Joseph Macheca
Named in 1890-91 records as one of the nine tried for the Hennessy killing, acquitted by a unanimous jury on 13 March 1891, and listed among the eleven killed at the Parish Prison on 14 March; the papers' claim that he headed a society was a prosecution theory not proved in court.
- Died
- 1891-03-14
- Aliases
- Joseph Maccheca / 'Mache(c)a' (OCR variants)
- Rights
- Biography on this page is limited to what the cited federal records state.
On the record
- 15 December 1890 — The registration abstract lists "Joseph Macheca, registered No. 1462, Third precinct, Fifth ward, October 6, 1888 ... Born in Louisiana" (FRUS 1891, Document 613).
- 14 March 1891 — The Sun's dispatch of 13 March said the jury had been unanimous for acquittal as to Macheca.
- 15 March 1891 — The Sun reported that the coroner described him as a native of New Orleans of Maltese descent, brother of John and Michael Macheca, owner of a steamship company, and "charged with being the head" of the group accused of ordering the killing, and that he was among the eleven killed at the Parish Prison on 14 March. The Sun's OCR is poor on these lines.
The date of death comes from the newspaper accounts of 14 March 1891. The allegation that he was the head of a group that ordered Hennessy’s killing is the paper’s report of what he was charged with, and the jury acquitted him; this page does not adopt it. No role is entered. The newspaper pages cited quote the papers’ own approving framing of the killings; it is not endorsed here.
Records
itemList of those who were registered as voters, Supervisor of Registration, Parish of Orleans, 15-16 December 1890 (FRUS 1891, Document 613)A certified abstract of voter-registration records for ten of the Italians charged in the Hennessy case, plus a separate certificate for Salvador Coscenso, sent to Washington by the U.S. Attorney. It gives each man's registration number, precinct and, where stated, naturalization or declaration of intention.
clippingThe Sun (New York), 14 March 1891, page 1: Enraged at Their VerdictA dispatch of 13 March reports the jury's verdict in the case of nine Italians accused of killing Chief Hennessy: not guilty as to six, no agreement as to three, with the crowd denouncing the jury and secret meetings at which lynching was 'openly advocated.'
clippingThe Sun (New York), 15 March 1891, page 1: lynching of eleven prisoners in the New Orleans jailFront-page report dated New Orleans, 14 March, that a mob 'led by lawyers and merchants' killed eleven of the nineteen Italians charged with the murder of Chief Hennessy; the deck headlines state that the action was approved by the leading exchanges.
clippingThe Sun (New York), 15 March 1891, page 2: The slaughter at the prisonPage 2 of the New York Sun of 15 March 1891, continuing its report from New Orleans of the armed mob that broke into the Parish Prison and shot prisoners held in the Hennessy case.
clippingThe Sun (New York), 14 March 1891, page 1: Enraged at Their VerdictA dispatch of 13 March reports the jury's verdict in the case of nine Italians accused of killing Chief Hennessy: not guilty as to six, no agreement as to three, with the crowd denouncing the jury and secret meetings at which lynching was 'openly advocated.'clippingThe Sun (New York), 15 March 1891, page 1: lynching of eleven prisoners in the New Orleans jailFront-page report dated New Orleans, 14 March, that a mob 'led by lawyers and merchants' killed eleven of the nineteen Italians charged with the murder of Chief Hennessy; the deck headlines state that the action was approved by the leading exchanges.clippingThe Sun (New York), 15 March 1891, page 2: The slaughter at the prisonPage 2 of the New York Sun of 15 March 1891, continuing its report from New Orleans of the armed mob that broke into the Parish Prison and shot prisoners held in the Hennessy case.