The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-13
ITALIAN EDITOR SHOT IN BID.
UAD GOT TWO LETTERS DEMAND
ING MONEY, HE SAYS.

u,u Own Pistol Used--Builet Just P1Oughod
Throuwh Skln-9on Tells OF Threat
IN RioW Up once Of 'n MeSsagier0
Eoid,-PoiiCe Completely Puzzled.
Doniniok Mollico, the editor and owner
n, a eemi-monthly Italian newspaper called
II Hessdgiero Eolio, was shot about 4 O'CLOCK
Yesterday morning willie lying in bed In
The rear OF his printing shop in the base
n,snt of AIS East Fourteenth street, lie
and his family say he il a Black Hand VIC
TIN. u.
The person who shot him used Mollioo's
own revolver, whoih had been left on the
montelpiece in the bedroom. The wound
was pretty nearly parallel to the backbone
and the bullet simply ~ploughed its way
under the skin Of the abdomen for about
, four inches. No physician was called until
@ o'clock and the neighbors in the house
were not alarmed over the alleged attempt
at murder. Mollico's injury is not serious
Nollico is not we'll to do. He was born
on one of the seven Lipari islands, or hohan
yroup, and his little newspaper, WHOM
contains news Of the old home, Is sold
chiefly to former residents OF the islands
II has a small circulation and Mollioo has
n family consisting Of himself and his VIE
,nnetta, a son, Zaccherio, and two smaller
boys and a girl.
There are four rooms in the
which he occupies. The first one il ms
Office, and in it are his types and two SINAI
hand presses. The next two rooms arc
living apartments, one OF which IL the peo-
room for the smaller children. Inc last
room, opening out on the yard mas been
used as a bedroom by Mollico and his wlle
and their eldest son, who is II. A door
opens from one corner OF this room INTO
fine hallway of the double tenement mouse
and there is another door opening into the
yard.
On February 10, the family say, Molllco
received a letter written in Italian ana
signed "Desperadoes," which said;
If YOU don't give $500 to a man with a
red handkerchief about his neck who will
meet you tonight at nth street and Ihird
avenue we will blow up your store.
Mollico says he paid no attention to the
letter. On February IS he got another
this ore enclosed in a black bordered en-.
yelope, which repeated the threats and
demanded 81, 600. This time the money
was to be delivered to a man at Crotona
Park. The letter said:
Unless you pay this money we Will fix
YOU. Beware!'
On February 2l his son Zaccherio, who
attends the De Witt Clinton High School;
was accosted at Fifty-eighth street and
Ninth avenue on his wa home from school
BY two Italians, who said to him;
We sent a letter to your father the OF her
day demanding 81 900. You tell him that
unless he pays that money tonight we VIII
blow up his shop and will also fix him
The boy says he was frightened, but made
no reply and the man left him. No more
threats we're received. On Sunday night
Mollico went out to spend the evening witt
friends. The eldest son went to bed at
10 o'clock. His mother asked him where
the revolver was that had been kept loaded
in the room on the mantel ever since the
letters were received. The boy says hi
got the weapon and put II in the usual place
He asserts that he then locked and boltec
the door that opens on the yard from tn
hall and also the door leading from TN
sleeping room into the hall.
Mollico got home an hour later and he
and his wife went to bed. About 4 o'ciocl
the family was awakened by a pistol shot
Tit boy and his mother jumped out Of BED
Mollico lay grooming and said he had beer
shot. The boy says that both back door
were open, the bolts having been draw
back and the locks having been turned Will
a key.
forced the doors. The boy also says the
front Goor was opsn and that he ran to 4
and saw a man running away westward OF
Fourteenth street. The revolver lay on tn!
floor close to his fathers SIZE OF tne oeo
One chamber of it had been discharged.
II was not until o o'clock that DR.. Maglion'
Of 3l6 East Fourteenth street was called IN
He had Patrolman Giblin notified, and wor'
was sent to the East Twenty-second stree
polica station. Capt. Hussey and two O
his detectives went on the job at once an
Police Headquarters also sent a man up.
The police could get no clue to the az
s%ailsnts. The family theory was that tn
intruder stood a short distance away fror
Molico and shot him le%ngthwise, after haN
ing taken the revolver from the mantle
To do that he would have had to resc
mattress stretched out on chairs. Mo
leo will be about in a day or two. Cap
Hissay says he is completely puzzled b
tho Tnsa