The Barrel MysteryFlynn, William J. (William James)
General
The Barrel Mystery
Flynn, William J. (William James)
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
"Now, then, I ask you why you write me and others to assume
the responsibility of said individual; if this party could be
admitted, then we assume the responsibility of an individual
that had been seen 'neither born nor raised' and who has
never been known by name or sight. This responsibility you
should ask of others, not us. You see in this that I was
right in resenting De Vito Casiaferro and Enea, and saying
that it is not done that way, in making a person, by not
asking information of the townsmen before making it, that all
these discussions now would not have been.
"Now you must ask them to assume the responsibility, those
that have made him, not us. Of us you must ask only if we
have anything to say. This, yes, is very correct. But to
assume responsibility is one thing, and asking if we have
anything to say is another thing. There is a great
difference. Therefore, we go in Court, we have undersigned,
upon our conscience and on our honor declare of having
nothing to say upon the conduct and honor of Calogero
Constantino, not regarding him only but also of his family.
All of Corleone. Giuseppe La Bella and brother, Vincenzo,
brother Ciro and brother Coco.
"PAOLO FRISELLA,
"GAETANO LOMONTE,
"STEFANO LASALA,
"FORTUNATO LO MONTE,
"ANTONIO RIZZO,
"MICHALE CONIGLIO,
"ANGELO VALENTI,
"FRANCESCO MOSCATO."
This letter was, of course, written in the Sicilian dialect, and was
translated into the foregoing "English," which, the reader will
notice, is not quite the "Queen's own." But the translation was made
close to the Sicilian, and we must take it as we get it.
The reader will, of course, see that Constantino's admittance to the
brotherhood is in doubt. That is, he is not being accepted into the
society except upon the responsibility of the Chicago crowd. Whatever
help is to be given him in his trouble in Louisiana, where he is under
arrest, must come from the Chicago brethren. Help will come from New
York, perhaps, in the last extreme. This seems to be the burden of the
letter.
Another letter follows which may also help the reader to a conclusion
as to whether such a thing exists as a "Black-Hand" Society. The
letter is addressed to Mr. Vincenzo Moreci, No. 535 S. Franklin
Street, New Orleans, La. It is dated New York, November 15th, 1909,
and reads as follows:
"DEAR FRIEND:
"Am in possession of your two letters, one that bears date
of the 5th, the other on the 10th of November. I understand
the contents.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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