New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-05-19
LIPS OF sIclLIANs SEALED.
"Betray No One, Not Even a Murderer"
Greed of the Race, Says American
Consul at PaIermo-How Petrosino
Scorned Protection-A Change In
Passports, Suggested.

NA$oAA
that members Of the Black Hand in
New York should not learn Of his
whereabouts.
Mr.. Bishop has received two letters
warning him that unless he ceases
lending hand in the search for Lieu
tenant Petrosino's assassins and in the
deportation of several of the notorious
Italian blackmailers now in the United
States he will meet the fate which be-
fell Commissioner Bingham's special
agent. From the time the first warn
ing letter was received until be was
safely on his way to the United States
Mr.. Bishop was under the constant
surveillance Of two Italian detectives.
They even went on board the Cunard
liner Carpathia with the consul and
his wife and remained until the vessel
had cleared Palermo.
Mr.. Bishop says that, although the
danger Of assassination by Black Hand
agents in the United States is not so
great as in Sicily, he is not taking any
chances. he expects to remain two
months in the United States During
that time he will lay before the state
department at Washington plan
which he believes will lead to the ma
terial lessening Of the number Of Ital-
ian criminals who land in New York
and other Atlantic ports and also will
provide a means Of deporting many
already in the United States who have
been troubling the police Of New York
and other cities in the last few years.
Mr.. Bishop will meet Police Commits
sioner Bingham in the near future to
place certain information in his hands
concerning the Petrosino case.
Mr.. Bishops recent experiences in
Palermo have been 50 far the most
trying period Of his life. His coming
to the United States had nothing to do
directly with the Petrosino case, this
being his annual leave of absence.
While in America he has some impor-
tant matters to communicate.
Mr.. Bishop said frankly that he did
not believe that the murderers of Lieu
tenant Petrosino would ever be caught.
The Sicilian. police have been ham,
pered from the start, he says, by the
fact that nearly every Sicilian is
averse to telling anything he knows to
the police.
p '"There is dogma which has come
down from the middle ages and is still
in full force in Sicily which makes it
we'll nigh. impossible for the police to
catch some criminals said Mr.. Bish-
op. "This is the belief that it is un-
manly to tell anything about fellow
countryman which could get him into
trouble. 1t is called 'omerta' in the
Sicilian tongue, which means manli-
ness. They believe it is dishonorahle
to inform on any one even in case
of murder
Mr.. Bishop said that Petrosino did
not seem to realize the danger of his
mission. He even went about the
streets unarmed and had no revolver
with him when he was murdered. The
dispatches from Palermo at the time
said that Petrosino did have revolver
and fired back at his assassins.
81 frequently spoke to Lieutenant
Petrosino about his danger" said Mr..
Bishop, "but he made light Of it. l
asked him if the Black Hand agents
in New York had never tried to kill
him. He said he had been threatened
many times, but was never afraid.
Gail the stories about his wearing a
coat Of mail were untrue. When he
was shot his revolver was in his room
at the hotel. When he first came to
Palermo the authorities asked him if
he didn't want a guard to accompany
him. They told him it was dangerous
to go about on such mission alone,
but he refused any escort.
Zone day he was going into very
dangerous locality infested with men
known to be desperate. He asked me
what he had better do l told him to
take along some of the carabinieri, but
he finally decided to go alone. That
was just before he was shot down.
Lieutenant Petrosino did not even
disguise himself. True, he registered
under an assumed name at the hotel
and let his beard grow, but it changed
him very little. He was of a distinc-
tive type, easily recognized. l told
him one day that he looked like Ma
poleon, and he said Yes and that in
New York they called him second
Mckinley, as he looked not unlike the
former president.
"The people Of Palermo We're in
clined to look upon Lieutenant Petro-
sino as an intruder, and after his MUIR
der many would say that he got what
he deserved. only tell this to show
what difficult proposition the author
files have been up against in trying
to locate his murderers."
Mr.. Bishop said that the immigration
laws had not been lived up to in Italy
for many years. He said that under
the present passport system there is
no means Of Identifying the holder OF
a passport other than the general de-
scription given