Murder on Tilden Ave.

The saloon of Luigi Allegretti's saloon was the scene of the killing of one Italian and the wounding of another. The saloon is located at 56 Tilden Ave. in the heart of the Italian quarter.

Calogero Di Martino was shot to death and Giovanni Ciarciro was wounded. The perpetrator of the crime is unknown since the eye-witnesses to the act, who were held, when questioned by the police professed ignorance of any knowledge of his identity. Several reasons have been given as being the cause, but the one which this paper is inclined to accept is, women and money.

The two victims were playing cards when some one remarked to Di Martino, "They're after you," to which he answered, "Let them come," and they came.

There was a scuffling of feet, an interchange of words, a confusion of shots, two, three, four, five, a man staggers to his feet and falls to the floor, another is wounded, and the assasin, - the assasin? No one knows.

Odd and reprehensible adherence. Di Martino died three hours after the shooting. Before his death he told Police-officer Sullivan that he thought his murderer was Antonio Messineo of 46 W. Ohio St., and because of that, Messineo, after the inquest, was held to the Grand Jury. Ciarciro who had been shot in the back, said he did not see his attempted murderer.

Held as witnesses, by the police, were Vincenzo Trocco, Michele Maghi, Giovanni Damiano, Vincenzo D'Amato, Luigi Rellishi, and Luigi Allegretto. Antonio Messineo, Guiseppe Azzarro Givachino Correo, and Giuseppe Russo, all residing at 49 W. Ohio St., and Antonio Passero of 137 North Ave. are being hunted by the police in connection with the murder.

The American newspapers as usual are loudly proclaiming the deed as committed by the Mafia or Black Hand Society, since they have been told by an Italian barber and an Italian storekeeper that the Mafia really exists in Chicago. To give the lie to these two clowns who have so little consideration for the reputation of the Italian Colony in Chicago, we have called in representatives of the leading Chicago newspapers for a group interview on the subject of the Mafia.

This was Mr. Durante's reply to the Mafia question, in Chicago. "This fable of the Mafia is an unreasonable stupidity, an imbecility pure and simple. Every small quarrel between Italians gives rise to the cry of "Mafia." This organization does not now and never did exist.

Several of my reporters have been at the scene of the crime and through them, I have definitely established the fact that the shooting occurred because of women and money and that they were more than intoxicated.

If this had occurred between persons of other nationalities it would not have aroused the present furore. We Italians are becoming fed up with this continual chatter of the existence of a Mafia Society.

In one of the principal theaters of this city, a farce is presented every evening in which a popular comedian tries to show the public that a leading Italian statesman is the leader of the Mafia. In Saturday's issue of this paper, I have an article protesting against this outrage.

To make a long story short, the Mafia does not exist in Chicago, nor in Italy."