Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-06-11
BLACK HAND
CHIEF1AINS
ARRESTED
SECRET SERVICE MEN DISCOVER
MAFIA OF AMAZING RAMI-
FICATIONS.
MAY AVENGE PEIR0SINO.
Clues Found in Minor Cases Lead to
One Bearing on Detectives
Death.
MAY AVENGE PETROSINO.
BLOODTHIRSTY LETTERS FOUND.

CINCINNATI, o., June 9.-Opera-
tons in nearly every large city in the
| United States and the ramiications of
the secret service in Italy will be laid
| bare, it is expected, when the black hand
gang, which was rounded up Tuesday
in Columbus and Marion, O., by post
I office inspectors of Cincinnati, are
brought to trial.
Inspector-in-C Holmes said today
the evidence gathered by his inspectors
and by detectives and the police of sew
eral cities, working in conjunction with
the police authorities, is vOluminOus and
that there can be no doubt that the
crimes OF blackmail, eXtOrtiOn and threat
ened and attempted murder will be fast
! ened upon the guilty men.
Operations Country Wide
In addition to the arrest of four ST.
'cilians in Marion, Columbus and DENIM
! son Tuesday, Joe Batazlio and Sam Riz-
70 were taken into custody in Marion
Tuesday night. Those arrested earlier
in the day were Sam Lima, said to be
the ringleader Of the gang in the United
States, and Joe Rlzzo in Marion; Anto-
Mo Marsisi in Dennison and Tony BIZ
cherio in Columbus. These arrests were
made on letters sent to John Amicon, a
wealthy fruit dealer of Columbus. The
inspectors state they have evidence
showing that & room in the rear of a
little fruit store in Marion conducted
by the Rlzzos was the headquarters of
the society IN this country; that in a
safe which was raided letters were
found which threw light on many sue
cessful attempts to eXtort money from
wealthy Italians in Ohio, New York,
Pennsylvania and other states
The letters confscated fill two large
mail pouches. Some were received from
points as far west as South Dakota.
They show, the officer assert, that hun
dreds of Italian business men have been
paying tribute to the blackhand to Sc
cure immunity from death or torture at
! the hands of members of the society
Books showing the receipt of money,
and the division among members of the
gang We're also obtained by the officers
The names of many active members of
the black hand, together with the names
of hundreds of victims, are in possession
of the officers.
Find discriminating Evidence.
MARION, O., June 9.-United States
! Secret Service Agent j. T. Oldfeld, who
arrested Sam Lima, a Marion fruit mer-
chant, here yesterday as a leader of an
Italian black hand society, has gone to
Columbus taking with him a trunk full
of discriminating letters found in Lima'S
store.
Some of the letters, all written In Ital-
ian, were decorated with skull and cross
| bones. Others were prepared with neat
| ly drawn bleeding hearts pierced by dag
| gers More of the letters contained diff
fering designs of threatening insignia of
black hand mystery, all intended to terri
fly prospective victims of a band of eX-
tortioniStS whose censor and commander
in-chef in the state of Ohio, the federal
officers assert, is Lima. With Lima there
were arrested here seven other Italians.
Four were later released, but Samuel
Rizzo and Sebastian BataZliO are held by
the sheriff. Both are section hands en-
ployed by the Pennsylvania railway.
They were associates OF Lima and in
their trunks the secret service found let
tiers of the same character as the cOllec-
ton taken from the safe in Lima's store
| While the authorities here are awaiting
the arrival of United States Marshal
Chandler from Cleveland, who will take
Rizzo and BatazliO to Toledo, service
operatives are searching for Italians in
neighhoring cities who are suspected of
implication in an eXtortionist plot that
has Melted the band thousands of dollars
in blood money within the last few
months. Some of the suspects are being
sought in Bellefontaine. Lima'S father
who is wanted, is said to be at Upper
Sandusky and the police there have been
asked to apprehend him. A brother of
the alleged leader of the band, associated
with him in business here, has diSap-
peared. Three secret service men are
seeking him, but no trace of his where
aboutS has been yet secured. Another
brother, also sought has been traced to
| Italy, whittier he departed a few weeks
ago. Lima was first suspected by the
authorities after John Amicon, wealthy
italian fruit dealer of Columbus, re-
ceved a letter demanding $4,000 and
threatening his life unless the money
was paid.
Lima Denies Extortion.
This letter. it was discovered, was
sent from Marion. through a series of
secret Italian agents. Lima, now in
Jail here. was not Informed of the cause
! of his incarceration until today. He was
given a newspaper when he arose from
his cell cot. When he read that he was
believed to have instigated the plot to
blackmail Amicon. Lima exclaimed:
"Amicon, he Jealous. That's all. He
nanas in Ohio than he 90. He tell po-
lice that l do this money business to get
even with me because | get more bust
ness. Blackhand? OF it | know moth
ing.
Lima pulled nervously at black cigar
and turned TO talk in whispers to
group of his countrymen who had come
early to the Jail to bring him milk and
an Italian breakfast
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 Il small one. and the federal officials
declare that its profits would not net