Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-12
VERY DESPERATE GANG.
Black Hands Anarchistic Plans
and Devilish Methods.

BALL lhORE. Dece mher IS.-FoT many
years menace and terror to the prosper
Gus Italian citizen of the United States, 1
| the Black Hand Society still thrives. while
the police departments of the entire coun-
| try have been unable to make any notice
able break in their ranks by prosecution.
| But what is the Black Hand Society?
Few have been able to say other than 1t
is an organization of criminals. who use
any means. no matter how desperate. to
attain their desired ends.
In the captures that have been made
by the police no leaders have ever been
| apprehended.
The Black Hand Society is generally
| said to be the same as the Mano Nera.
This society is strongest in New York,
Pittsburg and Paterson. n. J. Mano
| Nera Is regarded as an offshoot of the
ancient Camorra di Napoli. This organ
| ization is strongest in Italy. but is said to
| have originated in Spain during the
| middle ages. In Italy. however. this or
ganizatfon almost took charge Of the
actual government. and levied tax on the
various Offices from 1s4s to 1862.
Devilish Methods.
| This society works almost exclusively
by the use of the mails. The general
plan is to send threatening letter to
| some prosperous person, with instruc-
tons not to make known the threat to
the police. This letter ofttimes bears the
marks of black hand. crudely drawn,
while the word DEATH and other like
| epithets appear all over the missive.S The
skull and crossbones are also used. If the
| first letter is not answered. a second Is
sent and each time the threat is made
| more and more terrifying. Pictures of
| devastation and horrible deaths are de-
| scribed by the writer's if the receivers of
| the missive fail to meet the demands.
After a time, If the persons who receive
the letters do not abide by the demands
of the Black Hand. some sort Of warning
| IS sent.
In some cases internal machines are
used. In others bombs are placed outside
of the house, as in the Di Giorgio case
here. In the mining districts Of Pennsyl-
vania, which is said to be a hotbed for
the society. it is not uncommon to find
| miner lying dead on the roadside, stab
bed in number Of places. While the Di
Giorgio case Is the first violent attempt
| by the society in Baltimore, it Is not
known how far these men will carry their
nefarious trade. The police Of this city
stoutly maintain, however, that this work
has been plotted and planned in other
places for execution here.
| The police departments as well as the
| United States government, are greatly
Handicapped in their attempts to break
up. this society. The italian people will
not talk to the police as a rule. This ap-
plies especially to the poorer class. though
in many instances the same trouble is
experienced with the richer and better
class Of Italian citizens. Besides threat
enng to do bodily harm. the society also
resorts to the KIDNAPPING of children of
the rich. First, the families are notified
that unless they place certain amount
! of money at given place their children
| will be taken and put to death. When
such threats are made the families usual
| ly give up the money before notifying
| the police This Is what makes it SO hard
| for the police to break up the game, for
the societies receive money from the
| wealthy to prosecute their crimes.
Hard Tasks for Police.
A well-known police official said yester-
day that there was not the slightest con-
nection between the European societies
and the societies in this country. The
association formed in this country is
made up Of lot Of dissatisfied men, who
can be placed in the anarchist class, who
want something for nothing. They want
to get money from the rich without work
ing for 1t. A number Of them plan the
scheme and then send others out to do
the work. If the game is successful they
Spots or feeer is eau aha
takes his medicine like a man. thus shield
ing the real culprits. Under these condi-
tons 1t is, therefore, almost impossible for
the police to get down to the real cul
prits.
The New York police have established
foreign department and have placed
Guessepl Petrosini as inspector at the
head. He is native-born Italian. and
while the department has been in exist
ence five years, less than a score o.
convictions have resulted. although more
than three-score Of persons have been or
rested in connection with the Black Ham,
cases.
Blackmail pure and simple is the scheme
of the society. To Offset this number
Of prominent Italians In certain sections
of the country are banding together un-
der the name THE White Hand" with
the view Of opposing thesL demands. This
plan promises to put an end to the black |
mailing If 1t is kept up but whether the
prosperous Italians are strong enough |
both in mind and purpose is a question |
that time alone can tell.
Italians Keep Silence.
There can be no doubt of the terror |
which every italian feels for the Black |
Hand, and while Americans frequently |
deem it cowardly, it is far from being SO. |
The fear of the dreaded society has been
handed down for generations to Italians, |
and has been nursed by a series of terri |
BILE crimes which have at one time or an
other made the streets of some of Italy's |
cities run red with the blood of the victims
of the Black Hand.
When Italians met during the day about |
the wharves and in the markets there was
little talk of the Black Hand. One does
not know but that his fellow-man may be
in the secret organization. and if one re-
viled the Black Hand to his neighbor, who
might be its secret agent, he might that
night be marked for the knife
The method of the Black Hand in this
case is similar to that used on other occa-
sions. Some Italian who has 'prospered is
singled out among others and letter rs
sent threatening trouble if he declines
to give up money. Trouble means muir
der, assassination. child-stealins or
something equally horrible