More than a year has sped by since, at Premier Mussolini's orders, the dread Mafia (or Black Hand organization) was hunted down on the island of Sicily, captured, jailed. For centuries the Mafia protected Sicilians while the island was under foreign rule. When Italy became unified in 1870, the Mafia (in reality a coalition of gangs) turned brigands and terrorized the island ruthlessly. Not until the advent of Signor Mussolini and his Fascist! has any government dared to put down their wholesale lawlessness, although many half-hearted attempts have been made.
Last week in Termini Imerese, Sicily, a strange legal case began —the trial of the 153 members of the Andaloro-Ferrarello gang. It was strange because the prisoners were brought into court in iron-barred cages and arranged around the room like wild animals, guarded by a small army of colorfully uniformed Carabinieri with fixed bayonets.
Interest centred on Giuseppa (Josephine) Andaloro, mother of three sons and four daughters, together ringleaders of the Andaloro-Ferrarello gang. She, a toothless, white-haired hag, was called the Queen of the Mafia gangs. Her word was law. Dressed in a man's clothes, she was wont to ride around the country marking out victims for the Mafia. She it was who ordered murders, robberies, extortions, ambushings, torture, kidnappings. None dared disobey her commands.
Her word was such that she commanded the members to marry whomsoever she should select. Without her consent none could marry. Many a match she broke. This she did in order that her followers might make good marriages, "good" meaning an accretion of wealth for this and that gang.
She it was who ordered this and that peasant or laborer to perjure himself before the courts in order to secure the release of a captured member. She fixed the ransoms and organized their method of collection. All the fiendish devilry in the gangs was said to emanate from her.
And in one of the iron-barred cages she sat, shorn of her power, glowering at the court officials, scowling at the Carabinieri—an old woman, with wrinkled skin, ferocious mien, coarse features. None doubted that a death, too long delayed, according to the Sicilians, would be her fate.
The trial began with evidence from Salvatore Ferrarello, notorious chief. He denied that he was ever a member of the Andaloro-Ferrarello gang. "That is absurd," said he. "I have always been their enemy." He denied, as was to be expected, all the crimes with which he was accused. Extortion in particular he condemned as a "frivolous" act. "I would be ashamed to commit it!" said he. "Although I am the nephew of Gaetano Ferrarello, [another notorious bandit chief who killed himself in prison rather than face trial], I am proud to proclaim that I am an honest man and a perfect gentleman!"
The trial continued.