Murder - Passion
Book Report - "The Trials of Maria Barbella"

Here is a report on a fascinating book written by Idanna Pucci.  This true story is about the infamous Maria Barbella, who in 1895 slit her lover's throat and was sentenced to be the first woman to be executed in the newly invented electric chair.  She is rescued by a wealthy Italian countess, however, and the story delivers a healthy dose of Italian culture and immigrant history.  

Those of you who have read my book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500", know the importance I place on history and culture in the practice of Italian genealogy.  Idanna's book is loaded with both.  I highly recommend reading her masterful story.  It should be available at your local library.

Here is my review of this book. 

The Trials of Maria Barbella by Idanna Pucci

I first discovered Maria Barbella several years ago. I had just googled my name, in search of potential family members, and to my surprise, several of the top search engine hits had to do with this woman, Maria Barbella (see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Barbella). I quickly learned that she was the first woman to be sentenced to die in the recently invented electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, NY.

All of a sudden, I thought I had discovered just why it was that my own Mom and Dad never talked about the Barbella family to their children.

Some months later I learned about Idanna Pucci's book, The Trials of Maria Barbella. I couldn't wait to get a copy from the local library. When the book finally came, I was treated to much more than a story about the Barbella family. Indeed, Idanna captured not only the story, but a vivid picture of the conditions in which our immigrant relatives lived at the turn of the 20^th century.

In telling this story, Idanna Pucci bridges the rich and the poor; she takes us from 1890s New York to Italy; she details how Italians clung to their beliefs here in the USA. She tells the story, not only of Maria Barbella, but of her own great grandmother, the American born Countess Cora Slocomb di Brazza.

Maria Barbella had immigrated to America with her parents in the late 1800s. Like most immigrant families, the Barbellas were poor, and all had to work to eke out their meager existence. Maria was a seamstress, and unfortunately got herself mixed up with the local shoe shine man, Domenico Cataldo.

Domenico seduced Maria, but promised to marry her shortly. Little did Maria know that Domenico's wife and children were still living in Italy. When it became evident that Domenico had no intention of marrying her, a wall of shame surrounded and stiffled her. She took a razor from Domenico's apartment and went to the bar where he was playing cards. She slit his throat and rather than watch him slowly die, she calmly returned to the apartment.

Maria was arrested tried and convicted.

Artist rendition of Maria Barbella

Meanwhile in Italy, the Countess di Brazza read newspaper accounts of the trial with uncommon interest. When Maria was found guilty and sentenced to die in the electric chair, the Countess took action. She sympathized with Maria. She intuitively realized that Maria's inability to speak English was working against her. Cora Slocomb sailed to New York, and she used her money and considerable influence to force a retrial.

I will let you read the book to determine the outcome of that second trial.

I learned many things from reading this book. I learned about the conditions our ancestors lived in. I learned about the enormous obstacle illiteracy posed these pioneers of our heritage. I gained insight into the “Italian mindset”, and Italian customs and traditions. I found this book so satisfying that I purchased several copies, and handed them out to my cousins.

I highly recommend this book. I believe you will enjoy the story.

Peter Barbella (@figliodiSassano)

Postnote:  The book explains that Maria and her family came from the small town of Ferandino, in Southern Italy.  It is some 50 kilometers east of Sassano, where my great grandfather was born.   One of my goals, for a future date, will be tracing our families to see if there is a connection.  It will be a difficult task, but the Barbella name is fairly uncommon, and you never know.  Thanks for reading.

Off The AutoStrada

Now that we have completed the excerpts from my book, "1800 Kilometers in a Fiat 500", this blog will concentrate more on things Italian; the country, the people, the history, the culture and Italian genealogy.  Enjoy this episode, a ride through the countryside in the mezzogiorno.

Many of Italy's roads are similar to American roads.  The AutoStradas are wonderful and the highways are quite acceptable.  The country roads are something else.

We present, here, a video of the back road from the commune of Padula to the commune of Sassano.  Here's how we came to this road.

We had spent a few hours at the Museum of Surnames in Padula, Salerno, Campania, Italy.  This surprising find was tucked away in a most implausible location in the old part of Padula, another hillside commune.  There we found one of Italy's most enthusiastic genealogists, Michele Cartusciello.

We left the museum and made a very short visit to a monastery, San Lorenzo.  Because we were short on time, we did not do the monastery justice.  So we got in the Fiat and drove back to Sassano.

Monastery of San Lorenzo - Padula, Salerno, Campania

Driving through the countryside is not like anything I have experienced in good old "Stati Uniti".  First off, the dirt road was barely wide enough for one car.   You felt as though you could reach out your window and knock on the doors of the farmhouses we passed.  There were loose animals everywhere.  It was quite an experience.  Press the play button and see for yourself.





Listen to the soothing hum of the Fiat's diesel engine and watch all those farmhouses go by.

Buona Salute a tutti




#genealogy   #Italy    #Mezzogiorno