Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-10
TRUNKS FOUND ABOUT HIS
PLACE WERE FULL OF LET
TIERS GIVING EVIDENCES OF
BLACK HAND ExToRTloN.
INSPECTOR TALKS
OF THE EVIDENCE
OFFICIAL DECLARES THAT HAND
WRITING SPECIMENS FOUND
TALLY IDENTlCALLY WITH RE-
CENT THREATENING LETTERS.

Marion, ONO, June 9.-Secret SerV-
ice Agent Oldfield who arrested Sam
Lima, the Marion fruit merchant here
yesterday as the leader Of the Italian
Black Hand society, has gone to Co
lumbus taking with him trunk full
of discriminating letters found in
Limas store. Some letters, all written
in the Italian language, were deco
rated with skull and cross bones.
Others were prepared with neatly
drawn bleeding hearts pierced by dag
gers.
With Lima there were arrested here
seven other Italians. -Four of the later
were released but Samuel Rizzo and
Sebastian Batazlio are held by the
sheriff. Both are section hands en-
ployed by the Pennsylvania railroad.
They were associates of Lima and in
their trunks were found letters of the
same character as the collection taken
from the safe in Lima's store.
May Clear Petrosino Case.
Charles Dicciario Cor Vicarrio Jan
Italian, was arrested today at Belle
fontain by Postoffice Inspector Hosford
and will be taken to Toledo. He is
charged with being a go-between in
securing money for the black hand
gang. 1t is intimated by officers that
Dicciario may be able to give some
information concerning the assassina-
ton in Italy of Detective Petrosino of
New York.
Discussing the case Inspector
Holmes said:
| "The proof we have found against
the Marion gang convinces us that
they have worked their game success
fully on many Italians, principally well
to do Sicilians. We have not found
where they went after single Ameri
can. They meant business when they
made demands for money. If their
demands were ignored they resorted
to the bomb to either bring their vic
tim to time of to avenge a persistent
refusal to submit to blackmail."
Find a Bomb on Doorstep.
1t was on January last that the
Amicons found at the door Of their
! home in Columbus, o., box contain
ing dynamite and fuses, and tackled on
the outside "Black Hand" note de
manding $4,000 and threatening death
| if money payment was not made. The
money was to be paid at the "Blach
Hand rendezvous in Pittsburg. The
case was turned over to the govern
ment secret service and later given tc
the postogce inspectors. The Amicons
received almost weekly demands fol
money.
Acting in harmony with the govern
ment officers, the Pittsburg police re
Gently raided the "Black Hand" head
/ 10 fno ,f1-n ny,k
arrests.
The men arrested today were
charged with attempting to extort un
der the federal statutes. The "Blacl
Hand gang recently ordered Free
! Cianciolo, Cincinnati fruit dealer, tt
give up $4,000 on penalty of deatl
for himself and family if he refused
Family Unhurt; Bar Wrecked.
Cianciolo gave no thought to the let
ters, and few nights later a dyna
mite bomb was exploded in the door
way of his home. No one was injured
but an adjoining saloon was wrecked
Joseph Annirino, also local frui
i dealer, was warned to give the Blacl
Hand $4,000 or his child would b
kidnapped.
The postoffice inspectors insist tha
the handwriting on the letters to tn
Cincinnati men is the same as that il
1.-The Amicon letters.
The handwriting in the letter t
John Amicon, demanding $4,000, j
identical with that in the letters re
ceived by Antonio Rizzio, also a frui
I dealer Of Cincinnati, who died sue
denly several weeks ago after refusin
to obey the demand of "Black Hand
letter to give up $1,000 or forfeit hi
4 life. He died soon after eating bs
lnana given him by a stranger.