The Crescent City Lynchings: The Murder of Chief Hennessy, the New Orleans "Mafia" Trials, and the Parish Prison Mob (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The court appearances of immigrant Italians for the 1890 murder of New Orleans police chief David Hennessy was the first organized crime trial to capture worldwide attention. Though it is now a household term, the word "mafia" wasn't a part of the American lexicon till the acquittal of half of the 19 defendants in the case that led to a mob lynching of 11 Italians, nine of whom had been found not guilty and two who had yet to be tried. The lynchings—the largest mass lynching in American history—not only caused great tensions between Italy and the U.S., but the trial itself left a stigma on Italian-Americans that has lasted to the present day. Freelance reporter Smith digs deep into the Big Easy's murky past to uncover the underlying connections between the compromised police force, the battling Italian dockworkers' syndicates and the city's corrupt political factions that made New Orleans' legal system ineffective in the simplest of cases. Quoting heavily from newspaper accounts, Smith is able to bring a local and timely flavor to his otherwise straightforward account of Hennessy's life, the murder and its spiderweb of repercussions. The sensational nature of the case certainly lends itself to conspiracy theories, but Smith stays unbiased, allowing his readers to use the facts to come to their own conclusions. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

New Orleans has more myths than most cities, and still, the truth is sometimes more astounding than the myth. Smith dissects the notorious 1890 lynchings that introduced the term Mafia to Americans. Myth has it that an upstanding Irish police chief was killed in a conflict between rival Italian gangs, and that when the murderers were acquitted amid allegations of jury tampering, a righteously indignant barrister orated a mob into a frenzy that culminated in the acquitted being yanked from the Orleans Parish Prison and lynched. The incident mushroomed into the recalling of the Italian ambassador to the U.S. Smith discloses a much more complicated story of interconnected, international events followed by promulgation of a sugarcoated version of what happened that glossed over massive political and police corruption for generations. And this in New Orleans! In telling the story of Chief Hennessy's murder, Smith reveals the history that paved the way for Huey Long, Carlos Marcello, Edwin Edwards, and associates in Louisiana's piquant political culture. A rich, insightful slice of Americana. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592289010
• ISBN-13: 978-1592289011
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #838,145 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Crescent City Lynchings, February 23, 2007

By	Sweet Bess (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

Say New Orleans and one thinks Mardi Gras, wash-board music, unique American cuisine and most recenetly the destruction wrought by hurricane Katrina. As many of New Orleans' citizens feel forgotten and remain in residential limbo, this historical book focuses on a lost but eminently interesting and important story in American history.

Toward the end of the last century the Irish-American chief of Police, David Hennessy, was shot, claiming "the dagos" did it. The chief took a long time to die, during which time he thought mostly of his dear mother and reassuring those who depended on him that he would recover. Ultimately 19 Italian men were indicted for Hennessey's murder. The verdict did not make the non-Italian citizens of New Orleans happy. The prisoners, however, did not go free, they were lynched by a mob of their fellow New Orleans residents. The incident, which has all but disappeared from American History, in its time brought the United States to the brink of war with Italy.

Author Tom Smith's research is impeccable and deep, making sense out of the many layers of New Orleans society and justice. Smith's thorough, detailed research is almost eclipsed by his style of writing. Smith's use of intensely personal historoical detail pulls emotional reaction from the reader almost without the reader's being aware of this reaction as it begins. Our emotions are conflicted just as histories and view points conflict. Without taking side Mr. Smith gives an elegant and at the same time a very exciting experience.

One must take notice among the list of people he thanks, the New Orleans city librarians who now live in a city without a libraby. "The Crescent City Lynchings" reveals how essential a library is to the preservation of city archives in the unique, mysterious, colorful character of New Orleans.

I reccommend this book without reservation to those who like period stories of American history, true crime, emotionally involving characters , surprising "plot" twists: to all who enjoy excellent writing and an engrossing read.

Sweet Bess

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Crescent City Lynchings, March 11, 2007

By	Kevin StClair "StFlam" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent story, incredibly well told. The author obviously did painstakingly thorough research..

highly recommended.....

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who killa da chief?, September 24, 2007

By	Harry S. Hardin III - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have heard about this all my life and have friends who are descendents of the actors. If this is good scholarship and not historical factoid-fiction, it is worth the read.