“Your Excellency, you have carte blanche (full authorization). The authority of the state must be restored in Sicily, unequivocally, I repeat unequivocally. If the existing laws hinder you, that will not be a problem, as we will draft new laws.”

Cover photo: The first visit of Mussolini to Syracuse in 1924. Source: Photographic Historical Archive ‘Siracusa era’.

This characteristic telegram from Mussolini in 1924 to the “Iron Prefect” Cesare Mori revealed, if anything, the unwavering trust he had in the abilities of this methodical man against the forces of the Mafia. Mori had demonstrated his capabilities 15 years earlier when the Palermo Prosecutor General stated, “Finally, we have a man in Trapani who does not hesitate to strike the Mafia wherever it goes. Unfortunately, he always has against him the so-called ‘parliamentarians of theft’…”

Decorated with two silver medals for military bravery, Mori knew precisely what the Mafia represented, what intrigues it had within legal authority, and how to confront it. In 1917, when newspapers spoke of a “Deadly blow to the Mafia” with a barrage of 300 arrests, Mori told one of his associates, “They still haven’t understood that thieves and the Mafia are two different things. We have struck the former, who undoubtedly represent the most visible aspect of Sicilian crime but not the most dangerous. The real deadly blow to the Mafia will come when we are allowed to investigate not only among the prickly pear fields but also in the police headquarters, in the grand mansions, and, why not, in some ministry.”

The war against the Mafia began in 1924 with a quite cinematic scene. Mussolini had visited Sicily in May 1924 and passed through Piana dei Greci, where he was welcomed by the mayor and Mafia boss Francesco Cuccia. At some point, Cuccia expressed surprise at Mussolini’s police escort and whispered in his ear, “You are with me, you are under my protection. What do you need all these cops for?” After Mussolini rejected the offer of protection, Cuccia, feeling scorned, instructed the townspeople not to attend Mussolini’s speech, and only 20 beggars showed up. However, Mussolini, the fervent “Duce,” had not uttered his last word and enlisted the right man.

From 1925, Cesare began a relentless war against the Mafia. “After my long study of the problem of public safety in relation to Sicily and with my knowledge of the changes which the War had made in the mental evolution of the people, I had become convinced that other methods must be tried. The secret of success lay, I felt sure, in the heart of the Sicilians: but they would give their hearts only to those who could understand and take them at their proper value.” The campaign led by Prefect Mori against the feudal mafia lasted several months, culminating in a decisive crackdown on the Madonie region. He famously likened it to ‘a picturesque mountain enclave, akin to a Mediterranean version of Switzerland, under the sway of brigands.’ Entrenched with mafia ties, these criminals wielded immense power, controlling public administration, tax collection, contract awards, and even meddling in personal affairs like inheritance disputes and marriages. There were 130 armed fugitives present in the Madonie, polarized around three small groups, led by the bandits Andaloro, Ferrarello, Dino, and others of lesser importance.

The conclusion unfolded on the night of January 1st to 2nd, 1926, as Gangi found itself encircled by an 800-strong force comprising carabinieri, police officers, and members of the fascist militia, all under the command of Commissioner Francesco Spanò. Simultaneously, the homes and properties of the mafia affiliates and their kin were meticulously searched. A telegram from December 3, 1925, revealed that the siege of Gangi, labeled a law enforcement operation, had been meticulously planned for over a month. It underscored the imminent need to thoroughly cleanse Gangi and its neighboring areas of resistance, known as havens for dangerous elements and subversive activities.The methods used during this action were particularly harsh, and Mori did not hesitate to use women and children as hostages to force the criminals to surrender. He was nicknamed the “Iron Prefect” precisely because of the severity of the methods used. In 1927, he arrested and sentenced Vito Cascio Ferro to life imprisonment, the boss of the Sicilian and American Mafia.

Mori understood the foundation of the Mafia’s power. To defeat the phenomenon, he considered it necessary “to forge a direct bond between the population and the fascist state, to cancel the mediation system by which citizens could approach the authorities only through an intermediary, receiving as a favor what was due to them as their right.” Mori’s methods were sometimes similar to those of the Mafia. He not only arrested thieves and Mafiosi but also tried to humiliate them. And he succeeded. If he could demonstrate that a strong central authority could not only compete with the Mafia but literally eradicate it, people would see that the Mafia was not their only choice for protection.

In 1929, Cesare’s work could be considered complete with the undeniable victory of the new state over the Mafia. Historians agree on the interpretation of a repression unprecedented in the history of the Mafia and which, to this day, has no similar extent since World War II. The later senator Mori ceased to live at 5:00 on July 5, 1942, two days after signing the last resolution of the Consortium he led.

Sources:

C. More, The Last Struggle With The Mafia, 1933.

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