The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-13
nzHE BZACK. HAND"
a MERE. FICTION
LA Name Negra Had Its origin Spanish Political 1oye-
npent History of the Myth Which Has Cloaked MANY
Crimes and Which Is Still Used to Auye Victims
Of Estorti0nists in Eueyy Land.

The famous fiction of 1.-THE Black
Hand" which has spread more terror
and cloaked more crimes in the past
thirty years than any other name, has
bobbed up again, this time in New
York City, where, as told in T h e
j ourn a s dispatches last Monday,
the mysterious society was charged
with responsibility for the bomb
throwing which caused injury to TWEEN
ty persons. AS in many other in
stances in which the Black Hand
has been accused, the victims were
Italians, and the attack followed the
failure Of marked" men to pay trib-
ute to the strange, unknown men who
formed the band Of extortionists.
The men who receive the mysteri-
Gus, threatening letters directing them
to deposit in a specified, usually Sc
cluded spot, certain large sum Of
money or forfeit their lives, are
natives Of those southern countries Of
Europe, where LA Memo Negra" ("The
Black Handy is even more dreaded
than the Malta, as an organization of
cut-throats banded together and
shrinking from no means, however
desperate, in carrying out their fell
purposes. It is for this reason that
the subjects usually pay and keep
mum about it, firmly believing that a
horrible and certain death would fol-
low any open complaint or disobedi-
ence. Then after the first payment
comes a demand for second and
larger contribution to the society
whose name causes the average Ital-
ian to tremble with fear.
Death for the Informer.
Sometimes an italian, imbued with
the idea Of personal liberty which he
h h~ %Hr sIa< L
America, and relying upon the strong
arm Of the United States government
to protect him, timorously goes to the
police with his story. It frequently
happens that the informer's body is
found horribly rnangled In some
place so conspicuous the po-
lice are astounded by the dar-
ing of the murderers, and detectives
assigned to solve the mystery of the
crime and arrest the offenders take up
the task with fear and trembling and
pray silently for the repose Of their
souls while following clues that take
them abroad in the city or country at
night time, momentarily expecting the
mysterious hand to fall upon them.
s It was thus in New York this week
The society, by their threatenings,
per Little Italy"-the Italian colony
in the northern end Of Manhattan, for
weeks. Tribute was paid silently
The operations Of the band became
so extensive that the news spread, and
the unfortunate Italians were dis
GUESSING a means of protection against
gether in East; One Hundred Fifty
first street when the bomb was thrown
into their midst, bursting and MAIN
ing many.
Politics in IT,
Z. II these Italians had followed close
ly the trend Of events in their native
country and in Europe generally dur
ing the past few years, they would
have saved their thousands Of dollars
and spared themselves a great deal Of
worry and anxiety and perhaps the
tragedy of last. Monday. would have
been avoided. They would have
learned that no such organization as
was merely a fiction started for po-
litical purposes. The fact is this
phrase so terrifying must thank for its
artificial life a conspiracy on the part
of the Spanish police and high off,
Gals of the Spanish government of
thirty years ago.
The "Black Hand" was first heard
OF in 1874. In that year the news Of
an organization of criminals named
la Mano Negra" and having vast
ramifications had been discovered in
the south of Spain, made the rounds
of the European press. 1t was said
that the memb ers, in carrying out
Its purposes, robbed, murdered and
applied the torch in a most cruel and
merciless fashion, and that they could
be successfully dealt with only by the
most radical, repressfve methods
Wholesale imprisonments, numerous
death penalties and life sentences
were recommended.
The Fake Exposed.
In the past two years facts have
been brought to light which, it is
affirmed, show beyond doubt that this
was merely a false story circulated as
the first step in carrying out a pro-
gram, then mapped out, for the sup
preston of certain liberal and revolu-
tionary tendencies which had mani
tested themselves among labor or
CARNATIONS in Spain in 1874.
In that year Castelar's republic
went under and Alphonse XII,
father of the present youthful king,
was placed on the throne. This was
effected by a clever coup d'etat.
Social unrest all over the country re-
suited from the reactionary
measures Of the new government.
This unrest was especially prominent
in the southern province Of Andalusia,
where a famine had plunged into deep
distress the great working population,
who even In the most favorable years
suffered greatly under the injustice of
indolent land owners. Several cases
of violence that occurred occasioned
speech in the cortes by the late
Premier Sagasta, who recommended
- I.