These societies and the unorganized criminal propensity and
atmosphere which they generate, are known as the "Mala Vita."
The Mafia, a purely Sicilian product, exerts a much more
obvious influence in America than the Camorra, since the Mafia
is powerful all over Sicily, while the Camorra is practically
confined to the city of Naples and its environs. The
Sicilians in America vastly outnumber the Neapolitans. Thus
in New York City for every one Camorrist you will find seven
or eight Mafiusi. But they are all essentially of a piece,
and the artificial distinction between them in Italy
disappears entirely in America.
Historically the Mafia burst from a soil fertilized by the
blood of martyred patriots, and represented the revolt of the
people against all forms of the tyrannous government of the
Bourbons; but the fact remains that, whatever its origin, the
Mafia to-day is a criminal organization, having, like the
Camorra, for its ultimate object blackmail and extortion. Its
lower ranks are recruited from the scum of Palermo, who,
combining extraordinary physical courage with the lowest type
of viciousness, generally live by the same means that supports
the East Side "cadet" in New York City, and who end either in
prison or on the dissecting-table, or gradually develop into
real Mafiusi and perhaps gain some influence.
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