Joseph P. Macheca
Joseph Macheca was a fruit importer who was held at the Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans while awaiting trial. On March 14, 1891, a mob broke into the prison, took him from the building and killed him along with others held there. Accounts differ on how the men were killed: one says the mob beat and shot them inside the prison, and another says some were shot and others hanged. The coroner's verdict was that the men died at the hands of unknown parties, and the Oskaloosa Herald reported that the sheriff was not at the prison when the mob arrived. The Law Library of Louisiana account says police did nothing to stop the mob, and Britannica reports that no one was ever prosecuted for the killings.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob broke into the New Orleans parish prison, took Macheca out and killed him, and the coroner ruled that the men died at the hands of unknown parties.
Reported by: Coroner Lemoniere (medical examiner or coroner); Evening Journal and Ellsworth American newspaper accounts (reporters); Italian American meeting at Cooper Union, New York (advocates).
Sources (9)
- Mass Lynching of Italian-Americans
- Evening Journal, March 14, 1891, page 2
- Watertown Republican, March 18, 1891, page 3
- The Oskaloosa Herald, March 19, 1891, page 4
- Ellsworth American, March 26, 1891, page 1
- The Laurens Advertiser, March 31, 1891, page 4
- The Big Stone Post, April 10, 1891, page 1
- Laredo Weekly Times, March 16, 1919, page 2
- New Orleans lynching of 1891