- Luigi Lucia.
- Giovanni Polizzi.
- Giacomo La Rosa.
- C. Papini, Acting Consul.
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the
original.
[
l. s.]
C. Papini.
New
Orleans, August 15,
1896.
