Evening journal., 1904-08-19
KIDNAPPED BOY
TELLS HIS STORY
Italian Boy Returns to Parents
After Ten Days.
THE LADS STORY OF HIS CAPTIVITY

Sought by New York Police In Cities
and Towns Of Three States, Missing
Youth Strangely Appears In the Dead
Of Night.
New York. Aug. 10-Antonio Manni-
no, the eight-year-old son of Giacomo
Mannino, a wealthy Italian contractor,
who was kidnapped by the BLACK
Hand" society, was returned at 1890
this morning to his home, GO Amity
street, Brooklyn. He was stolen from
the steps of the Amity street station
one week ago last Tuesday night, and
scores of detectives have sought him
in three states, their searches cover
ing many cities, towns and villages.
Ten days of worry resulted in the
prostration Of both father and mother
Of the boy. and they were under the
care Of physicians when Tony was
brought home by detectives.
Captain Rooney returned to the Ami
~ street police station soon after the
boy entered his home, but he refused
TO make statement until he had seen
the Mannlno family. Neither would
they tell how the boy had been re-
gained.
A cousin OF the boy said he found
him in the street three blocks from his
home, but the father and mother would
say nothing on this point
The Boys Story.
The boys story Of his capture and
return is substantially as follows;
con the night l was stolen away
from my parents l was taken down to
the ferry, and then we went a long
distance on the train, and finally came
to house which seemed to be in the
country, There ! stopped in a fiat
which had many rooms, and was oc-
cupied by man, woman and little
child. The child could talk just a lit
tie, and was about as tall as this lin
dicating the height of table,
II slept In bed with a man who
had chin whiskers The lady of the
place was very good to me. She wash
ed my clothes and gave me food to
eat and dolls to play with, and / also
1T was a very long house, and
lived on the top floor. think 1t was
in the country, as l was able to see
green trees all about"
The police asked him how he came
to be returned home. He said that at
about 10 o'clock last night, after he
had been asleep for a long time, he was
awakened and told that he could go
home. He said that two men took
him on the elevated train, or. as he ex-
pressed it, upstairs" train, and then to
the ferry. He said at first that the
men paid his fare and sent him over
alone, and afterward that they went
across with him and took him to a
/ street that led to Columbia.
Aroused by the lawless actions Of
those of their countrymen who particl-
pate in the crimes Of the BLACK
Hand" society and impatient that the
/ police Of the city have been unable to
bring them to Justice. lawabiding Ital-
ians of Manhattan and Brooklyn have
decided to take steps themselves to
crush the criminal societies. To this
I 'iA hANNAAiAN was AAtAQ uhutl Allt
auspices Of the Italian chamber of com
merce especially TO consider the kid
naping of Tony Mannino and at the
same time to devise ways and means
/ to deal with the criminals concerned
in the many attempts being made to
extOrt money from wealthy Italians
/ by threats Of death and dynamite.
The meeting was secret and was held
at 35 Broadway. What actually took
place was not made public.
The meeting was presided over by
Antonio yucca, president Of the Ital-
ian chamber of commerce He ad-
dressed his fellow members on the sub
ject of the stealing of the boy Manni-
no. Such acts of lawlessness, he said,
were not only blot on the city, but a
disgrace to the Italian race. He urged
that some action be taken to rid the
city of the criminals.