Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-09
BLACK HAND
OPERAT IONS.
United States Postal Inspectors
Are About Ready to Lay
Them Bare.
EVIDENCE Isl voLUMlNOUs.
-------------
EVIDENCE Is vOLUMINOUs.
Headquarters Of Society in This
Country Said to Have Been
Found in Marion, 0.
Names Of AIcmbcrso OF Band, Together.
Will, Those of Hundreds Of Their
Victims,8in Olllcers' funds.

q
Cincinnati. June Operations in
nearly every large city in the United.
States ana the ramitications Of the
secret service in Italy will be laid
bare, it is expected, when the Black
Hand gang which was rounded up in
Columbus and Marion, Ohio, by post
office inspectors of Cincinnati, are
brought to trial. Inspector-in-Chief
Holmes says the evidence gathered by
his inspectors and BY detectives and
the police of several cities, is 5volllmin-
Gus and there can be no doubt that
the crimes of blackmail. eXtortion and
threatened and attempted murder Will
be fastened upon the guilty men. In
addition2to the arrest of four Sicil-
ians in Marion, Columbus and Denni-
son Tuesday, Joe Batella and Sam
Rizzo We're taken into custody fH
Marion Tuesday night. Those arrested
today We're Sam Lima. said to be'ring-
leader, of the gang, and Jose Iaizzo.
z in Marion; Antonio Marsisi In Denni-
son, and Collogero Viccarrio in Belle
fontaine, These arrests We're made
from letters sent to John Marion a
wealthy fruit dealer OF Columbus,
s Ohio.
HEADQUARTERS OF SOCIETY.
The inspectors say they have evidence
that a. room in the rear of a little
fruit store in Marion conducted by the
Rizzos was the headquarters of the4so-
ciety in this country and they found in
H. safe there letters that will throw
light on many successful attempts to
teSteI-t money from wealthy Italians in.
Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and
other states. ,i
4 The letters cunfiscated fill two large
mail pouches. Some We're received
from points as far west as South Da-;
kUta They show. the officers assert
Z that hundreds of Italian business men
have been paying tribute to the Black
Hand to.gain immunity from death or
torture at the hands OF the members of
the society. Books showing the receipts
OF money and its division among mem
Abers of the gang also We're found. The
names OF mony active members OF the
Black Hand. together with the names
iof hundreds of theirSs9 victims are in
possession of the officers
s. The officers declare they now have
Sufficient evidence to. convict.
The New York police officials who
( are carrying on the detective work
started by Joseph Petrosino, who was
{ killed in Sicily, have been working ON
(; Black Hand organization, but that
the operations have been conducted
by individuals In different cities who
have no connection with each other.
E But the work of the Cincinnati officers
tends to show that the New York ex-
nerts have been wrong in their theory
and that not only has the Black Hand.
IA national organization in the United
States but it is directly allied with a
similar organization in Sicily and is
working in connection With the Malta
or order of the Banana. as it has more.
recently been known in this country
The coup sprung by The government.
officers was engineered by Inspector
T. Oldfield. under the direction of
Inspector a. r. Holmes, in charge of
the Cincinnati. office,
The conspirators are alleged 10 have
sent $4,000 month";. to Italy.
B 1t is said the officers have found
the society is an lronbound organi-=
zation. membership in which is In
vested with blood curdling oaths.
grips, passwords and signs.
IMPORTANT ARRESTS MADE.
Marion. Ohio, June 9.--Unitetl
states Secret Service Agent j. t.
oIdfieId. who arrested sam Lima. a,
fruit agent here yesterday as lead
er of an Italian Black Hand society,
has gone To Columbus. taking with
hi,,.s9: trim, t,ill Of rtnritninatjng
ters found in Lirna's store. Some OF
the letters, all written in Italian,
were decorated with skull and
cross-bones. Others Mere pre-
pared with neatly drawn bleed-9
ing hearts pierced bS dasgers-
More OF the letters contained differ
Slack Hand mystery OF the seven
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