The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-04-04

rough -and-ready revenge it is usually
so picturesque as to command the at
tention Of the metropolis newspapers.
Misrepresentation Fills the Land.
Metropolitan journalism recruits it's
ranks very largely from Posey Corn
ers and that other famous inland set
tlement above mentioned. So it hap
pens that Jay Sickles, lately employed
OIL the New York Ripper and bred in
the deep provincial mistrust of all for
eigners, Italians most of all, for rea-
sons to be soon set forth, is assigned
to the "slasl1ing or stabbiHg story" Mr..
Sickles has never read Il newspaper
account of an Italian ARRAY which was
not garnished with much mystery
anent the Malta, the Canorra, or the
Black Hand. The Ripper does not
want plain, unvarnished tale un-
der any circumstances, as the raw re-
porter we'll knows, and SO he weaves
around the few simple facts the warp
and woof of a journalistic fabric, gor-
geous as a. navajo blanket, maybe hav
full Of threats and decorated with IL
pictured dagger, or a blackmailing
missive signed with, the name of the
awful BLACK Hand" over all the land
goes the story next day, reprinted from
the Ripper, and mothers in Squedunk
and Posey hush the children's wailing
by warning them that the Italians are
coming, just as New England matrons
years ago used to fill their youthful
offspring with terror by heralding the
advent of Thomas Jefferson.
So does Misrepresentation fill the
land with prejudice against the ItaQ-
ian immigrant, making harder his
har battle for livelihood and for rec
ognition of his general respectability
and obedience to law.
I am an Italian born, yet I have
never heard a convincing declaration,
letting alone a word Of proof, to show
that there is now, or ever was, any
criminal society known as the "Black
Hand" among the Italians in this
country or in their native land. 1 have
no doubt that certain detectives, who
profess a deep and "inside'' knowledge
of the affairs Of Italians here, would
be able to give me as plausible his
nf hot cn-oo1la1 oni7
they give to the receptive Mr.. Sickles.
but fear would not be able to for
get the fact that have been President
Of 81 United Italian Societies in the
city of New York without ever hearing
of an Italian 'Blacll Hand" society.
Are BIackmaiiing Organizations.
In a very large number Of cases in
which "Black Hand letters have been
| traced to their authors it has been
found and proved, by confession of the
culprit or by other credible evidence,
that only one person in each such case
had all to do with it, and that this per-
son, Italian or of other race, knew
uOIJlluS more Ol n bldCk f1dIu SO-
ciety than that its name was dreaded
and therefore might be serviceable.
1t has been suggested that the BLACK
Hand" is a transportation Of those
once powerful Italian societies, the Ca
mora and the Malta. Now, a word
about these: Both were blackmailing
organizations, the former operating
chiefly in the city Of Naples and levy
ing its tolls at fixed rates on almost
all manner of traffic; the latter prac-
tically confined to Sicily and existing
less for revenue than for social and po.
ltical prestige and potent backing in
feud or fray which membership car.
ried with it. There is nothing in the
makeup of either in the slightest de-
, gree suggestive Of the lonely letter
writer in America demanding money
under threat Of death. Again, we rea,l
in King and O'Kay's ITALY Of Today
the Malta was made up Of small gangs,
] mutually independent. Of each othel,