The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-14
New York Policeman Shot Dead
 h Palermo, Sicily
IS NOT GIVEN 4 CHANCE
Joseph Petrosino, on Mission to Trace Black Hand Gang In Sicily,
 Meets Death Without Mercy.

| Palermo. Sicily. March 1S-(Special.)- 1 Lieut.. Joseph Petrosino one of the most famous members of the detective force of New York city, was condemned to death l by a tribunal of the Black Hand society l of that city, and the sentence was exc cuted by another tribunal of the Mafia | here.
 In the tragic death of Petrosino the 1 final proof has been given of the interna- l tional affiliations of these dreaded secret societies. The assassination of Petrosino | came with the audiences of a thunder bolt The police hardly knew of his i presence and detectives were sent to guard him. The New York detective, dressed in rough clothing, went about bravely in | the performance of his duty and seemed l to have no fear of his life, despite the re- l peated warnings he had received from | time to time that he would be killed. Forging ahead of the men trailing him
 for his own protection. he entered the | crowded tramway station. As no hostile
 move had been made against him, the po- | lice believed that he had not been rec l ognized. As soon he entered the sta | tion he was surrounded by band of four | or five men. At once he recognized that he was caught in deadly trap and made
 a move to draw his revolver and defend l himself.
 l Four Shots Fired.
 Four shots were fired so rapidly that 1 they sounded as one. Four members of the band had fired with their pistols with
 in few inches from Petrosino's body 1 There was a pause and then a fifth shot | It came from Petrosinos revolver He had drawn the weapon but had been un- | able to raise 1t and his shot was harm | less.
 l Sounds of the shots had hardly died i away before all was confusion. Satisfied 1 that they had accomplished their mission, the assassins escaped with the crowd | that rushed In panic from the station. l When the detectives who had been guard | ing Petrosino rushed into the station they found it deserted except for the dying de- teotive He was leaning against the wall. | his face covered with blood and scarcely | able to breathe.
 Members of the Mafia," he gasped. | Then he tried to pronounce two names, | but the blood gushed to his mouth and he | failed to make himself understood. He braced himself against the wall as though l to make ap effort to pronounce the
 names, but the words would not come to !! his lips. He fell In crumpled heap and | was dead.
 Police Receive Letter. !, As soon as the news of the assassination | of the New York officer known in the 1 two countries as the greatest enemy of 1 the murderous blackmailing bands, was | noised about the police received letter ] stating that the execution of Petrosino
 had been decided upon not A hours before ! by the Maf1a tribunal at Villa Bato. | On the strength of the clews given in l this letter xhe police raided the house of | member of the Maha know to be high | In its councils, and there seized impor- | tant letters and a photograph of Petro- l sino. which had been forwarded from New l York
 The letters announced the departure l from New York of Petrosino on mis- | sion to Italy against the Black Hand l and the Mada, and in the words of the | court order declared that the Black Hand | of New York already had condemned him l to death and insisted that the parent | chapter should carry out this sentence. | The assassins of Petrosino are still at l large. The fact that the detective recog- | nized at least two of them convinces the | police that these members of the band l were either American members of the | Mafa who had followed Petrosino to l this country or such well known members l of the band that Petrosino recognized | them from description.
 Chief Hope of Police. l This fact Is the chief hope of the police l in their endeavor to capture the murder | CTS. The city is deeply stirred over tho | daring crime, and 1t is expected that the .nlio xxfll ha. ef l the best known members of tho Mafs, | of which the Black Hand Is branch i'll l New York and other cities of | the United States, where there are many ! Italian inhabitants and there Is a panic among the members and their families.
 Already the police have made 8 large l number of arrests All the suspects de- | clare their innocence. but are being held 1 and will be required to establish a plaust- l ble alibi before they are released. l On the report that the assassins es- l capped to the mountains back of the city l and are hiding there. company of car | bineers has been sent to search the | mountains in the hope of capturing them
 Soon after his death, the body of Pe- l trosino was searched and many interest | ing documents and letters discovered Among them were letters of introduction l to Italian officials, post cards addressed l to his wife in New York and lists of | criminals in Palermo and other Sicilian | towns.
 l It appears that before coming to Paler- l mo, Petrosino had visited Tunisa. Trapanl l and other Sicilian towns. Among his 1 papers is data of great importance show l ing that Petrosino was getting line on l the movement of the Blackhanders In | New York.
 Terror to Criminals.
 
 was ths Black Hand expert of the New l York police department and terror t.l