New-York tribune., 1909-03-14

Ike an open book When it suited his purposes TO
ador+ a Disguise ne was an adept at the art
few deft changes made him a laborer. a prosperous
padrone or "A nashy young sporting man mus
he penetrated the secrets Of the back rooms
If Mulberry Mott and Elizabeth streets those OF
the 18th street Little Italy and the newer ltaHeH
section on the east side Of Harlem he saI anu
sinnad rcd wine while cunning murders we're planned
within earshot He knew the earmarks OF every
section Of his native country nd could oi,eh Ten
by inspecting the Of crime whether lIS le'-
petrator was SiciIian Neapolitan or came rom
the banks of the Tiber He knew all the'r u'a-
lects He was uHtring in the pursuit. ana never
forgot crime that baked him. Ihus II 'ttne
about that the chief OF plot making was 10
devise a way Of keeping the trah from the Zee"
eyes Of Joe" Petrcsino-
This man who so we'll served his adopted city
was born in Southern Italy forty-four years ago
He was brought 10 New York by his parents IN
1863 and was educated in the public schoolS mere
His father was a merchant tailor
young Petrosino had musical ambitions. Al tHe
FIRST chance he studied music, and soon oecaIie
r,rrfesslouaI bsrpist and violinist As a musician
he roved about the country. visiting seNe'di Ss,
gaining that experience with men ana Keen po"T
of observation that later proved so ValIaoIe' ms
di5 not pav however. and Joe took Joo III tLe
street cleaning Department, where Inspector VIII
Jams discovered him. He did not take the hspec-
Tors advice Immediately. however lie served ioI
some time as clerk in banking mouse ue'oie ]"
aral,- io,ned the police in october Of 1873 Iheh
his promotion to Mulberry street -,
Petrosino had not been attached 10 uie "ut 1i
long before his work began TO tell nledls u az
l,frds roIred in But kept at It, and the old'iih
-. ono h,, one fell before him, He was
ado q detective sergeant and through an ue
changes that came 20 the bureau ne remained ne ne
long had urged the establishment OF d" .t. i,ea',
-, 80 ,-d when Commissioner McAdoo went to
Mulberry street Petrosinos plan was auop'eu' ',
- To-. me- head of the squad Ihen He iildue
- census Of the Italian secret fraterhiueS III an
,cs and began tahulating facts ABOUT men no
he built up a piece Of ponce ''a''''
proved OF the utmost vaIue' ~ .tozo
He never failed TO inspire commence a,,'I'7 ,,
i'm ,,born he worked When G. G. RahdaeCio
con ~ Professor Randaccio, OF the eSief"io ~
stit,te, was stabbed to death IN Prince 81
rit, in 1902 Petrosno the next DAY arIeS'eu
49,, ,,,,er sent word to his many friends IN the
i", @ ,t district TO look out for Joe Petro-
-, vat the detective held the commence u
those neople that he was able TO gdthel lio -
enouqh evidence prosecute sncce~sIuliN ~,
-, - the hand who had killed Randaccio-
Counterfeit detecting was also a "elu III "
patrosIno worked at first. hut later ne ga a.
~. a,+entiou 10 the Black Hand tie deNoteu nm
ss1f m the study of explosives knives anu -
deadly weapons and handwriting. he hneN ,
name and location of almost every "e''''
In the city. .,,,.+t;r,
-. tit Of detective work VAS the uneaf'mhe
~ Patrostno of the murderer OF man iou"I
stabbed to death in Van Cortiahdt taiN -
,,aare ago Tramped in the mud anna ''e
nc ecrap of paper. which name anu an" az. a.
- -. t.areI,- Iecible-"Sabhato Gizzio. BoN zo''
Tahartvi,le \ J." The detective went 'o Lam
,ar+,iIIa and found that Gizzio was fal'i"'
,abor.r The man admitted he had "Ii''e' "
name on a scrap Of paper and ha' El'e" IT,.
friend Antonio Trosiello. who had gone -
- .,..aral hundred dollars in his belt 'Tizl
vent 70 New York and identi1ed the 'o'y ~,
.r, ecsuad that Trosielo had left Lam1e'Niie
- s,l,a,r laborer Antonio Srolo. Stro"o had
,,a, sean later in Lambertville with "ou'Ne
ro,d rack ia Lamhertville Went Petroslno anu
- Ia fo,rd an Italian with a wounded mana
a. ro,,ed 70 be Strollo. and when confronted WI"
,bo bodv OF the murdered man he confessed
,otter case in 1895 was that of the murder VI
,-,,Io Rropno when Angelo Carboni was io"I'
licxing the PROSTATE body. There was appi, 80
= I.ar case and Carboni was convicted ana sen
a5 ~ death But Petrosno was not sa'sheo-
II ,on+ AZ work after the conviction and iedFheu
+t,o+ tbere had been third man In the quarrel
man named Caramelo. This man he traceu 10
,IoH+raaI thence Nova Scotia and PACK 10 Ne"
v,rx frslIy landing him in hiding in an alley IN
baltimore where Petrosino, in the disguise u
beoItb INSPECTOR caught him. The man confessed
the murder In time save Carbonts IRE
1be famous f1th street barrel murder banned
pe+rosino for though he Identified the nutiiA'eu
victim and arrested man who the ponce were
,,oralv certain committed the murder the evidence
yas too weak for conviction
Petrosino foretod the assassination OF fresldeht
otLyinlA,, and warned the washington authorities
FOR three months he worked on the case posing
s an auar hist all over the country but was un-
able to quash the plot
About two years Peroslno surprised ms
friends by marrying Adelina Sauina. daughter OF
| "a LAFAYETTE street restaurant keeper. They made
home at No 233 Lafayette street. 4hey nao
! child three months old.