The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-09-07
BIACk HAND REIGN OF
TERROR CONTINUES

, at the appointed time with $1,000. your
house and all in il. will be blown up.
This is the last.waining
The merchant had the courage TO
turn the letter over to the police.
The police are looking for swarthV
Italian named Vito laducco. whom
they allege is one Of the leaders of the
society. 1t is the statement OF witness
SEES that the kidnapped boy was last
seen being led 10y the hand by Lrducco.
Several months ago an obscure though
hard working and reputable ltalIln
was found murdered in barrel on IN
East-side street.
A threatening letter. bearing the
dreaded mark of the Black Hand. was
found in Il pocket of his clothes. tie
had been stabbed to death. At that
time I.adueeo and several of his asso-
GATES were arrested fer completely in
the CRIME. Because OF insufficient evil
dence. they were released and the mys-
terry Of the murder has never been SOL
we'd
AT the hearing in this case, the Ital-
ians under arrest maintained an abso-
lutte silence and neither threat nor
coaXing could induce them to speak Of
the murder.
The home OF an Italian contractor in
Brooklyn was partially wrecked by n
bomb, some months ago. and the police
believe this was the work of the Black
Hand. though the contractor was too
scared to make any statement.
An Italian named Angelica Cucozza is
now under arrest in the kidnapping case.
When Cucozza was locked up he re-
fused to make astatement. The police
treated the fellow roughly and tried to
frighten him with a third degree exam
nation. Cucoz.a sneered. That night
the police told Cucozza that they in
tended to kill him if he did not tell
where the boy was, and when he made
no reply they turned the lights down
in his cell and before the door of the
cell built the crude gallows. When
they began to adjust the ropes, Cue
ozza, terror stricken. admitted that he
had enticed the boy away from his
home for money which had been given
to him by several Italians. He said he
took the boy % a house on 34th street
and that was all he knew about 1t.
The police believe this, and say he was
merely the dupe of the real kidnapers.
A rumor was started that the boy
was in a cave in deserted stone quar-
ry in Hoboken. This place was sur
rounded by armed police, but it was
found untenanted.
Letters in the boys handwriting
were received hy his parents, in which
he said that if his father did not give
up the money he was sure the men
would kill him. He said he was con-
fined in a small room and feared hour
ly that he would be murdered.
The boy was stolen the day following
the receipt of a warning letter in which
money was demanded. When the kid,
napers learned that the police had
been informed, they demanded Man
| nino take the case out of the hands If
the police and poy $4,000, or on pam
of refusal the lad would be murdered.
The Black Hand society is not con-
fined to New York. for crimes which
bear the earmarks have been uncov-
cred in a number of places east of the
Mississippi within recent months.
On account of the great influx of for
eigners to these shores, induced by the
transatlantic rate war, the government
officials are keeping close watch on
immigrants arriving here to prevent
the landing of that class of desperadoes
who compose the Black Hand or Malta.