The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-13

| IOIOSO IGe1IJ LII oOCeA SAi of Headquarters of Black Hand Bandits-Believed to Have Secured Informa-
 ton duplicating Many We'll Known Italians. Special from United Press.) Rome March 13-Joseph Petrosino, chief of the Italian detectives of New York city, was shot dead last night in Palermo by agents of the Black Hand
 society, according to messages just re- | cedved from Palermo. Petrosino, the | dispatch says had been sent to Italy | by the New York police department to gather evidence against the leaders of the Black Hand, who are believed to have their headquarters in Italy and to conduct their operations throughout
 the world from a central office. Petrosino was suddenly attacked by the Black Flanders as he was walking
 on the street. They opened fire on him, but before he was killed he Se- cured his own revolver and engaged in a duel with his assailants. It is be lieved that he shot one of the men.
 Four chambers of his revolver were empty.
 The police at Palermo say there is no doubt that Petrosino was murdered for certain papers that he had dn his possession. correspondence between the Blank Hand headquarters and it's agents in New York. In this, how ever, the murderers were defeated, as
 a crowd gathered so quickly after the shooting that there was no time to search Petrosino'S pockets, which were
 filled with documents relating to the
 international operations of the Black
 Hand. Petrosfno was we'll known in Palermo and all over Italy and his
 murder has aroused a storm of bitter feeling. The entire police department of Palermo is at work on the case and a dragnet will be spread all over Italy
 in an effort to ap9Tehend the murder CTS.
 The most sensational deyelopments are expected as a result of the mur- fder. From the papers found on the
 body it is believed that Petrosino had
 regarding the inside workings of the Black Hand and other criminal Italian
 organizations. One document gives a
 comprehensive list with full particu-
 lars of well known Sicilian ex-convicts
 now living in Palermo.
 Petrosino. it is disclosed by police in
 vestigation was waiting for an electric
 car near his stopping place last night
 when several shots rang out. The
 shots were fired from a distance and,
 just as he fell the car came along.
 This probably prevented the murderers
 from searching the body for the in
 assassins got clear before any pursuit
 could be started The police have so
 far made no arrests and seem to be
 wholly in the dark to the identity
 of the murderers.
 New York March 13-Dispatches received from Palermo, Sicily, stating that Lieut. Joseph Petrosfno, head of the Italian detective force of this city, 
 clared by the New York police today to prove absolutely their contention that the ramificationS of the co-called Black Hand in every section of the country are directed from a central
 body in Palermo and that most of the tribute exacted here goes to the Sicil- ian bandits who have piled their trade there flor centuries.
 Police Commissioner Bingham is in Washington but his deputy, Arthur Woods, declared that he had no con- firnation of the report of the killing. although he is trying to secure word from the American Minister to Rome. PetrOsinO's murder shows just how good an organization the Black Hand CTS have. Only three people in the United States knew just where he was in Italy, his wife, Commissioner Bmg- ham and Deputy Commissioner Woods. Bingham had furnished him the funds to make the trip from a secret fund contributed to the commissioner by l6aQ1ng 11ndncle1S WnO are Sald to 1n- clude Andrew Carnegie, w K. Wander lbilt, E- HI. Hartman and Morris K. Jesup
 Every big police department in the United States had been consulted as to their knowledge of Black Hand pro cedure and every suggestion received in this city indicated that the Black Hand headquarters were in Sicily while they had main branches in this city, Chicago, Denver and New Orleans. The New York leaders were followed and the trail led to a New Jersey city where Petrosino seized certain docu- ments that started him on the trip that ended in his death.
 These documents. now in the posses sion of the police department here con tain the names of the inner circle of some of these names are of very prom inent members of the Italian nobil- 1 ity.
 The death of Petrosino is expected to result in an organized war by the united police departments of the Uni ted States on the Black Hand in this country. Already the officials of the | local department are in communication with the heads of the police in other cities and plans are on foot for com plete cooperation. What will be done | in this connection is a closely guarded | secret. but wholesale arrests of Italian criminals in this country can be looked | for in the near future. The New York | police are aroused as never before and | open threats are being made by Petro- i sinos associates in the Italian detec- l tive bureau. of which he was the head ] until relieved, to take up this special work.
 It is believed that Petrosino was fol- | lowed from this city to Sicily by agents of the Black Hand who had him mark ed for slaughter for the purpose of se- curing the information that they knew he possessed. He knew that his every move was watched but insisted that he could take care of himself and the fact that he managed to use his revolver before he was himself killed leads to the hope here that he managed to ac- count for some of his assailants befo-p he was killed.