The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-11

! know nothing, | swear by my OOd IN
heaven" she screamed. Il swear on the
sacred grave Of my mother; I know nothing
and will tell no more"
Mrs. Nicoleta Cspizzitta. who own a
grocery store ut 30 First avenue. received
two Black Hand letters In August OF Last
year demanding $500 under u threat OF
death. She sent "A clerk In her store with
the money to the appointed meeting place,
and the police. who had arranged the
plant. arrested the man who took the
money. In the police court the next
morning the Italian woman and her son
were anxious TO prosecute the case. but
II was adjourned for a day or two. When
II was next called Magistrate Breen wss
astounded at the change in the Capizzittas.
They we're trembling with fear and asked
To be allowed TO withdraw the case. They
admitted they were in fear Of their lives.
Not only that, but the chief witness in
the case, the clerk who had handed over
the money to the black handler. had dis
appeared. Mrs. Ca pizzitts and her son
declared they didn't know the clerk $
name. although no had worked for them for
q year.
THE MURDER OF A
The Black Hand criminals do not coniine
their threats to the witnesses alone. Judge
Robert Cortese Of Paterson, n. j., was fear
less in his crusade against the extortionists
in that city. He had received q number Of
warning letters and on February 8 last an
express package was delivered 1t his of1oe
He opened il and wal killed by the explo-
sion which followed His son also was
seriously injured by the Internal machine.
District Attorney David e. Boone OF Ham,
mond, Ind, was threatened with death
time and again when he was prosecuting
Black Handlers.
Your doom may not come to-day; It may
not come tomorrow, said the letters,
but az true as you live and God rules you
must suffer. II we can't get you we will get
you loved ones"
Threats of the same kind are being re-
ceived continually by District Attorney
Jerome and Police Commissioner Bingham.
1t has got to be such a common occurrence
with them that they pass over most Of the
letters without reading them.
ON FELLOW MEMBERS.
II -, however, in Furnishing members OF
their W band that the vengeance Of the
Italian Matchmaking organization il most
dreadful Murder after murder has turned
up in the Italian quarters Of this city in
which it 10 next to impossible to establish u
motive. On the body may be some mark
OF knife wound which will indicate TO the
initiated that the murdered man died to
satisfy the vengeance Of his fellow crimi-
nails. This was the case in the murder of
Benedetto Madonia-th barrel murder
and in the murder Of Giuseppe Catania
and the pedler, Meyer Weisbard, supposedly
by the same gang. Catania had a habit OF
getting drunk and talking too much. He
was found dead in a sack near his home
in Brooklyn. Weisbard had learned more
than it was good for him to know. He
was found dead on an East Side street.
All three-Weisbard. Catania and Madonna
were killed by the same peculiar dagger
thrusts through the neck.
Salvatore Sterlozza. a saloon keeper, was
shot to death on the night OF December II,
1905. His body was found lying beside a
table in his saloon in the morning. On the
table were the cards as he had left them
when his game Of solitaire had been inter-
rupted by death. In a direct line from the
table was a window. A piece Of glass had
been knocked out OF this window. One Of
the shutters was missing from the blind
and curiously enough the shutter was right
in front OF the hole, Only one thing might
balk an attempt to shoot the saloon keeper
from the window. and that was a door which
might be closed between him and the win
dow. A target had been drawn on this
door with a spot in the centre representing
Sterlozza's heart. A bullet which pierced
the door ut this chalk mark would bury
itself in the saloon keepers breast as he sat
at the table. When this diagram was being
ma mad ant ON tho I~or ana - Ar .u..I-.
ers must have sat at the table while a bead
was drawn from the window. The police
discovered in the basement of his saloon
a Black Hand meeting room. ..
The case OF Madonna is one oil the most
characteristic cases OF the Mafa's ven-
eance The Secret Service men saw Ma
donna enter a butcher shop on Elizabeth
street a few hours before he was killed.
This butcher shop was the headquarters
Of the band. The Secret Service agents
watched the proceedings inside from the
street. Madonna stood alone in the front of
the store. Other members OF the band
were in conference in the rear. L. has al
ways been the contention of the Secret
Service men hat Madonia's death was
being planned at that very conference.
sdonia may have known what was taking
ptdSc duu NC may HOt. AZ any RATE ne lett
the butcher shop about midnight with a
member OF the rang on each side OF him.
A few hours later his mutilated body was
found in the barrel.
SUICIDE OF A CHOSEN MURDERER.
The Secret Service have another instance
which they always cite to illustrate the
punishment which this organization metes
out 20 one Of its backsliding members.
Back in the early eos Antonio Flacomio. |
a member Of q Malta counterfeiting gang,
was suspected OF having given mp some
Of the bands secrets. A. a meeting OF
the band " a restaurant near Eighth street
Flacomio's death was decided upon, and |
two men. one of them Vincenzo Carasello,
were selected as the executioners. Elacomio |
had been Carasello's pal from boyhood
and al the last moment Carasello weak
ened and declared that he would sooner
kill himself. On the night after the meet
ing Flacomio was seen to leave the
restaurant in Third avenue arm in arm
with another Italian. Al Eighth street
and Fourth avenue Flacomio's companion
slipped a long knife from under his GOAT
.aI .I.anan1 IL snNA Lva-A-E- -. |