The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-03
Exploded in Front Of Bank
Room Where Society
Was Meeting.
BLACK HAND SUSPECTED
Panic in New York Tenement
Tenants Reticent, but Police
Think Effort Was Made to
Get Revenge members Of
Organization in Session.

NEW YORK, Dec. 3--Several hum
dred persons living in the vicinity of
the flve-story tenement house at 502
East Fourteenth street were badly
frightened early today when a bomb
that probably contained six pounds of
nitro glycerine was exploded directly
in front of the building. No one was
injured, but a big show window on the
ground floor was blown out, the house
was shaken and several tenants were
thrown from their beds. An instant
later the streets in the vicinity were
filled with half-clad men, women and
children.
At the time of the explosion a meet
ing of the St. Bartholomew Society, an
Italian benevolent organization, was
being held in the banking offices of c.
Albanese g. Company On the ground
floor of the building. Members of the
society were thrown from their chairs
by the corcussion. The explosion tore
a hole in the brick wall of the build
ing large enough for man to walk
through.
For half an hour the street in front of
the building was filled with excited for
eigners, and only after the reserves
from the East Fifth street police sta
tion had been reinforced by more men
were they able to induce them to return
to their homes.
The bomb was exploded under the
window of a confectionery and bakery
of Saboval Lapuma, who lives in the
tenement with his wife and six chill
dren. ~
The bakery and banking office occupy
an entire one-story extension, built In
front of the tenement house, facing the
street. So far as can be learned by the
police. neither the banker nor Lapuma
received my blackmail letter, but both
appeared to be very nervous after the
explosion and refused to make any
statement.
The decoration, followed by the crash
of falling glass, aroused every tenant
in the six-story tenement house, as well
as those in adjoining houses, and,
screaming with fright, they rushed into
the street in night attire.
Policeman Lawton, of the East Fifth
street station, had heard the explosion
two blocks away and rushed to- the
scene, but by the time he arrived all
the Italians living in the building had
gained the safety of the street.
Many of the women had carried their
youngest children to the sidewalk and,
fearing that fire would follow the ex-
plosion, rushed back into the tenement
to obtain their belongings. by the time
the reserves from the East Fifth street
police station arrived, the pavement
cfdao Of tho cfrant T1fla1
high with furniture, bedding and cloth
ing. Excited Italians from the adjoin
ing tenements added their cries to
those from the building where the bomb
had been exploded, and more police
were sent for to help clear the street.
Word was also telephoned to the Ital-
ian branch of the detective bureau, and
Lieutenant Petrosini and his aid, Trab-
bucia, were soon. on the scene. From
the way the bomb had injured the wall
of the extension both the Italian po-
licemen said there was no doubt 1t was
not a bomb that had been set off with
a time fuse and illuminate cap but
one that had been thrown by some
one from the far side of the street.
After the Italians had been induced
to return to their homes and order
was restored. the detectives had a talk
with Lapuma, the owner of the bakery
demolised by the explosion. The man
denied that he had ever received any
Black Hand letters, but according to
the police he appeared very frightened
and refused to talk at any length.
BY some it is believed that the bomb
was really intended for the officers of
the italian society by some person
whom they had refused to make a
member or in some other way incurred
his enmity.