The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-06-10
BIG BLACK HAND
ROUNDUP IN OHIO.
Arrests Result Of Secret
Service Activity.
MARION ITALIAN LEADER
Trunk Full Of discriminating letters
Found In Fruit Store Give Names
of Members and Numerous Victims.
Thousands Of Dollars Secured by
Extortion and BIackmal Sent to
italy by Men Under Arrest.

thousands OF Dollars Secured by
Extortion and BIackmail Sent to
italy by Men Under Arrest.
Marion, O., June 10.-United States
Secret Service Agent ]. F. Oldfield,
who arrested Sam Lima, a Marion
fruit merchant, as a leader of an Ital-
ian Black Hand society, has gone to
Columbus, taking with him trunk
full of discriminating letters found in
Lima's store. Some of the letters, all
written in Italian, were decorated
with skull and crossbones. Others
were prepared with neatly drawn
bleeding hearts pierced by daggers.
More of the letters contained differing
designs of threatening insignia of
Black Hand mystery, all intended to
terrify prospective victims of a band
of extortionists whose censor and
commander-in-chief in the state of
Ohio, the federal officers assert, is
Lima. With Lima there were arrest
ed here seven other Italians. -Four
were later released, but Samuel Rizzo
and Sebastian Batazlio are held by
the sheriff. They were associates of
Lima and in their trunks the secret
service agents found, letters of the
same character as the collection
taken from the safe in Lima's store.
ha M nj
ing the arrival Of United States Mar.
shall Chandler from Cleveland, who
will take Rizzo and Batazlio to To-
ledo, secret service operatives are
searching for Italians in neighboring
| cities who are suspected of implica-
t1on in an extortionist plot that has
Melted the band thousands of dollars
In blood money within the past few
months.
Lima was first suspected by the au-'
thorities after John Amicon, a wealthy
Italian fruit dealer of Columbus, O.,
received letter demanding $4,000
and threatening his life unless the
money was paid. This letter. it was
| discovered, was sent from Marion
through a series of secret Italian
agents.
Proceeds Sent to Italy.
Lima is known to have sent $500 to
an agent in Italy within the last three
| weeks. The money was sent through
the Marion postoffice. His business
here is a small one and the federal
officials declare that it's profits would
not net in years the amount of
money that has passed through Lima's
| hands In the past few months. Ten
thousand dollars have been sent to
Italy from the men now being round
ed up, say the federal officers. All
| this money, it is declared, was wrung
from wealthy men of their own race.
Ltma's store, it is asserted, was the
headquarters of a group operating in
Ohio, with Cleveland, Columbus, Gin
clnnati and Toledo as the chief
sources of manipulation. Lima is &C.
cused of managing the Matchmaking
scheme and censoring all mail. IIe
was forwarded all letters and passed
| on them. If he chose to send them
! out he would enclose them in separate
envelopes, addressed to agents of the
band in different cities. These agents
| would forward them to other mem
bers of the band until finally the
prospective victim would receive a
threatening demand for money. The
amounts demanded varied from 5000
to $1,000. Through the chain system
| the origin of the letters was traced
! with difficulty and Marion was dis
covered as the clearing house after
several months persistent investiga-
! ton.
The letters confiscated fill two
! large mail pouches. Some were re-
ceived from points as far west as
South Dakota. They show, the off,
GERS assert, that hundreds of Italian
business men have been paying tribute
to the Black Hand to secure immunity
from death or torture at the hands of
members of the society. Books show
! ing the receipt of money and the divi-
sion among members of the gang also
were obtained by the officers. The
! names of many active members of
tho Black Hand, together with the
names of hundreds of victims, are in
possession Of the officers.