River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-09-24

.SAA. gether to put down the So
IL called Black Hand" There
this city a secret, oath-bound 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 mercilessly levying blackmail
upon rich Italians. The new organiza-
ton will be- even more relentless than
the criminals they are pursuing.
The innumerable blackmailers,
thieves and assassins who have SO per-
sfstently oparated under the name of
La Mano Nera" are not, however, to
be eXterminated with pistol and still
leto. The new organizations plan is
to prosecute them judicially. Through
its own secret agencies it will collect
evidence against these men, assem-
bling it in such magnitude and SO con-
yincingly that the BLACK Hand oper-
ator will have no more leeway. This
new, oath-bound body will have such
strength that it will be able to protect
without difficulty all those who aid it.
AS a matter of fact the "Black
Hand" is not an organization-there is
no body of men of that name banded
together for any particular purpose.
1t 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-
ETY., was coined some few years ago in
a newspaper article. The criminal
Italians were quick to take it up and
adopt 1t, as it 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 it 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 UNNECESSARILY power
full organization, with a single head,
many lieutenants and innumerable
members. But no such organization
exists. If it did it would be compare
lively easy for the authorities to break
determined onslaught. It's unwieldy
size would breed many enemies, be-
trayals would follow, it's leaders would
be in the grip of justice, and all would
soon be over.
ID UT with perhaps thousand mar
ID auding bands operating in secret,
inspiring fear in countless ways by
threats of bombs, stilettos and pistols
and too often making their threats
good-the evil has become a 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 it's 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 a system Of retaliation and per-
sonal payment of injury for injury as
old as Rome itself. 1t is therefore Pc
culiarly 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 I'M
able to cope with the danger. The
police stand helpless before the rami-
fications 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 Turk
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.
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~ aE LIcrnPI0 INTEREST