The Washington herald., 1908-01-12
BLACK HAND RECORD
MORE THAN TWENTY BOMB OUTRAGES
IN NEW YORK LAST YEAR.

More than a score Of dynamite bomb
ourages in the year ended January s.
1903. together with many fatal incendiary
/ fires. scores OF murders by stabbing and
shooting, and hundreds Of blackmaiing
letters, all the work Of the Black Hand
in New York and its immediate suburbs,
is the blood-stained record Of this Organl-
cation Of murderous blaekmaiiers. and it
has entered upon the new year with TWO
particularly atroclous bomb explosions
in this city.
1t is a record, says the New York
World. which grimly answers the italian
officials, who have insisted there is no
Black Hand in Italy. and the Americans
who doubt the, existence of this powerful
/ blackmailing society.
| Doubtless there were among the many
threatening letters signed BLACK Hand
plenty Of which were the work Of anna
teurs IN crime and alleged jOkers with a
/ perverted sense Of humoT.
/ Not every Italian found dead with a
stletto stab through the heart was 3
| Black Hand victim. as may have been
reported or suspected, but the discovery
/ Of a Black Hand school Of murder in
Pittsburg. the round-ups by the local
Italian bureau sleuths OF Black Hand
/ suspects establish the existence Of the
/ society. at least 20 the satisfaction OF
the police and the thousands I'm the Little
| Italics, who cover and turn pale at
/ the mention Of the dread name.
/ Detectives, State mounted police dn
/ Pennsylvania). United States Secret
| Service men. private detectives. White
/ Hand societies, and other law-enf0rclng
/ organizations have struggled bravely
with the problem. but each hope that
the Black Hand has been eradicated by
/ some big raiG or wholesale convictions
/ is blasted by fresh dynamite outrages.
/ La Mana Nera, as the Italians call the
/ society. inaugurated this years series
Of outrages On the first night Of the
year. when at midnight 4 bomb wrecked
/ the lower floors of the fye-story double
deck tenement at 352 East Eleventh
/ street The members Of twenty families
were hurled from their beds and sent
climbing and cropping 10 safety because
/ the owner Of the tenement. Giro POg-
giOrisle, refused 10 comply with the
/ den and for 81 900 made by BLACK Hand
! agents. The bomb was the second one
/ sent against PoggioriaIe's property, his
grocery store in Elizabeth street having
/ been destroyed three years ago when he
/ ignored a demand.
The apparent system Of the oTganiza-
/ ton has been 70 strike several victims in
/ quick succession. the spectacle Of the
police inability to check them being a
/ golden asset to the blackmaiIers. Fol-
lowing this programme, the Black Hand
blew out the front Of Peter Licata' s
musical instrument store at % Morgan
/ street. Brooklyn. on January 3.
] Licata had laughed at the threats
made by letter 10 explode a bomb if he
did not pay hush money. Like most OF
the other bomb outrages, the explosion
occurred on the ground floor Of q three
story tenement, imperiling scores Of per
sons unaware OF their danger. and who
had nothing 10 do with the case.
The dynamiting Of last year began on
! January %. when q bomb was exploded IN
the rear OF a hve-story tenement at 3H
/ East Twenty street. A man named
/ tScnminger had received a Black Hand
/ demand preceding the explosion and had
| ignored IT, AS a result, 500 persons from
the row Of tenements from 81 10 AZ
rushed out into the snow.
On January - a valise flied with sticks
Of dynamite was found in the bathroom
Of Mrs. Frederick Peters boarding and
rooming house at % West Eleventh
street
On the night Of February % a bomb was
exploded in the hall of the tenement at
325 East Sixty-first street half OF which
was owned by the Italian banker. Joseph
Cozzai, Of 1l49 First avenue. One hun
d-ed and twenty-five lives were imperiled.
Cozzafi's son had been previously kid
mapped and returned by the bIaCkmailers
/ Iguaceo L.ombardo. a prosperous barber
OF $50 Harrison avenue, Brooklyn. refused
10 accede to demands for 500 and after
receiving several letters he was attacked
his shop on the ground floor Of a six
family house being destroyed by a bomb
Michael Angelo AlOnge received numer-
Gus demands for $500 TO be paid to a man
who would meet him IN the subway but
as AlOnge failed 10 pay bomb was SCI
oft in the doorway Of his grocery az ISL
Elizabeth street on the night of Febru-
GTy a and the hundreds OF occupants
in the double siX-stoTy tenement were
stampede into the street
\ scrap iron bomb. exploding on the
back st0op Of the house at 2n North
sixth street, Brooklyn, on the morning
Cf April IS. was believed by the police
TO be the work Of Black Hand assassins
who had mistaken Mrs. Anna Reilly:
home for that Of a wealthy Italian
Albino Dasso. Of 175 Sullivan street, re.
fused 10 yield to a demand for $1,000 and
IN the early morning Of April II his shoT
was blown to splinters.
one chnd's life was sacrificed, and five
other children were injured by the ex
plosion OF q bomb in an ash can Fl
front Of 2 Mott street, May % Tony
Barto was the little victim. Beside.
frightening out the occupants Of tn,
stores and tenements, il caused the pupil:
of School No. los, right at hand. to march
out. fearing FIRE.
/ An Internal machine was sent to DR.
NJ. G. Dadirrian, Of 625 West 18th street
who had a drug store on Madison ave
nue.. Black Hand letters demanding $40.
0O0 were shown 70 the police by Dadirrian
Because Joseph A. MOTOney, OF 20 NOrtl
Fourth street. Mount Vernon. failed {,
comply with the demands of the BlacI
Hand nurderers, they exploded a boml
in his kitchen on June 5, killing his wife
mother. and ten-year-old daughter No
roney was a wealthy sal0onkeeper anC
had ignored calls for $500 by the anony
nous assassins.
. That Same week Recorder Kennel. O
: New Durham, \. j.. who as magistrate
! had incurred the enmity Of the Blacl
Hand, found a lighted bomb in the celia
under his office. He eXtinguished It jus
, in time. but the shock of the discover,
caused his death some time later.
/,
Last July was marked by three boml
outrages around New York. The wife n