The San Francisco call., 1908-03-22

AL@--~-l 4aocE camp on pay %. 1-4u SSS
II there Is not Black Hand collector
present TO get his pocket full OF 30 cent
pieces or dollar bills cut of the pay of
the men. and four times out OF five he
has an understanding with the fore
man"
One of the most brazen pieces Of ex-
tortion Of which / have known was
terminated recently in .Westchester
county. a few months ago there ap-
peared in the village Of Mamaroneck an
aged man of striking face and figure
A startled few al once recognized him
as Calenca, the great Calabrian bandit,
whom they had thought was securely
serving s5 years for his crimes in al
Italian prison = soon appeared that
be had been permitted b. The Italian
authorities 70 come 10 the United
States. Being old and inhrm he could
resume activity n no criminal way SO
he sought refuge in the house Of a
former associate. He soon informed the
local leaders Of the Black Hand that he
was IN q position 10 command them 10
lay an extra assessment OF the Itaiians
OF that community and OF Pelham and
Rye 10 get funds 70 start him II the
drugstore business. The local cosci got
busy and had collected several hundred
dollars when some oae tipped the ir.-
migration authorities that the famous
Calenda was on American soil and now
it is likely that the distinguished old
gentleman viii have been deported be
fore these words are printed
One scarcely knows where 10 begin
in writing Of the Black Hand As 10
its history. il IS nine-tenths unwritten
or unknown: as TO its ramihcations TO-
day. who shall say how far they ex-
tend; as 70 its future. there is only a
great. grave. vague dread A lawyer at
a dinner one night asked me why IS
the Black Hand2" answered. Where
three Germans are gathered together.
one opens a delicatessen, where three
Americans are assembled they appoint
a committee and adopt resolutions,
where three Italians are joined, one
sends the richer OF the other two .
Black Hand letter"
Malta Centuries Old
The Sicilian Mana has existed for
centuries. seeking power through fear
Profit through fear has been the spirit
Of the Neapolitan camorra since the
dark ages in the i'll smelling City Of
Thieves. Palermo and Messina are
today reeking hives Of Mahtti- Naples
has q gang OF cutthroat camorristi
whose nachinations pervade every
walk of daily life. The letter Of warn
ing. the secret signs Of terror, the
omerta or enforced silence before the
law, the vengeance Of the stiletto or
pistol-these are all familiar processes,
and every one has its intensely dra-
matte atmosphere
The operation Of the omerta Is the
strangest. the most bewiIdering and
the most maddening to the officials OF
the American courts and TO the Amert-
can police. Il is the specific applica-
ton Of the power Of terror. and DO
not believe there iss any law abiding
American whose blood viii not hofi
with righteous indignation when he
reads the following displays OF the
omerta:
A few months ago year old Sal
vatore Siatti was kidnaped, and by clev-
er work the New York Italian squad
obtained convincing evidence against
Pietro Pampaniella. Ignacio de Leo
nardo and Others. The police were Ger
tain that they had found the great
kidnapping branch Of the Black Hand,
the leader OF which they believed TO
be a man named Mini san Filipo- a
woman confederate named Rosina Mar
tinese. attached 10 Pampaniella. had
made an astounding confession TO the
detectives. and she was expected TO go
on the stand and open the way TO the
crushing Of the kidnapping bard
De Leonardo weakened after convic-.
ton. and the first words OF confession
were on his lips when suddenly Judge
O'sullivan. who was presiding. and As
sistant District Attorney o,conaer. who
was prosecuting. saw Pa-lpaaiclla ex-
in the courtroom. a woman in tie
crowd saw it and screamed with tsr-sr.
crying that It was the death sgn
Turning 10 the witness the officials
found him pitched forward in 4 state
of collapse. When order was restored
he refused TO go OF. and went TO MS
cell hts 49, -->i@a hv fright.
Everybody. from judge to doo.ana...
was indignant Before the star witness
was brought out 1xo days were aslos-el
10 elapse. and the courtroom was filed
with Italian detectives on the lookout
The last word the Martiaese woman
said before she took the stand was that
she was not afraid and would tell ali.
Her testimony had progressed to its
crucial point. the one al which she must
begin TO tell Of the coings OF the chiefs.
The first words that would incrininate
San Fflipo were on her lips when some
thing terrible. that no one else saw.
caught her eye She faltered and
seemed about TO faint. A sibilant hiss
sounded from some one in the crowd.
While The detectives We're 7ooks--~ 80.