The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-10-05

NGW wealth are banding to-
MW gether to put down the So
called BLACK Hand" There
has just been organized In
this city secret, oath.bonnd brother
hood to stamp out the Italian criminal
in this city. They have sworn to ut
terly exterminate the scores of mar
auding bands that are making the
streets dangerous with private war
and are mercllessly levying blackmail
upon rich Italians. The new organiza-
tion will be even more relentless than
the criminals they are pursuing.
The innumerable blackmailers,
thieves and assassins who have 80 per-
sistently oparated under the name OF
la Mano Nera" are not, however, TO
be extermlnated with pistol and still.
leto. The new organizations plan is
20 prosecute them judicially. Through
fits own secret agencies Il will collect
evidence against these men, assem-
bling II in such magnitude and so con-
vincingly that the BLACK Hand" oper-
ator will have no more leeway. This
new, oath-bound body will have such
strength that IL will be able TO protect
without dlfhculty all those who aid IT,
As matter OF fact the BLACK
Hand is not an organiEation-there Is
no body OF men OF that name banded
together for any particular purpose
il is simply a convenient term that
has been applied to the acts OF thou
sand independent gangs OF vicious or
criminal Italians. The name BLACK
Hand as applied TO a criminal soci-
cty, was coined some few years ago In
a newspaper article. The criminal
Italians were quick to take Il up and
adopt H. as II gave a dignity and
power to their demands. SO one after
another OF the countless independent
gangs. the groups OF two or three, the
free lances. took II up and began sign
ing their threats with La Mano Nera's
sinister name and emblem. Quickly
the Idea spread throughout New York
and America that the BLACK Hand
was a vast and immeasurably power
full organization, with a single head,
many lieutenants and innumerable
members. But no such organization
exists. II 1t did II would be compare
lively easy for the authorities to break
It up--it could hardly last a months
determined onslaught It's unwieldy
size would breed many enemies. be-
trayals would follow. its leaders would
be In the grip Of justice. and all would
soon be over.
y UT with perhaps a thousand mar
- auding bands operating ia secret,
inspiring fear in countless ways by
threats OF bombs, stilettos and pistols
and too often making their threats
good-the evil has become menace
that is more than difficult to stamp
out. Where one band is caught
dozen more spring into being.
While the tribute levied by the so
called BLACK Hand" has for some
time been wrung from Italians OF |
wealth. the recent spread OF its depre-
dations and prosecutions has touched |
not only almost every class of Italians, |
but also many other foreigners and a
few Americans as well and caused the |
situation to become alarming
The difficulty of combating Italian
crime Is greater than that OF combat
ing the crime of any other nationality,
people or class. The Italians, above
all other races. are abnormally secre-
tive; they settle their quarrels among
themselves. without recourse to the
law. by system of retaliation and per-
sonal payment of injury for injury as
old as Rome itself 1t is therefore pc
cuilarly fitting and quite in keeping
with their racial traits that the TIA.
lians should have evolved this scheme
of settling the difficult BLACK Hand"
question themselves
This plan OF the great oath-bound
brotherhood has been set afoot be-
cause the Italians OF New York realize
that the municipal government is un-
able to cope with the danger. The
police stand helpless before the raml-
flcations of the criminals that black
mail and terrorize Evidence cannot
be secured at important junctures,
those who endeavor to help the police
are set upon at the first available op-
portunity by the bands that lurk.
Even the witness is not safe upon the
stand. A secret sign comes from some
part OF the courtroom and there is an
instant loss of memory caused by a
fear of loss Of life
4 IL this will be changed, 1t is antici-
"A pated, when this remarkable new
brotherhood. the like Of which never
before has been known In America,
gets fairly under way. For it will be
more powerful than the criminals
themselves 1t will intimidate them,
not by fear of death, but by fear of
jail The whole plan is only what
might have been anticipated-th ris-
ing of the good Italians of New York
to blot out the stigma that is no fault
Of theirs, but is stain made by those
OF their own blood. The interesting