The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-07-29
Criminals Safe
If They Reached
"HeIltown'
NEST or BRIGAN0S RAIDED
BY OFFICERS

=
NEW CASTLE, Pa, July 2s.-After
working for months, spending thou
sands of dollars and spreading a drag
net that has caught men In four
States, the United States Steel Cor
poratlon has rounded up what officers
say is the worst gang Of the Black
Hand in the country. Dozens Of ar
rests have been made and men are
in jail in New Castle. Pa; Youngs
town, Ohio; South Sharon, Pa; Plain
field, N. j., and Rochester, N. Y. A
dozen murders in the Mahonlng and
shanango valleys in the last couple
of years are attributed to the band
None can be traced definitely, except
one, said to have been committed by
a boy of 10, who, the police say
boasts Of being a member Of the Black
Hand.
The coup is due to the efforts ol
County Detective Creighton C. Logan
Of Lawrence county, Chief W, w. Nc
Dowell, Of Youngstown and detective;
employed by the steel corporation
While dozens of arrests have beer
made and more are contemplated, bul
few of those under arrest are believes
to be real Black HanG men. The 9th
ers are men who, under threats oI
death, have Joined the gang. These
were merely tools, although they par
ticlpated in the work, they received
little of the proceeds.
The roundup reads like a novel. ONLY
the most careful work brought the
cases to a successful close. The ban(
was firmly entrenched, and having
worked unmolested for years was it
position to scare at the first alarm. Fol
headquarters It picked HIIlsvllIe, a
quarry town in Lawrence county, {
few miles west Of New Castle. Here
are located the immense quarries o
the Johnston Limestone Company
really a branch of the United State.
Steel Corporation, supplying its fur
naces in the Mahoning and shenangt
valleys with limestone.
Something Of "HeIltown."
Hlllsvills locally is known as "Hell
town" because of the unenyfabIe rep
utatlon 1t has borne. It is a typical
place for a nest Of brigands The quar-
rles, full of caverns, afford hiding
places that could be searched for q
week without result.
Roundabout is a wooded country
almost impenetrable. From tho
heights on which the town stands the
smoke from the furnaces in New Gas
tie, Youngstown and Sharon can be
seen. From this base the Black Hand
conducted It's campaigns, levying trlb
ute on industrious Italians in the quar-
rles and mills in the vaneys below. A
fugitive from justice was as safe In
"Helltown" as in the moon.
Few officers cared to'rfsk their lives
going after the outlaws Occasionally
when a strike occurred in the quarrles
a few deputy sherltfs would go to the
place, but they usually were glad
when the trouble was ended. It was
against this stronghold the campaign
was conducted. - ! s.. ..A-+-ir,
AS a preliminary the Legislature Of
Pennsylvania was appealed to. To
stamp out eftectqally all traces Of the
outlaws bill was introduced making
It felony, punishable by 20 years i'm.
prlsonment, to InHmidate or black
mail. Labor unions saw a chance for
men doing picket duty TO be sent up
for long terms Of imprisonment and
had the bill defeated. Then detec.
ttves were started after the gang.
Some went to Italy and came back as
immigrants, going to Htllsvllle, where
they worked with the Black Hand
members. Every possible chance 10
get something definite was tried. Vic.
Tins were plenty, but fear kept them
quiet, Months were spent in gather,
ing evidence, and still there was little
on which to base arrests. The local
police aided greatly and suggested
ways and means to the strange detec.
tlves without the plans becoming
known.