The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-14
SHOT BLACK HAND MAN DEAD.
YOCNG ITALIAN SAYS BE WAS m
FEAR FOR HIS LIFE.
Notorious Biackmailer Demanded ssOO
From Calabrian- 1t Was Money saved
90 Bring VIE and ChiId From Italy
Murder I'm Midst or Mott 81. Crowd.

The puehcart business at Grand and Mott
streets was at its height at 10 O'Clock yester-
day morning a long line Of bewhiskered
pedlers jabbering their bargains, hundreds
OF women chattering. and innumerable
children falling over one another-when a
shot rang out just behind old Nicolo's
stand, and then a second one.
Ayoung Italian, swsrthy but bright look
ing, stood with a smoking revolver In his
hand, his eyes following the staggering
figure OF a middle aged man, also an Italian,
whose hands we're clutohing a crimson
spot over his heart. The injured man stag
gered out among the pushoarts and sank
down on the car track dead. The murderer
ran down Mott street.
IL was several seconds before the ousy
throng realized the tragedy, then there was
CONSERVATION. The women screamed, the
children cried. and the men raised their
voices in oud shouts Of Murder" The
murderer had gone hardly a block Then a
passerby tripped him and Policeman Wilson
Of the Charles street station house landed
on top Of him.
The young Italian became very calm and
self-possessed after he was arrested. Sal
he:
Yes, ] did it. hope it will be so with all
Black Hand men. The man I killed was
a Black Hand man.
At the Mulberry street station house the
prisoner said he was Enrico Pavone, a
stenographer. and that he lived at 1927 Hester
street. He had come to this country from
the town OF Catanzaro, in the province Of
Calabria, Italy, where he has a beautiful
young wife and a baby waiting to come to
him in this country. 1t was this man, this
son of the devil, he said, who would have
deprived him Of his happiness, who would
have made him hand over the money that
he had saved to pay the passage Of his
loved ones.
The Black Ha nd man, the prisoner said
was Munziato Legato. He met Legato
three days g in a Mott street cafe where
he, Pavone, vas working as manager.
Legato, he declared, said TO him:
la Mano Nero the Black Hand) has
decreed that you shall pay me $500. Meet
me on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock at Mott
and Grand streets with the money"
Pavone said thai he had told Legato before
thisd emand was made that he had saved ND
enough money to bring his wife and child
to this country. The young Italian said
that he went to the appointed place with a
revolver under his coat. He told the police
that he met J egato there; that he showed
him q roll of SIS. which was all ne had with
Ht'tF "to NfhhN ~ dNc Ntti EiItaNFlIcl IIlI1
with the vengeance OF the Black Hand.
Payone said that Iegato made a move as il
to whip out his revolver, and he pulled and
fired in fear for his life.
L could not help it,, said he, Struggling
his shoulders az he glanced down at the
tarpaulin which covered the body; Il
could not help it. | thought he was going
to draw on me, so ] protected my elf"
Pavone said that Legato lived in White
Plains, but the police are inclined TO believe
that he hung out most Of the time around
a well known Hester street resort. Legato
was known to the police, and Coroner Acri-
tell recognized him as having been a wit
Ness before him at an inquest into the
death of an Italian named G~arofano, who
was shot and killed at Mulberry and Hester
streets on October II. The Coroner said
Legato was a member of a we'll known
Black Hand gang and also knew a good
deal about the haunts of Italian counter
feiters.
Pavone couldn't explain 20 the police
why he had not come TO them for help,
except that he thought Petrosino and the
other Italian detectives had 40 many cases
on their hands that they wouldn't nave
time to attend to his
A revolver was found in the dead Italians
pocket