Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-21
PEIROSINO CASE
William H. Bishop, American
Consul, Tells Why Culprit
Will Escape.
LIPS OF SICILlANS SEALED
"Betray No One, Not Even a Muir.
derer," Is Their Greed, Accord
ing to Official.

William ii. Bishop. American consul
at Palermo. Sicily. who was threaten
ed with death just after the assassina-
ton of Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino in
the streets of Palermo, recently ar
rived in New York city. He is not
telling his abiding place, for it seems
desirable Oh more than one account
that members of the Black Hand in
New York should not learn of his
whereabouts
Mr.. Bishop has received two letters
warming him that unless he ceases
lending hand III 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 tile time the first warn
ing letter was received until he was
safely on his way TO the United States
Mr.. Bishop was under the constant
surveillance of two Italian detectives.
They even went Oh 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 ut Washington plan
| which he believes will lead to the ma
| terial lesSeninS of the number of Ital-
ian criminals who land in New Yori,
and other Atlantic ports and also will
provide 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 so 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.
VIII Not Tell What They Know.
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 t,
the police. Hf1
There is Il dogma which has come
down from the middle ages and is still
in full force in Sicily which makes il
well nigh impossible for the police tt
catch some criminals" said Mr. Bish
OPP This is the belief that it is un
manly to tell anything about a fellow
countryman which could get him into
trouble 1t is called 'omerta' in the
Sicilian tongue, which means manli
ness. They believe it is dishonorablt
to inform on any one even in case
Of murder"
Mr.. Bishop said that Petrosino die
not seem to realize the danger of hi:
mission. He even went about tht
streets unarmed and had no revolvel
with him when he was murdered. TIL
dispatches from Palermo at the tim
said that Petrosino did have revolve
and fired back at his assassins
Il frequently spoke to Lieutenan
Petrosino about his danger" said Mr.