The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1908-10-01


powerful that the criminal on the
street never will know whether the
man he speaks to in his own tongue
'he man from his own village-is or is
not member of the secret body that
VIII night crime to its vanishing point
Inc nameless brotherhood-fo lis
name as well as the names of its indi.
Vidual members will be kept. secret
already has been formed The first
meeting has been held There were
6O men present at this. At the next
meeting 300 are promised to be on
hand. Within three months It is ex.
pected that there will be 5000 mem.
bers. The unwritten prospectus pro-
vides for the establishment of large.
hishly organized and efficient body of
secret agents. The first object will
be the protection of the homes. the
families and the property of the mem.
bers OF the organization, this to be ex.
banded gradually until every good
Italian of New York is under the di-
rect care and guard of these Italian
vigilantes.
The city is not to be called upon for
single cent. The organization pro-
poses to raise among its members all
of the large sums that will be neces-
sary to carry on its work. The amount
required will not be small. A very
great share of 1t will be appropriated
for rewards for the secret agents. The
scheme for these secret agents is re-
markable and 1t really is the keynote
of the entire plan. Regular detectives
will be employed only to moderate
extent. A vast amount of the prelimi-
nary work of collecting evidence will
be done by Italians of both sexes
while engaged in their regular occu-
pations, who thus will be able to move
among their countrymen without sus-
picion. In addition to this, these Sc
cret agents will be guarded carefully
most powerful in the establishment of
the brotherhood expressed 1t, Few
criminals will attempt to do anything
against our agents if they know that
they are watched"
r. HE Italians who are the projectors
j of this brotherhood are widely rep
resentative citizens Of New York and
come of many different classes. Some
of them are rich, others of moderate
means. In the organization already
are to be found natives Of all parts OF
Italy and of all shades of political be-
lief. 1t Is the scheme to have the
membership include not only big and
little business men, but large pro-
portion of the laboring element. The
secret agents will be picked designed
ly from this class. AS the element to
be fought comes mostly from the south
of Italy it Is planned to have as many
of the secret agents as possible from
the same region. Experience has
shown that the slower-witted, more
plodding Italian from the north is no
| match for the devious ways OF those
that are born in Sicily and the south.
Hitherto the great trouble has been
to get the natives from the south OF
Italy to testify at all in BLACK Hand
matters. An American who Is not an
Italian. American has no idea or the
terrorism that is employed. 1t Is
terrorism that is below the surface
not to be seen by the outer world. 1t
is this that has handicapped, beyond
belief the efforts to secure justice In
the Italian Matchmaking cases OF New
! York.
A thousand secret agents, for exam
ple-men working at their daily trades
can be had at the price of, say ten
notice detectives. These thousand men
and women will not be Vidocqs, nor
will they have the skill OF Sherlock
Holmes Yet they will have two mar
velous advantages, advantages that
cannot be estimated too strongly. IN
the first place, their Identity Will be
hidden absolutely. Wher once this or
eanization is fully started any ltaiiah
met with may be one OF these SECRET
agents The laborer playing MORO III
the hack room OF dingy saloon WIN
a marty of new found friends may be
one. an Italian physician or lawyer OF
high repute and income may be an
other Secondly. there will be thou
sand of these men and women-per-
hans several thousahd-all listening
questioning, remembering, repeating
nermeating every strata OF Italian me
IN New York. and together they VIII
have the mastery of every dialect ana
custom of Italy.
TT PROBABLY is not known general
" that New York city is divided up
very curiously as concerns its Italian
nonu,ation. The Italian quarters are
divided up into what practically
amounts to hundreds of little villages,
An Italian comes. say, from sihail
town in Calabria, He is followed by
others. And all that come from ina.
town endeavor to live In the same
tenement house, II possible as tne
srst man; If not, in the same plocA
This is primarily for the sake OF COM