| Very little is known about our
history prior to the arrival of this branch of the La Porta Clan
in the United States. Oral tradition says that in the early 1800s
our Great Grandfather, who may have been named "Salvatore"
lived in the region of Palermo, Sicily. Sometime, around 1805
one of his daughters was raped by a young man from a nearby village.
On his return from work his 18 year old son told him that he
had discovered who raped his sister. Great Grandfather Salvatore
and his son ran off towards the other village, each neighbor
that they passed asked what was wrong, and joined in to go to
confront the other family. As the crowd, now numbering 30 or
more, approached a common park they met the men from the offending
family. An riot ensued, and when the dust settled the rapist
and his father lay dead in the park. Great Grandfather and his
son sent the neighbors away and awaited the "Caberini".
They were arrested and sentanced to life in prison for the "murders"
that night. The prison was near a body of water surrounded by
waist high Sawgrass - and no fence. Most of the prisoners recognized
that trying to escape though the sawgrass could be very dangerous.
Our Great Grandfather's son tried after about five years in prison,
and was cut to ribbons by the sawgrass, brought back to the prison
yard by the guards and bled to death in front of his father.
Not long after Garibaldi brought about an amnesty and pardon
for all of Italy's and Sicily's prisoners. Instead of returning
to his family in Palermo he set off to Messina, where he established
our branch of the family. We do not know the names of his siblings
or his parents. Part of our quest is to find the answers to this
mystery and to confirm this legend. |
